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Tiger Cubs survive late scare
Anyone who stuck through all 32 minutes of senior night at Greencastle High School got full value for the price of admission Friday night.
The Tiger Cubs led for nearly the entire contest but needed to overcome a frantic Southmont push in the final minute to capture a 51-47 win.
"It was a good win but it was one that gives you the gray hairs that you don't really need," Greencastle coach Troy Greenlee admitted. "I thought we defended pretty well and we did a good job against (Devon) Burton but we did allow them to have too many open looks.
"Even though we made mistakes toward the end, our kids didn't fold. They hung in there and made the plays in the end that they had to make to win the game."
With the game being the last home game of the season, Greenlee took a moment to commend his three seniors.
"Our seniors have been great all year," Greenlee said. "Their attitudes have been tremendous. They're leaders on the floor. I couldn't be happier with the way they conduct themselves on and off the floor."
The senior trio set the stage early as Cole Dixon knocked down the Tiger Cubs' first basket, Jonathan Newgent tied the game 4-4 and Holden King knotted the score 7-7. King also hit a 3-pointer later in the quarter to give the Tiger Cubs a 12-7 lead.
A five-point lead at that point was doubled in the final 10 seconds after Colyn Foxx knocked down a three, stole the inbounds pass and put up a quick layup to give Greencastle a 17-7 lead after one period.
Evan Coble hit a three to open the second quarter but the offense dried up as the Mounties went on a 12-3 run over the next five minutes of play to cut the lead to four.
Greenlee said Greencastle had a chance to take the momentum and run after Foxx's work but couldn't make it happen.
"That was a big moment but it was disappointing we weren't able to carry that over into the second quarter," Greenlee said. "We let them get back into it and I wish we had responded better."
The hosts eventually took a 28-23 lead into halftime and extended the lead to 11 after three Newgent free throws. A late three from Cameron Remley allowed Southmont to keep the lead under double digits entering the final frame.
The Mounties cut the lead in half by the 4:30 mark of the fourth quarter at 42-38 and a pair of Devin Burton free throws moved the visitors to within a basket of tying the game.
With two minutes to go, King hit his fourth three of the game and Brody Bollman knocked down a jumper that put Greencastle ahead 47-40 with a minute to play.
Any thoughts of a comfortable finale were immediately dashed when Burton nearly single-handedly took the lead in a 15-second burst.
Burton first recorded a three-point play before the Tiger Cubs turned the ball over near midcourt. The ball was flipped to Burton, who knocked down a three to cut the deficit to one point.
Burton then stole the inbounds pass and though he missed the layup, the Mountie guard knocked down the first free throw to tie the game at 47-47.
A miss on the second attempt sent both teams to the floor for the rebound, which Lane Winslow eventually ended up with.
Winslow got the ball to Coble and the sophomore put in a layup that gave the hosts the lead again, and two Bollman free throws finally sealed the game with 11 seconds remaining.
Greenlee said the squad made enough plays to win the game but would need to be smarter in that situation with sectionals around the corner.
"I don't think we handled the situation very well," Greenlee said. "We needed to be strong and put ourselves into a position to shoot free throws for the rest of the time. We weren't able to do that.
"You have to give Southmont credit. They never gave up and pressured us to get back into the game. They had a chance to take the lead but our kids made plays on both ends of the floor to get the victory.
With the final home game of the season over, Greencastle takes two more road trips before sectional play begins, starting with a trip to Owen Valley next Tuesday.
Greenlee said the squad would need to keep playing intense defense in order to compete with the Patriots.
"We've hung our hat on our defense and I think defense allowed us to win this game tonight," Greenlee said. "We're going to have to go to Owen Valley and defend a good team.
"Offensively, we just have to hit more shots. We're getting good shots but it's about hitting those shots in the end."
At Greencastle
Southmont 7 16 8 16 -- 47
Greencastle 17 11 11 12 -- 51
Southmont -- Burton 17, Dehne 9, Smith 9, Remley 8, Benge 2, Whalen 2, Todd 0, Jent 0; Totals -- 15-35 FG; 7-12 3-FG, 10-16 FT
Greencastle -- King 12, Bollman 11, Coble 9, Mitchell 5, Newgent 5, Foxx 3, Cole 2, Winslow 2, Gerrard2, Hughes 0; Totals -- 18-55 FG, 6-16 3-FG, 9-15 FT
Rebounding (Offensive): Sm 21 (6), GHS 22 (7). Assists: Sm 8, GHS 9. Steals: Sm 6, GHS 8. Blocks: Sm 0, GHS 1. Turnovers: Sm 14, GHS 9. Fouls: Sm 16, GHS 18.
Next Game: Greencastle (8-8, 4-1 WCC) travels to Owen Valley (12-8) next Tuesday.