Mustangs hand Eagles first WIC loss

ELLETSVILLE - The Edgewood Mustangs used a tough defense and three scorers in double figures to pull away from the South Putnam Eagles 50-35 in WIC girls’ basketball action Friday night.

As the weather cooled outside, the offenses seemed to chill with them. The two teams combined to go 6-15 from the field in the opening quarter.

Both squads are known for hard-nosed defense and it showed early on. The Eagles’ two makes were both from three-point range as Lillian Emmerich and Danae Cline each hit one to keep the game close as they trailed just 8-6 after the first.

The Mustangs tried to creep away in the second, going up by as much as 10. Freshman Macey Crider scored eight in the quarter herself.

South would remain in contact though as three pointers from Kelsey Custis and Cline kept it within range. Custis would add a pair from the charity stripe to keep it within single digits at the half.

The cold shooting returned in the third period as the Eagles went just 1-of-10 from the field, Joscelyn Pilcher scoring the lone basket. She also added a pair of foul shots.

Edgewood really didn’t take advantage, going 2-of-9 itself. The lead was only nine after three quarters.

The Mustangs got four quick points to start the final session. Custis would hit a three, which was followed by a score from Chloe Pistelli to cut it back to an eight-point game. The Eagles would get no closer though.

Emily Whaley would take over the game with her penetration breaking down the Eagle defense, scoring seven in the period. Her driving also created opportunities for others as the hosts would pull away to 50-35 victory.

“I think (Edgewood) got to the rim. When we got to the rim, we didn’t finish. They do a great job of getting into position. We settled for too many threes, but in our other games we shot really well,” South Putnam head coach Brian Gardner said after the game.

“In games like this, we have to get second-chance points. That’s something we have to work on. We did a pretty good job of contesting shots, we just have to do a better job of getting into position,” added coach Gardner.

South falls to 2-2 on the season and 1-1 in conference play. Custis lead the way with 12 points and Madison Gardner had six rebounds. The Eagles will play Cloverdale in the first round of the Putnam County Tournament Friday.

Team Stats

Individual Stats

Scoring - (SP) Custis 12, Cline 6, Pistelli 6, Gardner 4, Pilcher 4, Emmerich 3; (E) Flynn 14, Crider 12, Whaley 11, Bland 4, Robinson 4, McElhinney 3, Holmes 2

Rebounding - (SP) Gardner 6, Pilcher 5, Pistelli 4, Custis 3, Cline 2, three with one; (E) Homes 6, Whaley 5, Crider 3, Robinson 3, Bland 2, McElhinney 2, Richardson 1