West Vigo uses 22-0 start to rout Greencastle

WEST TERRE HAUTE – The Greencastle boys’ basketball team had no idea what hit them to start a Western Indiana Conference basketball game in the “Green Dome” at West Vigo.

The Vikings reeled off 22-straight points to open the game and stun the young Tiger Cubs as they would cruise to a 62-45 victory.

The Cubs, starting three freshman, one sophomore and a senior, were shellshocked in the first period as the Vikings rained three-pointers and sped the game to a pace that Greencastle had not seen yet.

West Vigo knocked down 12-of-33 threes in the game and only turned the ball over seven times as the loss dropped the Cubs to 1-2 and 1-1 in conference play. West Vigo improved to 2-1 and 1-1 in the WIC.

“Some people grew up tonight. We had some players find out what it’s like to play on the road in a tough environment,” Greencastle head coach Bryce Rector said.

West Vigo hit a three-pointer on its first possession, then a second and then a jumper as Rector called a timeout with 5:52 left in the first. That did not stop the onslaught as the Viking came out of the timeout and hit their next six shots and took the lead 19-0 before Greencastle took another timeout.

Again, West Vigo immediately hit another three-pointer and finally Cole Hutcheson ended the 22-0 run with a pair of free throws. Greencastle would get a Cody Evans three-pointer but trailed 25-5 after one quarter of play.

“Our defensive intensity stunk early in the game. Combine that with our inability to score and you find yourself down big. We just couldn’t stop the bleeding,” Rector said.

Greencastle would find some offense from Sam Gooch in the second quarter as the freshman scored seven of his eight points, but the team still struggled to slow down the Vikings. West Vigo would extend their lead to 38-14 at the half as they hit 14 shots, including eight from long range, in the first half.

“The speed of the game really shocks a lot of young players that are good at a young age. The varsity game is much different than they are used to,” Rector said.

Greencastle would have its best quarter in the third period. Behind seven points from Hutcheson and five from Evans, Greencastle would win the third quarter 17-14 and cut the lead to 52-31, but the blistering start by the Vikings was too much to overcome.

Greencastle again found some success late as even though the varsity squads stayed on the floor until the final three minutes, Greencastle stayed even with the Vikings as the final score was set at 62-45.

“I thought we played hard; we competed tonight. We just could not overcome that start. It will be a learning experience for us,” Rector said.

Greencastle’s Hutcheson led the team in scoring with 14 points, while Evans added 13. West Vigo’s Grayson Porter knocked in 20 points; Talan Boehler had 18 as the two combined for nine treys on the night. Zeke Tanoos chipped in with 11 points as well.

Greencastle has to recover quickly as they now travel in the opposite direction and head east for another WIC contest on Saturday. The Cubs will take on the Indian Creek Braves.

GREENCASTLE (45) –Gooch 3-8 2-5 8, Sutherlin 0-1 0-1 0, Evans 5-11 0-0 13, Simmerman 0-1 0-0 0, Hutcheson 5-8 3-3 14, Adams 2-4 0-1 4, Ensley 1-1 0-0 3, Taylor 0-0 0-0 0, Dauhuff 0-0 0-0 0, Williamson 1-1 1-2 3, Clark 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-35 FG, 6-12 FT, 45 TP.

WEST VIGO (62) – Boehler 6-14 1-2 18, Tanoos 5-13 0-0 11, Turner 2-10 0-0 6, Gr. Porter 8-15 0-0 20, Evans 1-2 2-4 4, Fosdick 0-1 0-0 0, Smith 1-3 0-0 2, Pugh 0-2 0-0 0, Fields 0-0 0-0 0, Ga. Porter 0-0 1-4 1, Chambers 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-60 FG, 4-10 FT, 62 TP.

3-point shooting – GHS 4-13 (Gooch 0-1, Sutherlin 0-1, Evans 3-7, Hutcheson 1-2, Adams 0-1, Ensley 1-1), WV 12-33 (Boehler 5-11, Tanoos 1-5, Turner 2-9, Gr. Porter 4-7, Smith 0-1). Rebounds – GHS 26 (Gooch 3, Sutherlin 1, Evans 4, Hutcheson 6, Adams 2, Ensley 3) WV – 36 (Boehler 5, Tanoos 7, Turner 7, Gr. Porter 7, Evans 3, Fosdick 5) FG Pct. – GHS 48.6, WV 38.3. FT Pct. – GHS 50.0, WV 40.0. Turnovers – GHS 18, WV 7.