Cougars run out of gas, topped by Jackets

MORRISTOWN

Greenwood Christian’s girls basketball team hung with favored Morristown through much of the first half, but the host Yellow Jackets gradually asserted themselves as Tuesday’s Class A sectional opener progressed.

The Cougars led 9-3 five minutes into the game, but Morristown ended the first quarter with a 9-0 run and allowed just 10 second-half points en route to a 51-33 win.

The loss ended GCA’s season at 13-11, the program’s third straight season with at least 13 victories. Morristown (14-8) advances to play Edinburgh in Friday’s second semifinal.

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Morristown defeated the Cougars by an identical 51-33 count during their regular-season matchup Nov. 19.

The Yellow Jackets struggled early against the Cougars’ 1-3-1 zone defense Tuesday, but righted themselves late in the first quarter, then added another 9-0 run to close the third. The latter spurt began when GCA was still within striking distance, trailing 34-29 with 3:37 to play in the period.

“We just ran out of steam,” Cougars coach Alan Weems said. “I’m proud of the way we battled, but there’s not much you can do when the shots don’t fall. They were able to run a bunch of kids at us (Morristown used a 10-player rotation), and their bench is just as good as their starters.”

Greenwood Christian, which used seven players through most of the game, shot just 10 of 37 from the floor, but earned 22 free-throw attempts, hitting 13. Grace Peters’ game was a perfect summary. The Cougars’ junior guard led the team with 13 points, shooting just 2 of 8 from the floor but hitting 9 of 13 free throws.

Sarah Mangan added seven points and Katherine Cruse had six for GCA.

Morristown committed 11 first-half turnovers, but only two in the second half, while the Cougars lost the ball 16 times. The Yellow Jackets also dominated the rebounding (38-24), which enabled them to attempt 16 more shots than GCA.

Alayna Munson led Morristown with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Cambie Poole added 10 points.

Weems said he views Greenwood Christian’s season as another stepping stone for the program.

“We’re still a young team,” he said. “(Senior) Katherine Cruse was part of 42 wins in three years, and Allie Dalton (another senior) grew tremendously as a player. I’ll take these kids all day.”