Last-second score sends Sullivan home with overtime win over Greencastle

Greencastle's Gloria Brewer gave the hosts a 64-63 lead with eight seconds left in overtime on a three-point play but Sullivan would have the final say, scoring with two seconds left to take home a 65-64 win.

Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT

All night Friday, Greencastle kept climbing after a Sullivan team that started off with a 10-point lead in the first quarter and always found a way to kick the hosts a little further back every time they got close.

The Tiger Cubs though for a brief moment they had finally conquered the mountain at the end of overtime but the Golden Arrows had one final quiver to spare as Jacie Williams scored on an Avari Kelley feed with two seconds left to take home a 65-64 win.

“One thing we talked about was that we were proud of the effort,” Greencastle head coach Doug Greenlee said. “This game will make us better; we have to learn from it and this team has enough resilience that if we learn from this game, we’re going to get the effort from them and the wins will come from that.”

With two sizable post players, Sullivan (10-4, 5-2 WIC) got Greencastle (8-4, 5-2 WIC) to make the first adjustment before the ball was even tipped as Madi Plew started the night in place of Ali Dobbs.

The Golden Arrows opened by showing off their speed in both passing and pushing the tempo as five different players scored at least three points in the opening frame, starting off ahead 5-0 before stretching the lead to 13-7 and later 20-10.

Gloria Brewer scored the first seven Tiger Cub points and finished the quarter with nine points as the hosts trailed 20-12 after eight minutes.

Greencastle got back into the game by pressuring the Sullivan backcourt, swiping the ball four times and scoring three times off the turnovers as Evie Briones scored twice in transition while Brewer’s three-point play capped a 11-2 start to the quarter, giving the hosts their first lead at 23-22.

Lexis Drake and Kelley scored to make it 26-23 with a Briones three briefly tying the game at 26-26 though the Golden Arrows would lead 30-26 at the break.

A three from Drake and a basket from Ally McKinney pushed the lead out to seven at 35-28 before Greencastle began its next climb as Emma Hunter scored three points while a Brewer three-point play was sandwiched by two Briones threes, giving the hosts a 40-37 lead and a 40-39 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

McKinney would start the period with seven points, five coming from the line, to put Sullivan up 47-42.

Brewer scored twice to cut the gap to 47-46 but an Avery Wiltermood three made it a four-point game at 50-46.

Plew scored on a putback and hit 1-of-2 at the line to trim the gap to one, with Kelley hitting two free throws off an intentional foul call to make it 52-49 with 18 seconds remaining and possession.

Greencastle was able to get a jump ball, holding the possession arrow, setting up the final sequence in which Brewer missed a three, only to get the offensive rebound and hit the second-chance trey to tie the game and send it to overtime.

The Golden Arrows raced out of the blocks in the extra period as Drake hit a three and Wilson scored twice inside to make it 60-52.

Again, the Tiger Cubs climbed the mountain, getting free throws from Hunter, Brewer and Stephanie Morales to close the gap to 60-59.

McKinney went 3-of-4 at the line to make it 63-59 before Hunter hit a short jumper to make it 63-61.

A Sullivan turnover opened the door for Greencastle but, after a tremendous save and move to get the ball to the frontcourt, Brewer was short on a layup and Kelley was found to go to the line.

The freshman missed both free throws, however, and on the other end, Brewer drove to the rim for a three-point play that put the Tiger Cubs up 64-63 with eight seconds left.

Kelley took the inbounds and raced up the floor, drawing defenders before dishing off to Wilson at the rim and the sophomore’s aim was true, scoring with two seconds left to steal the win away with the last touch of the game.

“Sullivan obviously had that play scripted and did a great job down one,” Greenlee noted. “We should have cut off the dribble penetration at half-court.

“We never got ourselves over to the sideline and make her run over us. Once she got down there, you knew what was going to happen.”

Greencastle will return to action next Thursday, opening the Northview State Farm Classic Holiday Tournament against South Vermillion on Dec. 22 at 10 a.m.

Scoring

Sullivan (17-37 2FG; 6-13 3FG; 13-21 FT) — Wilson 13, Kelley 12, McKinney 12, Drake 11, Wiltermood 9, Grindstaff 4, Williams 4

Greencastle (15-33 2FG; 6-26 3FG; 16-26 FT) — Brewer 35, Briones 16, Hunter 7, Plew 3, Dobbs 2, Morales 1

Statistics