WABASH VALLEY CLASSIC DAY THREE: Greencastle advances to consolation final; Cloverdale ends Classic stay 0-3

Cloverdale's Eli Kelley lines up a three during the third day of the Wabash Valley Classic Thursday morning. The Clovers and Shakamak played their final game of the event with the Lakers using a late run to add gloss to a 62-43 win.

Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT

TERRE HAUTE – Greencastle will make a fourth trip to Terre Haute South on Friday after defeating Casey-Westfield to reach the consolation final of the First Financial Wabash Valley Classic Thursday.

The Tiger Cubs saw a seven-point lead after three quarters evaporate in a matter of a few seconds but Cody Evans powered the team down the stretch for a 46-42 win while Cloverdale finished its stay at the Classic with an 0-3 mark after falling to Shakamak earlier in the day.

Greencastle 46, Casey-Westfield 42

A year after a Cole Hutcheson-inspired rally to beat the Warriors, the Tiger Cubs were involved in a far more methodical matchup with the Illinois school Thursday afternoon.

Ryan Richards opened the game with a three for Casey-Westfield and six points in the quarter for the Warriors.

Taygan McRoberts scored the first Greencastle basket with a three that gave the Tiger Cubs a brief 5-4 lead before four free throws for Casey-Westfield made it 8-4.

The Teams traded baskets from there as Nathan Sutherlin, Sam Gooch and Judah Amis scored for Greencastle while Richards and Nolan Clement scored for the Warriors, who led 12-11 after a quarter of apply.

Evans scored to start the second quarter with Gooch scoring the next six Tiger Cub points around two Cole Gilbert jumpers for a 18-16 advantage.

Evans and Gooch scored late for Greencastle but four points from Grant Cochonour helped Casey-Westfield to tie the game at 24-24 at halftime.

Richards and Gilbert scored to open the second half while Connor Sullivan of Casey-Westfield scored following a Sutherlin drive to make it 30-26.

Greencastle controlled the quarter from that point, however, as Gooch and Evans hit a pair of free throws each to tie the game at 30-30.

Richards hit a three but Gooch scored the next five points, Anthony Adams scored and Evans converted a three-point play as the Tiger Cubs led 40-33 after three quarters of play.

Sullvan erased the deficit single-handedly, scoring seven points to start the fourth quarter and tie the game at 40-40.

Both teams struggled to hang on to the basketball as the pressure intensified as Evans knocked down to free throws, only for Sullivan to again tie the game with a basket in the post.

Evans would eventually have the final say as play began to deteriorate, scoring on a drive before adding a pair of free throws in the final seconds to get Greencastle over the line and on to the consolation final against Bloomfield, who defeated West Vigo 45-38, Friday at 2:30 p.m.

Scoring

Casey-Westfield (12-29 2FG; 4-14 3FG; 6-8 FT) — Richards 13, Sullivan 13, Gilbert 8, Cochonour 6, Clement2

Greencastle (14-28 2FG: 2-4 3FG; 12-15 FT) — Gooch 19, Evans 16, Sutherlin 4, McRoberts 3, Amis 2, Adams 2

Statistics

Shakamak 62, Cloverdale 43

Earlier in the day, the Clovers fell behind by 10 at halftime and couldn’t get the key stops needed to put the Lakers under pressure in the second half, trailing by the same margin after three quarters before a late 11-0 run gave the final score extra sheen.

Both teams struggled to find their shooting touch through the first eight minutes as Eli Kelley hit a jumper for the first points of the game.

Jaden Johnson hit a three in reply with Will Miller adding a basket to make it 5-2 before a pair of free throws from Levi Johnson made it 5-4.

After Ian Samm hit a free throw for Shakamak, Zach Thomas hit a three but was answered by a Case Terrell three in reply as the Lakers led 9-7 after a quarter.

Linden Jenkins opened the scoring in the second quarter for Shakamak before Thomas and Houston Jobe hit threes, only for Jaden Johnson to answer each in kind.

Additional threes from JT may and Terrell made it 23-13 before Kelley hit a late jumper and Miller scored on a putback as Shakamak led 25-15 at halftime.

Jobe and Trey Schabel hit threes to open the second half but Miller answered the first with a three-point play and Jenkins the second with a putback.

The trend of point and counterpoint continued as Schabel, Jobe and Levi Johnson scored but each Clover basket was answered by a Laker score.

Madden Husband pushed the lead back to 10 and May made it a 12-point game before two Thomas free throws reset the 10-point game at 40-30 entering the final quarter of play.

The trend continued into the final quarter as Schabel, Thomas and Levi Johnson scored twice each but Cloverdale could not get stops and the lead refused to move away from the 10-point mark.

Up 51-43, Shakamak finished the game with an 11-0 run as May hit two free throws, Mason Barton hit a three, Jenkins scored off a steal and added a second basket before May capped the scoring with a layup as the Lakers picked up a win to go 1-2 at the Classic while the Clovers went 0-3 at the event.

Scoring

Shakamak (14-28 2FG; 9-30 3FG; 7-10 FT) — May 16, Jenkins 13, Johnson 11, Terrell 10, Miller 8, Martin 3, Husband 1

Cloverdale (7-21 2FG; 8-24 3FG; 5-6 FT) — Thomas 13, Schabel 9, Jobe 9, Johnson 8, Kelley 4

Statistics