GHS gets win over Eagles

Wednesday, January 21, 2015
GHS senior Madison Trout grabs a steal and starts a fast break. (Banner Graphic/JAY LOCKETT)

NASHVILLE -- With Saturday's postponed girls' basketball game at Brown County delayed until Tuesday, Greencastle had to wait an additional three days to score its first win over the Eagles since the 2009-10 season.

A steal-laden second quarter surge pushed the Tiger Cubs ahead by 12 at halftime, fuelling a 63-44 win.

Greencastle coach Bradley Key, whose first coaching win with the Tiger Cubs was over Brown County, said the girls did not settle for shots Tuesday night.

"Against South Putnam on Friday, I felt we settled a bunch for shots from the outside, and if your shots aren't falling, you're in trouble," Key pointed out. "We needed to go inside first and then kick it out to get a great shot.

"Tonight, we did a really good job of that. Mia Stevens is going to be a special player for us down the road and in the first half, we were happy with how she played and how the girls cut off her.

"We had some easy baskets because of good ball movement," Key added. "We played good basketball tonight."

Having struggled from beyond the three-point line against South Putnam, Greencastle looked to hammer the ball inside, using Stevens as a fulcrum for the offense.

The Tiger Cubs briefly held a five-point lead in the first quarter before Brown County scored the final four points to tie the score at 13-13 heading into the second period.

Callan Taylor picked up two personal fouls in the first quarter and sat for large chunks of the first half, putting Bethanie Burgeson and Madison Trout under the microscope.

Neither disappointed as the pair helped the visitors snare 15 first-half steals, sparked a 13-0 run through the middle of the second quarter and helped build a 34-22 lead entering halftime.

Key said the trio of Stevens, Trout and Burgeson played extremely well in the first half.

"I thought our guard play at the top of the defense was very good," Key said. "I thought Bethanie and Madison had unbelievable games overall.

"I'm really happy with the team effort. Mia had a great first half with 12 points, got rebounds and put them back up."

Both teams had 7-0 runs in the third quarter, though the Tiger Cubs scored six of the final eight points to increase their lead to 47-32 entering the final period of play.

Greencastle could afford to trade baskets with Brown County in the final quarter as their 15-point third-quarter lead increased by game's end as Burgeson's 13 and Trout and Stevens' 12-point efforts propelled the visitors to their 12th win of the season.

Key mentioned that seeing performances like that from the Tiger Cubs was a regular occurrence at practice.

"One thing that I think makes our program tick is that we have 12 girls that can play the game of basketball," Key said. "That's an advantage that we have because at practice it makes us better.

"Madison hasn't gotten a lot of minutes and tonight, she got her chance and just took advantage of it. We've seen it in practice before.

"Bethanie has been outstanding in practice in the last week and we've been on her to make sure she's taking two-pointers instead of just shooting threes," Key added. "Tonight, she got all her points inside the three-point arc.

"It's good to see at the end of the season that we have more players stepping up. We have more options but we have to keep improving if we want to win the sectional."

Greencastle turns its attention to Friday and one last WCC battle with Cascade to determine the outcome of the conference championship.

A win for the Tiger Cubs would ensure at least a split of the WCC title and Key said staying disciplined would be important against a Cadet side that can put up points in bunches.

"Cascade has been able to put up points on people, so we have to get back on defense," Key said. "There were a couple of times tonight where we didn't get back like we should have.

"We have to focus on playing our games and not picking up silly fouls. We have to play as a team and lay it all on the line.

"If we win, we get at least a share of the conference," Key added. "We want to make sure we keep that available for us.

"We're excited for Friday. Both teams have had it circled on the calendar because each year I've been here, it's come down to us and them at the end."


At Brown County

Greencastle 13 21 13 16 -- 63

Brown County 13 9 10 12 -- 44

Statistics

Scoring

Greencastle -- 27-66 FG, 1-12 3-FG, 8-13 FT -- Burgeson 13, Stevens 12, Trout 12, Bridgewater 9, Taylor 7, Stoltey 6, White 4, Bragg 0, Shuee 0, Smith 0

Brown County -- 19-49 FG, 3-14 3-FG, 3-10 FT -- Chapman 17, Edds 9, Pool 7, Brady 6, Anderson 3, Smith 2, Stanford 0, Miller 0, Pugh 0, Weaver 0

Rebounds (Offensive)

Greencastle 29 (12); Brown County 25 (8)

Assists

Greencastle 11; Brown County 6

Steals

Greencastle 23; Brown County 9

Blocks

Greencastle 0; Brown County 3

Turnovers

Greencastle 19; Brown County 30

Fouls

Greencastle 13; Brown County 16

Next Game: Greencastle (12-5, 2-0 WCC) travels to Cascade (8-9, 3-0 WCC) in the first game of a varsity doubleheader Friday.

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