Menu
SHELBYVILLE GIRLS' BASKETBALL SEMI-STATE: Tiger Cubs run into Ranger buzzsaw
SHELBYVILLE – On the biggest stage for the girls’ basketball program in nearly half a century, Greencastle took on defending 2A state champions Forest Park in the opening round of the IHSAA Shelbyville Girls’ Basketball Semi-State Saturday morning.
The Foresters’ senior-led squad showed up ready to make its way back to Gainbridge Fieldhouse and took the steam out of a Tiger Cubs squad that couldn’t match the length of the champs early on, falling 65-48 to see their season end at 23-5.
“It was very obvious from the beginning that was (Forest Park’s) strength,” Greencastle head coach Doug Greenlee said about the Rangers’ size and length on both ends of the floor. “Watching them on film, that was hard to pick up, but Forest Park was on a mission today.
“A lot of times, they don’t score 40 points in a game and it wasn’t because we played horrible defense, although we gave up some lobs and passes inside, but they were just hitting today to try to get back to the state finals. We didn’t answer until the last quarter but our kids didn’t give up.”
Forest Park’s trio of Amber Tretter, Lydia Betz and Carley Begle started off hot, scoring all but two of the team’s 40 points in the first half.
Tretter drew a pair of early fouls on Gloria Brewer down low, the first leading to a pair of free throws, while Betz nailed an early three and Begle scored twice inside for an early 9-2 lead.
Brewer hit an early jumper while Evie Briones scored inside but Greencastle could not get its transition offense going as the Foresters were not only quick to recover but blocked three shots at the rim.
The lead was at its largest at 17-4 following a Betz three though Brewer hit a three in reply and a late Madi Plew jumpers made it 19-9 after a quarter of play.
Brewer added a free throw and Briones hit a three to cut the gap to six at 19-13 early in the second quarter.
Forest Park responded with a 15-2 run as Tretter and Begle took turns blasting away from the inside while Begle added a three to make it a 19-point lead.
Brewer and Briones added late threes but the combo of Tretter and Begle inside ensured the Foresters took a 40-21 lead into halftime.
“(Forest Park) adjusted to anything we tried to do on either end,” Greenlee said. “We didn’t see a 1-2-2 trap on offense; they played us straight up, thinking they were better than us at every position and it worked for them.
“They’re a good defensive team. They blocked three or four shots today we don’t normally get blocked.”
The damage done inside was immense as Forest Park was 11-of-17 inside the arc, 6-of-7 from the free throw line and outrebounded the Tiger Cubs 18-8.
Having nearly doubled up Greencastle at halftime, the Foresters relaxed a bit too much with the ball, committing eight turnovers in the third quarter.
The Tiger Cubs weren’t able to capitalize, however, as the shooting touch that had led them much of the season deserted them in the third quarter, going 2-of-13 in the period, hitting the first three and two-point shot they took but missing the other 11 as the quarter went on.
Fouls also mounted up for Greencastle, which would become an issue in the fourth quarter as the Foresters stretched the lead to 57-29 with eight minutes to play.
Greencastle finally snapped into life as Emma Hunter scored 13 points in the final quarter as Forest Park tried to keep the clock running as best as it could.
“At one point, it was close to the 35-point running clock and you don’t want that at the semistate or ever,” Greenlee said. “They moved the score the other way and it was a good quarter.
“We attacked better in the fourth quarter, changing up our offense a little bit to give ourselves more lanes to attack the basket. We didn’t shoot a real high percentage today and combined with their shooting and length, it’s hard to win with all that against you.”
The fouls from the third quarter eventually told their own story as Forest Park knocked down 8-of-12 at the stripe in the final quarter to ensure there was no way back for the Tiger Cubs.
The Rangers would eventually go on to defeat North Knox, who beat Eastern Hancock in the other opening round game 67-50, for the semistate title 41-36 and will play Lapel for the 2A state title, having defeated the Bulldogs’ sister school, Frankton, in last year’s championship game.
Greencastle loses three seniors in Brewer, Hunter and Stephanie Morales in a season in which it won the Putnam County Girls’ Basketball Tournament, the Jenni Marietta State Farm Classic, the Greencastle Sectional and Southmont Regional, the latter only the second regional title in girls’ basketball for the school, a season Greenlee said everyone would remember fondly.
“It was a great season and a great ride,” Greenlee said. “I cannot say enough about the support from the community, the fans, the parents, the school. Incredible. I have to tip my hat to them.
“It was a great run but it was even more fun having everybody on board with us. We had tremendous support from everyone; I’ll never forget that and neither will the girls.”
| Forest Park | 19 | 21 | 17 | 8 | 65 |
| Greencastle | 9 | 11 | 9 | 19 | 48 |
Scoring
Forest Park (13-22 2FG; 7-16 3FG; 18-24 FT) — Tretter 21, L. Betz 18, Begle 14, Gray 6, Eckert 5, Schnell 1
Greencastle (11-28 2FG; 5-22 3FG; 11-14 FT) — Brewer18, Hunter 16, Briones 10, Morales 2, Plew 2
Statistics
| … | Forest Park | Greencastle |
| Rebounds | 22 | 12 |
| Off. Rebounds | 7 | 9 |
| Assists | 11 | 4 |
| Steals | 5 | 7 |
| Turnovers | 19 | 11 |
| Fouls | 12 | 19 |
| Blocks | 5 | 2 |