When the season began, the Greenwood Christian girls basketball team was looking for a signature win against its larger county rivals.
Less than two months later, the Cougars have not one, but two of those wins — one against Whiteland in November and the second on Thursday night against close neighbor Greenwood.
GCA (13-5) also came into the game as the ninth-ranked team in Class A and more than proved why they are deserving with an impressive 64-42 win over the visiting Woodmen. It was the third straight win for the Cougars, while Greenwood has lost three in a row.
“We felt like if we could play the way we’re capable of playing we could be right there at the end,” Greenwood Christian coach Alan Weems said.
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In the first half, the Cougars held the Woodmen at bay, specifically leading scorer Brooklyn Stubblefield. It paid off as the Cougars took a 10-point lead into halftime. Despite being down by double figures, the Woodmen didn’t roll over and concede the game; instead, they made Greenwood Christian sweat by clogging up the Cougars’ offense with double- and triple-teams and getting some good runs at the basket.
The result was that Greenwood found itself down by only a point, 36-35, with plenty of time left in the third quarter. That’s when Weems decided a timeout was in his team’s best interest.
“We thought Greenwood would come out with a lot of intensity and that we need to be able to meet that, and in the first couple of minutes we didn’t,” Weems said. “We weren’t moving the ball well and turned the ball over. We had to move the ball around.”
After getting the message from Weems to step it up on offense, the Cougars heard their coach loud and clear and proceeded to not only dominate the rest of the third quarter, but the fourth as well. GCA outscored Greenwood 20-7 in the final quarter.
Getting within a point would turn out to be the Woodmen’s highlight as Greenwood’s offense stalled from then on. The visitors didn’t score in the fourth until the 3:07 mark.
Junior Izzy Reed had a hot night for the Cougars, as she led all scorers with 29 points. Teammate Alexis Mead added 14, while Savannah Frye chipped in with 12.
Stubblefield led Greenwood with 13 points. Sophomore Quinn Kelly added 11 for the Woodmen.
This signature win, like the one against Whiteland, should help the Cougars down the stretch run of the season and when sectional play begins in February.
The Cougars won’t have much time to relish the win, as they play again Saturday against Anderson Prep for third place in the Pioneer Conference. Greenwood (3-15) doesn’t play again until Tuesday, at home against Southport.
