Owls top Bloomington South in overtime

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The Seymour girls basketball team came into Tuesday night on a four-game winning streak, and wouldn’t be denied at any cost.

It took all 32 minutes, plus four minutes of overtime for the Owls to defeat Bloomington South 59-56 in the Lloyd E. Scott Gymnasium.

Up 57-56 with 31.9 seconds left in overtime, Owls sophomore Kayla Griffin came up with a huge charge to give the Owls possession.

After the Owls gained possession, Morgan Ritz drew a foul in the bonus. Panthers coach Larry Winters was issued a technical for stepping onto the court, just past the midcourt line, and the Owls were given four free throws with 4.6 ticks on the clock.

The Owls converted two free throws from Ritz to take the 59-56 lead.

The Panthers’ Annie Gillard nearly hit a halfcourt shot, but it rimmed out at the buzzer which sealed the Owls victory.

“We knew we were going to be battle-tested,” Owls coach Jason Longmeier said. “The game had a lot of flow to it. There were times I felt we were in control, but I didn’t feel like we were never not in control. They are a team built on possessions, and we knew it was going to be a low possession type game.”

In the first quarter, the Owls came out on top with a 14-9 lead.

Before intermission, the Owls led 25-20 over the Panthers.

The third quarter saw the Panthers close the gap by getting to the free throw line four consecutive times to start the second half.

Leading by a margin of 38-37 going into the fourth quarter, the Owls’ Maci Lubker exploded for 10 points which included two three-point field goals.

With 22.8 seconds left in regulation, Gillard nailed two free throws to tie the game at 51-51.

“Fundamentally, I don’t know if that’s the best team we will play; but executing it is. That’s a good win for us tonight against a strong ball club.”

Last season, the Owls started off 5-0 before falling to the Panthers 46-38.

“These kids are still young, they’re mostly juniors and sophomores,” Longmeier said. “But they have the experience under their belt. Last year, I don’t think we would have found a way to win this game — and I think our youth would have had a lot to do with that. I thought our kids hung tough.”

On Thursday, the Owls (5-0) will head to Jackson County rivals Brownstown Central.

“That game is always going to be a struggle,” Longmeier said. “Both teams know each other so well. We know what they want to do, and they know what we want to do. I have a lot of respect for the way Karla (Rieckers) runs her program.”

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