MECCA – A four-point first quarter turned into the most points this calendar year for the Crawfordsville girls in a 61-44 win over Riverton Parke.
After a first eight minutes that won’t make the highlight reel, Athenians senior Olivia Reed dropped four three-pointers in a row in the second quarter to spark the comeback.
She was one of three C’ville shooters that got into double-digit scoring as Crawfordsville moves to 5-12 on the season, while the Panthers drop to 3-14.
After Reed got things going offensively, it was the Shea Williamson and Taylor Abston show, who combined for 22 points in the fourth quarter to stretch the lead.
Williamson had the record-keepers looking for the last triple-double, as the senior guard logged 19 points to tie Reed for game-best, and then added 11 assists, eight rebounds, six steals and blocked a shot. She made a living at the line, going 11-of-14, including 10-of-12 in the last quarter.
Abston was 6-of-7 from the field and 4-of-6 from the line to log in as the third player with double-figures with 16 points. The sophomore grabbed a team-best nine rebounds.
“Olivia brought us back and then it was the ‘Shea and Tay’ show,” Crawfordsville coach Tyler Smith quipped. “It wasn’t the first quarter we wanted, but we didn’t panic. I’m really proud of how the team fought back the rest of the way. We played really well those last three quarters.”
The Panthers jumped out to a 12-4 lead after that first ominous quarter, hitting a couple treys of their own and taking advantage of eight turnovers. With the first bucket of the second, they owned a 10-point lead.
Reed jump-started the comeback with four jump shots behind the ring, and midway through the quarter, C’ville was ahead.
The two teams traded the lead for the next few minutes until an Athenians six-point run early in the third quarter put them ahead for good.
“We stayed composed, even when it got a little chippy,” Smith said, referring to the non-stop free throw shooting in the fourth when the home team was trying to mount a rally. “We hit those free throws, we made good adjustments and good reads on both offense and defense, and we made good decisions. It was great to come back from 10, and to get this road win. Everybody really played well.”
For the game, C’ville was 16-of-37 from the field, 7-of-15 from long range and 22-of-30 from the line. They won the rebound battle 41-36 and had 20 turnovers, but only eight in the second half.
The Panthers dropped a couple treys early, and finished with a 7-of-21 night from deep, but they had trouble inside, as they managed only eight inside baskets. They were 15-of-61 from the field, and were 7-of- 8 from the stripe, as they had to foul to try and catch up.
Macey Barnes led the scoring for RP with 14 points. Caeden Bennett and Bailey Duke each had nine. Duke was game-high with 11 rebounds. They finished with 19 turnovers.
“Olivia got us started, Shea stuffed the stat sheet and Abston was in the right place at the right time all game,” Smith said. “It was great to have three at 16 points or more, and we are hoping this is a sign of things to come. We hope this is a big first step and that we are just getting started towards the end of the season.”
The 61 points is the second-most for the Athenians this season, after a 69-point game against Attica.
They have a home game Saturday against Monrovia.
