Greencastle falls short in season opener against Crawfordsville

Greencastle's Sam Gooch jumped right into varsity life, leading the Tiger Cubs with 16 points and a pair of blocks, as the hosts fell to Crawfordsville 58-48 Tuesday night.

Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT

Opening night at McAnally Center came with a new look lineup for the home team as Greencastle had three freshmen starting their first varsity boys’ basketball game against Crawfordsville Tuesday evening.

Despite a sluggish start, the Tiger Cubs stayed with the Athenians but shots simply didn’t fall frequently enough for the hosts to start the season with a win, falling 58-48.

“We’re disappointed we lost but we’re happy with a lot of things we saw,” Greencastle head coach Bryce Rector said. “Our effort was fantastic, our kids never gave up, we executed well on some things, and we had good looks but couldn’t buy a bucket.

“Tonight was one of those night where we probably missed 6-8 bunnies around the rim and didn’t shoot well from three. Combine those two things with youth and inexperience on defense and it’s hard to win games.”

Cale Coursey opened proceedings with a three and added a layup around a layup from Ethan McLemore for the quick start, one only tempered by two fouls called on Drake Burris.

Nathan Sutherlin hit a three in reply for the hosts but three-straight baskets from Tyson Fuller pushed the lead to 10 at 13-3.

Sam Gooch scored the final six points of the quarter for Greencastle, helping to keep the gap at seven at 18-11 aft er a quarter of play.

“At one point, the lead got to 10 points in the first quarter and we were a touch shellshocked,” Rector said about the start of the contest. “A lot of it was about getting back on defense in transition.

“That happens every time you throw young guys in where they think they’re sprinting back but then they’re not. We’ll continue to work on adjustments on the defensive end as that was where a lot of problems came from.”

Two more Gooch baskets saw the Tiger Cubs close to within three early in the second quarter at 20-17 and a Cole Hutcheson three trimmed the gap to one at 23-22.

Crawfordsville did not give up the lead, however, as Coursey hit a jumper, Kaiden Underwood scored off a steal and Alex Saidian scored inside after the hosts closed to within a point twice more.

Cousey ended the half with a three to give the Athenians a six-point lead at 32-26.

Once freed from the bench, Burris made up for lost time in the third quarter, scoring all 11 of his points in-a-row for the visitors, the last of which put Crawfordsville up 45-33, eventually taking a 47-37 lead into the final eight minutes of play.

After a slow first two minutes, Hutcheson scored twice to cut the lead to six but the home team would get no closer as Cousey and Saidian scored to restore the 10-point gap as the Athenians drained the clock away for a season-opening win.

Gooch finished with a game-high 16 points for Greencastle while Hutcheson added 15 points. Saidian also finished with a game-high 16 points with Cousey not far behind on 13 points.

The Tiger Cubs get a second chance to get a win in the opening week of the season, hosting Cloverdale Saturday night, a game Rector said everyone was looking forward to.

“We’re excited to play on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, which is a big date for basketball in the state of Indiana,” Rector said. “It’s a cool opportunity for families to have people watch their kid that might not get the chance otherwise.

“It’s a county, conference and rivalry game. It’s a big game for the kids and it should be fun.”

Scoring

Crawfordsville (22 2FG: 3 3FG; 5-8 FT) — Saidian 16, Cousey 15, Burris 11, Fuller 8, McLemore 5, Underwood 5

Greencastle (18 2FG; 2 3FG; 6-10 FT) — Gooch 16, Hutcheson 15, Evans 6, Simmerman 6, Sutherlin 3, Adams 2