Thursday’s boys basketball game between host Edinburgh and Greenwood, two teams having trouble winning of late, assured one thing — that one team’s issues would end at least for this night.
Greenwood, on the strength of late free throws, held off a determined Edinburgh 62-56.
In beating the Lancers, the Woodmen ended a three-game skid and improved to .500 on the season at 9-9.
Moreover, this win could be the springboard for a positive finish to the season and momentum come sectional time at the end of the month.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryJust don’t tell that to Greenwood coach Bruce Hensley.
“We still have a long way to go,” Hensley said. “Give (Edinburgh) credit. They played hard and well and with a lot of heart. You could tell this was important for them. But was nice was we hit the free throws with the game on the line; we have not shot (free throws) well this year.”
The Woodmen were 11 of 12 from the free throw line down the stretch and hit eight in the final two minutes of the game.
Edinburgh didn’t do badly from the line either, hitting eight. However, they had far less attempts with just a dozen.
On paper, this looked like it could be a Lancer struggle against the taller Woodmen, but they scrapped, forcing Greenwood to fight for every possession — typical in a Johnson County contest.
“We defended as well as we’re going to,” said Edinburgh coach Drew Glentzer. "We wanted to stop the drive and force them into a perimeter game. We had a lot of confidence and competed well."
Both teams also came out shooting the 3, with Greenwood hitting four in the first half and Edinburgh knocking down five bombs. That barrage continued for the Lancers in the second half with three more.
That’s what kept the Lancers close until Greenwood’s pressure-defying free throws.
The Woodmen were led by junior Eric Moenkhaus’ game-high 22 points. Junior teammate Jeffrey Reynolds added 15.
Edinburgh spread its scoring around, with Coltan Henderson leading the way with 17 points. Included in Henderson’s totals were five 3-pointers.
Parker Bryant added 12 points, and Justin Fosskuhl and Cameron Cravens had 11 each.
Greenwood will remain road warriors, as they travel to Greenfield-Central for their fourth straight nonconference game on Saturday.
Edinburgh (5-15) hopes to break its three-game losing streak when they host Greenwood Christian next Tuesday.
