Greencastle boys' basketball gets off to a great start

Thursday, November 27, 2014
His offensive output starting on the defensive end, Greencastle junior Ryan Coble (left) pokes the ball away from Crawfordsville's Elliott Stewart. Coble led all scorers with 24 points.

CRAWFORDSVILLE -- Trips to Crawfordsville have rarely been fruitful for the Greencastle boys' basketball team.

Tiger Cub head coach Troy Greenlee's charges had not won on the home of the Athenians since the 2002-03 season but rectified that problem Wednesday night, outscoring the hosts by 11 in the opening quarter and never looking back in a 62-46 opening-night win.

Greenlee said the Tiger Cubs were eager to play anyone but themselves and battled throughout the contest.

"That was a great way to start the season," Greenlee said. "I really thought our kids came out ready to play tonight.

"They had been so eager to play another team and that showed. By no means was that a perfect game for us but I saw enough good things to make me really optimistic about what's ahead for our team."

Ryan Coble started the game with a four-point play seconds after the opening tip, a feat Greenlee said was important to getting into a rhythm early.

"I told Ryan in the locker room that I want to start every game like that," Greenlee joked. "There's no pressure on him."

Coble scored eight of Greencastle's opening 10 points to help the Tiger Cubs explode out to a 14-2 lead and a 21-10 advantage after one quarter of play.

Greenlee pointed out that getting shots to fall from beyond the three-point stripe and keeping the Athenians from doing likewise was important in grabbing the lead.

"Offensively, we had guys hit some shots from the perimeter and that makes all the difference in the world for guys, like Brody (Bollman), who are trying to get to the basket," Greenlee said. "Defensively, we guarded the three-point line well."

Crawfordsville stayed within reach thanks to Konnor Smith scoring seven of his eight points in the frame, but once he picked up his second foul the Athenian offense gave the Greencastle defense few problems going into halftime.

Greencastle led 34-19 at the break.

Another factor that kept the Tiger Cubs from being out of sight was the disparity in rebounds, according to Greenlee.

"What we didn't do well was rebound and that is something that we have to improve upon," Greenlee said. "At halftime, we had given up seven offensive rebounds.

"I told those guys that if we hit our free throws and didn't give up those rebounds, we would be where we should be at halftime and be up by more points."

Both squads traded blows in a frenetic third quarter as Crawfordsville's offense began to show signs of life.

Greencastle answered every time the Athenians looked to get a run going, getting points from six different players in the period to extend their halftime lead to 51-35.

Coble and Bollman, who combined for 42 of Greencastle's 62 points, scored seven and four respectively in the fourth quarter to ensure the visitors left Crawfordsville with their first win in 12 years and a 1-0 start to the season.

Greenlee was not short of praise for the way the team handled anything the hosts through at them.

"The kids battled, they played well as a team and whenever (Crawfordsville) went on runs, we kept things at a pretty comfortable pace," Greenlee said. "It helps to go into the Thanksgiving break with a win."

Greencastle does not play again until hosting the Putnam County Classic next Friday and Saturday.

Greenlee said that before worrying about a game plan for their opponent, working out some of the kinks from Wednesday night would be high on the agenda for the next week.

"We have to work on the things we struggle with tonight," Greenlee said. "We did enough things tonight to make us feel good about winning tonight but there are things we need to get better at.

"We need to focus on ourselves first and then, once we get closer to that time, we'll do what we can to prepare. We'll be facing a good team in the county tournament. It's a matter of taking it one day at a time.

"We'll give the kids a couple of days off, come back on Saturday and get right back at it."

At Crawfordsville
Greencastle 21 13 17 11 -- 62
Crawfordsville 10 9 16 11 -- 46
Scoring
Greencastle --
20-48 FG, 7-21 3-FG, 15-22 FT -- Coble 24, Bollman 18, Foxx 7, York 6, Mitchell 4, Gerard 3, Clar 0, Costin 0, Hughes 0, Matthews 0
Crawfordsville -- 14-43 FG, 1-10 3-FG, 17-22 FT -- Barr 9, Smith 8, Stewart 7, Daniels 4, Hutson 4, Page 4, Corbin 4, Guard 3, Johnson 2, Robinson 1, Lucas 0
Rebounds (Offensive): GHS 16 (6), CHS 28 (9). Assists: GHS 12, CHS 4. Steals: GHS 7, CHS 6. Blocks: GHS 0, CHS 0. Turnovers: GHS 10, CHS 17. Personal Fouls: GHS 16, CHS 20.
Next Game: Greencastle (1-0) will participate in the Putnam County Classic at McAnally Center next Friday and Saturday.

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