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SOUTH PUTNAM GIRLS' BASKETBALL SECTIONAL: Tiger Cubs use second quarter eruption, rebounding advantage to reach sectional final again
It is usually tough to win a basketball game when a team does not make a field goal in two different quarters.
The Greencastle Lady Tiger Cubs proved that you can if you defensively force turnovers and score 27 points in a single period.
Greencastle defeated the Riverton Parke Panthers 43-29 in the IHSAA Girls’ Baksetball Class 2A Sectional No. 44 semifinal at South Putnam by exploding for 27 points in the second quarter and pounding the boards with a 43-24 advantage.
The victory propelled the Cubs into the sectional final for the second-consecutive year. The win improved Greencastle to 12-13 on the season and they will take on the Parke Heritage Wolves for the title on Saturday night. The Panthers finished their season with a 6-18 record.
“It wasn’t always pretty. We did not shoot the ball very well but really rebounded well,” Greencastle assistant coach Joe Lenihan said as the vocally challenged head coach Jessica Lenihan nodded in agreement as she is recovering from an illness.
The first quarter was a testament to poor shooting for both teams. The teams combined to hit just 3-of-19 field goal attempts with the Cubs not able to convert one.
The Panthers picked up a pair of field goals by McKenzie Nowicki and three-pointer by Haylee Mathis. Greencastle’s only offense was from the free throw line as Evelyn Briones hit a pair and Madalyn Plew converted one.
Riverton led the offensively challenged first period 7-3.
“(Riverton Parke) got some open looks in our 2-3 zone early in the game,” Lenihan said.
The second quarter saw the Cubs apply full-court pressure and force the Panthers into multiple turnovers.
Riverton Parke turned the ball over 11 times in the period and the Cubs turned those into points as they would score more points in the second quarter than they would in the other three periods combined.
Briones kicked off the quarter with a layup while an old-fashioned three-point play by Aleeyah Johnson put the Cubs up 8-7, their first lead of the game.
The Panthers would tie the score at 10-10 on a Corrine Loomis free throw, but the Cubs would go on a 20-3 run to close the quarter.
The game was still close at 19-13 with under a minute to play in quarter when Sarah Simmerman would convert a jumper, adding a steal and layup. Ali Dobbs would follow by hitting a trey with :13 left and converting a free throw as she was fouled.
Briones would nail another three at the buzzer and the Cubs would go to the locker room with a comfortable 30-13 lead.
“It was our players who suggested we go to a full-court press. The press was really good and it gave us some energy and we started hitting some shots,” Lenihan said.
Greencastle’s offense would go stagnant again in the third period.
For the second stanza of the night, the Cubs would not be able to hit a shot from the floor. Shooting 0-of-11 from the field would normally be a killer, but the Panthers could not put enough points on the board to challenge the Cubs.
Neither team would score in quarter until it was more than halfway over. Plew hit a couple of free throws and Simmerman added another for the only points in the quarter for the Cubs as the offense never found a rhythm with multiple substitutions taking place.
The defense still kept them in the game as they led 33-22 heading into the fourth quarter.
“We really did not shoot well, but we are in the championship game,” Lenihan said.
The game of Plew and Bailey Brown led the Cubs in the final stanza. The Cubs pounded the ball inside and the boards as they finished the game with the 43-29 final.
“We have been outrebounded in a lot of games this year. We have worked on that and talked about it. Bailey was a beast down low. We got a lot of people on the boards,” Lenihan said.
The Panthers were led in scoring by Mathis with 11 points and McKenzie Nowicki added nine. Greencastle was led by Briones with 10 and Brown with 10. The big rebounding advantage was shown as Plew pulled down 11 rebounds and Aleeyah Johnson picked up 10 for the Cubs.
Greencastle will have to cut down on their 24 turnovers and continue to pound the boards to have a chance of repeating as sectional champions.
“We cannot turn the ball over tomorrow or we won’t be in the game. We just have to continue to play hard,” Lenihan said.
| Riverton Parke | 7 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 29 |
| Greencastle | 3 | 27 | 3 | 10 | 43 |
RIVERTON PARKE (29) – Mathis 2-11 6-6 11, Loomis 1-2 1-2 3, K. Nowicki 0-0 1-2 1, M. Nowicki 4-11 0-0 9, Brown 0-4 0-0 0, Adams 2-3 1-5 5, Stonebraker 0-0 0-0 0, Fellows 0-0 0-0 0, McGrannahan 0-0 0-0 0, Featherling 0-0 0-0 0, Burleson 0-0 0-0 0, Mormon 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 9-33 FG, 9-15 FT, 29 TP.
GREENCASTLE (43) – Dobbs 2-4 1-1 7, Johnson 2-5 1-1 5, Brown 3-6 4-8 10, Briones 3-12 2-2 10, Plew 1-12 3-6 5, Simmerman 2-7 2-4 6, Williamson 0-2 0-0 0, Rady 0-0 0-0 0, Hunsinger 0-0 0-0 0, Call 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-48 FG, 13-22 FT, 43 TP.
3-point shooting –RP 2-9 (Mathis 1-7, Loomis 0-1, M. Nowicki 1-1), GHS 4-20 (Dobbs 2-2, Johnson 0-2, Briones 2-8, Plew 0-5, Simmerman 0-3) Rebounds – RP 24 (Mathis 5, Loomis 2, Morman 1, K. Nowicki 3, Burleson 1, M. Nowicki 1, Brown 2, Featherling 1, Adams 4, Stonebraker 1), GHS – 43 (Johnson 10, Brown 8, Briones 4, Plew 11, Simmerman 3, Williamson 1) FG Pct. – RP 27.3, GHS 27.1. FT Pct. – RP 60.0, GHS 59.1. Turnovers –RP 28, GHS 24.