GHS girls' JV basketball finishes season with big win

MONROVIA -- The Greencastle girls' JV basketball team put the finishing touches on a successful season on Thursday, Feb. 6.

The Tiger Cubs were trying to get one more win on the season as they traveled to Monrovia to play the Bulldogs on the road.

Despite the tough environment, Greencastle came out on top with a 30-28 win.

Greencastle has historically struggled against an always-tough Monrovia team. Thursday night was no different, as the two teams were evenly matched right from the start.

The Tiger Cubs came out with full-court pressure and then dropped back to their signature extended 1-3-1 half-court defense.

It was a 14-14 score at halftime as both teams battled to try to gain an edge.

The Tiger Cubs took a three-point lead into the fourth quarter as they were trying to figure out ways to score against the taller Monrovia team. The fourth quarter was tight throughout, and the Bulldogs had a one-point lead with 10 seconds left in the contest.

As the Tiger Cubs brought the ball up the court, they were hoping to get a good look at the basket. Sophomore Kaylee Evans had the ball on the baseline and made a nice pass to fellow Sophomore guard Bethanie Burgeson at the top of the key and she hit a big three-point shot to give the Tiger Cubs a two-point lead with 3.5 seconds left on the clock.

Monrovia took a time-out and then inbounded the ball needing to go the full length of the court and they were unable to get off a shot.

The Lady Tiger Cubs played well and came out in their season finale with a 30-28 victory.

It was a well-played game that was intense from start to finish. All eight players contributed to the win for the Tiger Cubs.

Leading the Greencastle scoring was Burgeson with nine points, followed by Evans with seven points. Gracie Smith and Mia Stevens added six points each, and Grace Paul had two points.

Coach Matt Welker was pleased with the team's performance.

"Our team has continually and dramatically improved over the last few weeks of the season," Welker said. "They have worked so hard to get better and have learned to play good intense basketball, and it has really shown over the last three games. The future of Greencastle girls' basketball looks very bright."

The Lady Tiger Cubs finished with a 9-7 record on the season.

At Monrovia
Greencastle 6 8 7 9 -- 30
Monrovia 8 6 4 10 -- 28
GHS: Burgeson 9, Evans 7, Smith 6, Stevens 6, Paul 2
MHS: Tharp 14, Russell 7, Speck 5, Wright 2