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Tiger Cubs win fourth straight girls' county hoop title
Greencastle coach Bradley Key said after Friday’s semifinal win that he hoped his team could get its problems corrected by January, just prior to the start of the sectional tournament.
Frigid winter air invaded central Indiana on Saturday, and seemingly made the Tiger Cubs think the calendar had been fast-forwarded to 2017 — as Greencastle hit 22 of 44 field goals and led for the final three quarters in a 53-35 win over South Putnam.
The win was Greencastle’s fourth straight, and second year in a row to beat the Eagles in the finals.
The victory did not seem likely a week earlier, as the Tiger Cubs had lost their first four games of the season and were also without leading returning scorer Mia Stevens due to injury.
Friday night’s win over North Putnam probably did not cause most people to think the Tiger Cubs would topple the undefeated Eagles on their home court, but that’s exactly what happened.
“We had seen flashes of good basketball, even against Owen Valley, but we haven’t been able to string longer stretches together,” Key said. “We played well for four quarters in this game.
“We knew South Putnam was going to make a run, they have really good players and are well-coached. We be happier. “
Key said this tourney victory is pleasing, but they all have their own meaning.
“They are each special in their own right,” he said. “But they don’t hang banners for county championships. This is a good test for us, but we have conference games coming up soon.
Claire Gillen got the Tiger Cubs an early lead with a basket, but South Putnam put together a Lillie Stein trey, a Jessica Vensko basket and one by Aubrey Barker for a 7-2 lead with 3:15 left in the opening quarter.
Senior Gracie Smith hit a 3-pointer to start a 9-0 Greencastle run, with fellow senior Nailah Ray adding two hoops sandwiched around one by Jalyn Duff.
The Tiger Cubs took a 13-9 lead into the first stop, and gradually expanded that lead in to the second period. Ray hit a free throw and Rose White added a basket to make it 16-9, and Greencastle held a 23-14 lead at halftime.
They expanded that lead to 30-19 midway through the third period when South Putnam coach Brian Gardner called a timeout.
The Eagles responded with seven straight points on a Barker trey and hoop sandwiched around one by Miranda Bieghler to cut the gap to 30-26, and Greencastle took that four-point lead into the final quarter.
White had two baskets and Ray added one as Greencastle edged its lead up to 39-33, before Vensko (South Putnam’s only senior) added a hoop with 4:56 left to cut the lead to 39-35.
South Putnam was done scoring, though, and the Tiger Cubs ran off the last 14 points of the game to start the celebration.
“Ray, Gillen and White got a lot of good opportunities, and they are really good,” Gardner said. “When they get their backs to you, they are good at their post moves. When you turn the ball over, you give them more chances and easy baskets. A good team like Greencastle feeds off that.”
Gardner noted that the 3-pointer was his team’s savior against Cloverdale on Friday, and they didn’t fall in the finals.
“Coach Key does a great job,” Gardner said. “They played a great game and deserved to win. You want to get better every game, and this is not a defining moment of our season.”
GREENCASTLE (53) — Gillen 6-9 2-4 14, Smith 2-9 1-5 5, Shuee 2-5 0-0 5, White 5-7 2-4 12, Duff 1-2 1-2 3, Ray 5-8 2-6 12, Stoffregen 0-3 0-2 0, Nally 0-0 0-0 0, A.Stevens 1-1 0-0 2, Robinson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-44 FG, 7-15 FT, 54
SOUTH PUTNAM (35) — Bieghler 2-12 3-5 8, Stein 1-4 0-0 3, Barker 3-8 2-2 10, Nichols 3-7 0-0 6, Vensko 2-3 0-1 4, Capps 2-4 0-0 4, Boswell 0-2 0-0 0, Bratcher 0-0 0-0 0, Vanihel 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-40 FG, 5-8 FT, 35 TP
Greencastle 13 10- 9 21 — 53
South Putnam 9 5 14 7 — 35
3-point shooting — Greencastle 2-12 (Smith 1-5, Shuee 1-4, Stoffregen 0-3), South Putnam 4-12 (Bieghler 1-6, Stein 1-3, Barker 2-5, Boswell 0-1). Turnovers — South Putham 20, Greencastle 15.
Next game — South Putnam (3-1) hosts Southmont tonight., while Greencastle (3-4) hosts Crawfordsville on Tuesday.