Defense proves key factor in Tigers’ rout of Medora

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All season long, Crothersville girls basketball coach Kevin Hensley has preached that defense will win his team games.

On Tuesday, the Tigers only allowed two points in the first quarter and two 2-point field goals in the second quarter in a 54-17 rout of Medora at home.

In the first quarter, the Tigers were able to jump to a 17-2 lead thanks to a full court press that caused a number of Hornets turnovers.

The second quarter was much of the same, as the Tigers buckled down in the backcourt to take a 34-6 lead going into intermission.

“We wanted to tighten up our defense and keep them from getting to the hole where the easy buckets are. We would rather give up a three than give up something easy inside,” Tigers coach Kevin Hensley said. “Our defense is what’s going to win every ball game for us. We have to shut people down.”

A little bit of offense for the Hornets showed in the third quarter as Carley McCammon netted four points and Megan Weddel added a field goal.

Leading 47-12 after 24 minutes of play, the Tigers cruised to the win.

Crothersville junior Alexis Adair led her charges with 21 points (4-4 free throws, one 3-pointer). Nikki Hickman and Katrina Christian led the Tigers with nine rebounds apiece.

The Tigers finished with 39 rebounds on the night.

Throughout the game, the Hornets failed to find much rhythm.

“We were just completely out of sync. You have to give Crothersville credit — they came out with a lot of pressure on defense,” Hornets coach Brad McCammon said. “I think we turned it over 20 times at halftime, when you’re throwing it away more times than shots you’re taking on the basket that’s not going to beat too many teams.”

The Hornets (2-7) will head to Rock Creek Academy on Thursday.

“We just gotta go back to work and get better,” McCammon said. “We play so many games in a row, and we don’t have much time off. We’re back at it Thursday night. We still have four more games before we play back at home. That’s six-straight road games. We need to figure out who we need to go to during different times of the game.”

The Tigers (5-4) will have a short break before hosting Cannelton on Dec. 15.

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