Cougars strike early, often to take Paddle off of Tiger Cubs

North Putnam's Melanie Davies scored in double figures either side of halftime to finish with a game-high 21 points, helping the Cougars defeat Greencastle 59-47 Friday night, reclaiming the Putnam County Paddle in the process.

Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT

BAINBRIDGE – Sharing is caring, so the idiom goes, and North Putnam was more than happy to dish out to one another and to Greencastle Friday night.

The Cougars hit their first four three-point shots on the night and assisted on all seven makes behind the arc, taking the Putnam County Paddle off the hands of the Tiger Cubs with a 59-47 win.

Greencastle started with the lead off a Madi Plew basket with Samie Hoops hitting a three in reply, a scene that repeated twice more as an Ali Dobbs basket was answered by a Melanie Davies three, as was an Aleeyah Johnson jumper by Addi Osburn.

Jenna Day scored the only two-point basket for North Putnam in the opening quarter and Hailee Daigle capped a 14-6 lead with a three to end the scoring in the opening period.

Offense swung back-and-forth in the second quarter as Davies and Bailey Brown did the bulk of the scoring for their respective teams in the period.

Brown scored 10 of the Tiger Cubs’ 14 points in the frame, scoring on back-to-back looks to cut the lead from 23-16 to 23-20 late in the period.

Davies scored seven points in the frame, having helped build up the seven-point lead by scoring the first five points for the Cougars in the quarter.

Late threes from Jasmine Duvall and Jacy Huffman saw the hosts take a 29-20 lead into halftime.

Greencastle halved the deficit to start the second half as an Evie Briones basket and a three from Dobbs made it 29-25.

Davies scored on the inside and, after a pair of Lexi Daigle baskets, added a putback and a three to make it 40-29.

Lexi Daigle added a jumper to end the third quarter while a Day free throw and a Davies basket pushed the lead to 45-30 early in the fourth quarter.

The Cougars would then put the game away at the line, knocking down 11-of-18 attempts in the final period, as the visitors resorted to fouling to try and find a way back into the game.

Scoring

Greencastle (13-32 2FG; 5-19 3FG; 6-10 FT) — Dobbs 18, Brown 12, Briones 6, Plew 5, Johnson 4, Simmerman 2

North Putnam (13-31 2FG; 7-19 3FG; 12-23 FT) — Davies 21, L. Daigle 11, Hoops 8, Day 5, Osburn 3, H. Daigle 3, Huffman 3, Duvall 3, Haste 2

Statistics