The first basketball doubleheader of the season gave both sets of fans plenty to cheer about as Greencastle came to Crawfordsville for some pre-holiday hoops.
The Athenians boys opened their season with an exciting 51-45 overtime win. After the Tiger Cubs tied the game at the end of regulation, Crawfordsville scored six unanswered points in the extra period to take the win.
Greencastle’s girls got the best of the Athenians in the first game, posting a 46-24 win.
BOYS OPEN SEASON WITH OVERTIME THRILLER
Tyson Fuller had a coming out game for Crawfordsville, as the senior put 25 points on the board as his Athenians won 51-45 in overtime.
Fuller scored in each of the five periods, including a 3-of-4 run from the free throw line in the OT. He was 8-of-10 from the field, including four three-pointers, and was 5-of-6 from the line, all in the fourth quarter or overtime. He was the open man when the Athenians ran the offense inside and he dropped shot after shot.
“He had a great game,” Cville coach David Pierce said. “He struggled with his shot last season, and has worked on his shooting all offseason. He gives us another weapon, another guy to guard. Our seniors were real leaders, they played really hard. I’m super-pleased with the effort tonight.”
Fuller had half the points, but there were plenty of places to highlight his teammates.
Junior post player Alec Saidian turned in a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds and handed out a near-handful of assists, mostly to Fuller, as he ran the offense back outside from the post. The junior was also the defensive anchor in the paint as the Athenians kept the Tiger Cubs bigs mostly out of the middle.
“Alec had a huge job,” Pierce said of Saidian, who gave away height and weight to two Greencastle inside players. “He wore (Judah) Amis down and made the big guy tired.”
The 6-6 Amis had a dozen points in the first three quarters, and got to the rim when his offense could get him the ball, but that was one of the keys to the Crawfordsville win – he didn’t get the ball enough. Amis got only two shots in the fourth quarter, none in the overtime, and didn’t score.
The game was close throughout, although the Athenians led for most of the game, from one to a few points.
The Tiger Cubs took their first lead when they hit a three to end the third quarter, and then hit a put-back with about a second left to tie the game at 45 and send it into free basketball time.
The last four minutes belonged to the guys in white.
Saidian hit a free throw, Drake Burris got inside for a runner, Fuller hit one free throw and then hit two more later, and it was all over, as the Athenians defense pitched an overtime shutout.
Burris finished with nine points, six in the fourth or OT, as Crawfordsville finished 17-of-49 from the field, 6-of18 from long range and 7-of-10 from the line. They were 6-of-6 from the stripe in the fourth quarter.
They won the rebound battle 43-31. After Saidian’s 12, Ethan McLemore grabbed seven, while Fuller and Kaden Patton each had six.
The Tiger Cubs blocked eight Crawfordsville shots, but the only block for the Athenians came when McLemore adjusted an overtime attempt.
“Ethan’s (McLeMore) athleticism was such a factor,” Pierce said of the senior, who had three steals and a pair of assists to go with his boards and one bucket.
Greencastle was led in scoring by Amis with 15 and Sam Gooch, who had a team-best 18. The visitors were 19-of-48 from the field, 4-of-19 from deep and 5-of-8 from the line. Turnovers were nearly even, as the Tiger Cubs had 11 to the Athenians 12.
“It was a battle,” Pierce noted. “Greencastle has a bunch of tough kids and good athletes. Both our teams won about seven games each last year, and this game is huge for our confidence.”
The Athenians will take that confidence back into action Saturday when they will play host to an always big and always tough Benton Central squad.
Girls Lose to Tiger Cubs
The opening game of the doubleheader was mostly an all-Greencastle affair with a 46-24 win.
The victory moves the visitors to 2-5 overall, while the Athenians fall to 0-7.
After hitting their first shot, and scoring the first three points, Crawfordsville fell victim to cold shooting, and then to turnovers, as Greencastle scored the next 14 and never looked back.
A total of 26 turnovers became 25 points for the Tiger Cubs.
“We had some great opportunities to score,” Cville coach Joe Ferguson said, “but nothing fell in the hoop. In the first quarter especially, we had some really good shots, but they didn’t fall, and that led to some defensive letdowns when the girls got disappointed in the shots not falling. For the most part, we have played good defense, but the turnovers get to you as a team. We are also still shying away from contact on occasion, and we need to play through that contact and get to the rim. We are driving better to the rim, and we are taking those small steps. We all want to get better, and that will come both as individuals and as a team.”
The Athenians were led in scoring by Celeste Moore. The junior had seven points and eight rebounds. Molly Pierce had five points, all in the second half, and grabbed a team-high nine boards.
Overall, the Athenians were 10-of-42 from the field, hit one three-pointer and were 3-of-7 from the line. The did hold a 40-26 rebound advantage.
The Tiger Cubs were led by Evie Briones with 16 points and Bailey Brown with 15. Brown completed her double-double with 10 rebounds. The visitors had 15 turnovers.
“We continue to play hard, we continue to battle, we continue getting after it,” Ferguson said. “We strive for improvement and we won’t settle for anything less than playing hard as possible.”
The Athenians are back in action Saturday afternoon with a Sagamore Conference home game against Danville.
The Tiger Cubs, who lost to Southmont earlier in the season, will take on North Montgomery January 9.
