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GHS wins third consecutive Putnam County Title
Greencastle has done it again, this time in dramatic fashion, as the Lady Tiger Cubs used two overtime periods and a last-second three-pointer to win the game against South Putnam 55-54 and earn the Putnam County Championship Saturday.
"I feel great," GHS' Paige Bragg said. "That was awesome. I glad we got the win this year, senior year. Double overtime is very intense especially with the gym packed like this. That makes it so much more fun. We have to have our momentum going all the time with that kind of crowd. It's fun we worked well together tonight."
The game was anything but boring and at the end of one South Putnam had gained a 9-6 lead.
Mia Stevens and Gracie smith hit a bucket and Paige Bragg knocked down a three.
The Eagles however put together two decent quarters and had built a 20-13 lead by halftime.
"I can't speak words about how our girls played," Eagle coach Brain Gardner said. "They showed heart. I would never trade these girls."
The Eagles knocked down three threes in the first half with two coming from Lillie Stein and another from Jessica Modglin.
In the third however it was GHS that outscored the Eagles 18-8 and tied the game at 37.
"We were down seven," Allison White said. "So coach (Key) told us he wanted to cut that deficit in half by the fourth quarter. It ended up that we tied it up so we exceeded expectations. Only down seven that's not too bad so we just came out and tried to run our offense."
The fourth quarter was a tight battle and when Greencastle took and missed a three for the lead and potential win, it was Mia Stevens who corralled a miss at the end of regulation and put it back to make the score 37-37.
With the score 46-42 Greencastle, nearing the end of the first overtime and after a missed three by South Putnam, Katie Hewitt grabbed the rebound and put up the shot while earning the foul bringing the game to 46-44 with three seconds left.
"They fought and for Katie Hewitt and Jess Modglin our seniors ths was one of their goals," Gardner said. "They didn't get it but man they kept us in the game. Lillie Stein, Ally Nichols, Jenna and Maddie they battled. At the end of the day that's all you can ask of your girls and your team."
After an Eagle timeout, Hewitt purposefully missed the foul shot off the front of the rim, allowing Modglin to grab the board and place it into the bucket as time expired pushing the game to a second overtime.
"It was a crazy game ups and downs," Key said " give south Putnam credit. They played awesome. That last purposefully missed free throw with the rebound putback what a great play by their coach."
Garnder said that the effort to constantly fight back after the game looked out of reach was a testament to the Eagle players and how much they enjoy playing together.
"When they are on the floor," Garnder said. "They give everything they have. They don't quit and continue to fight. It's what we do. I can't be prouder of them.
Even in the second overtime the two teams were not able to quit and with five seconds left after a made South Putnam free throw the Eagles were up 54-52.
Aubrey Barker then took the ball up the court and when she encountered South Putnam pressure near half court, she kicked the ball to Bethanie Burgeson on the wing and Burgeson knocked down the game winning three to seal the Putnam County Championship.
"My heart was literally racing," Burgeson said. "I knew we were down and we had to get the three. We wanted Aubrey to go for the shot but she had an amazing pass and I just knocked it down. It was a team effort and a good win."
The good win came on a night where both student standing sections as well as parents came out to cheer loudly and support its squad.
"Our crowd was great for both nights," Gardner said. "They were big tonight and they helped us get through a lot. For me it's game where we'll build from this. It's always a earning experience. Each game you lose you learn a lot. We are going to continue to get better and keep going after things."
As for the Putnam County champs, they will hope to use their depth to continue winning as the Tiger Cubs get into the meat and potatoes of the season.