CROTHERSVILLE
With Class A No. 4, undefeated Springs Valley in the building, the Crothersville girls basketball team had their hands full on Saturday.
Despite a solid start to the game, the Blackhawks proved too much for the Tigers as they fell 57-35.
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In the first quarter, Morgan Meehan shouldered the bulk of the Blackhawks’ scoring out the gate.
Meehan scored all her team’s points up to the 4:26 mark, as the Blackhawks led 9-2.
The Tigers then went on a 7-0 run behind a pair of baskets at the rim by junior Katrina Christian and a 3-pointer by freshman Piper Hensley to tie the game with 1:39 left in the first quarter.
After a basket by the Blackhawks’ Hannah Pendley, Tigers freshman Maddie Riley scored a basket and Christian converted an and-one opportunity.
Crothersville held a 14-13 lead heading into the second quarter.
The Tigers’ offense went stagnant in the second quarter, as they just scored four points before halftime.
Springs Valley capitalized on six Tigers turnovers en route to scoring 19 points.
Early in the second quarter, the Blackhawks went on a 10-0 run.
Tigers coach Kevin Hensley said that keeping Abby Jewell on the bench due to foul trouble altered the team’s play.
“She’s just the glue to this team,” Hensley said of Jewell. ‘When she’s in there, we’re just more fundamentally sound — even the Springs Valley coach noticed it. When she was in foul trouble and we took her out it changed the game in the second quarter.”
At the half, the Tigers trailed 32-18.
Following intermission, Springs Valley went up by 20 after a score by Kiana Wininger with 6:52 on the clock.
The Tigers cut back into the deficit behind an and-one by Lacey Hall and another basket from Christian, but trailed 46-28 after 24 minutes of play.
In the final quarter, Springs Valley would maintain at least a 20-point lead the rest of the way.
Meehan finished with a game-high 19 points, Olivia Carnes had 12 and Wininger amassed nine points for the Blackhawks.
“They are very efficient,” Hensley said. “They’re just about all seniors. It’s like playing a machine. Any time we turned it over they scored. That second quarter killed us. We were steady after that, but were down by around 18 points for most of it.”
Christian topped Crothersville’s scoring with 15 points while Riley and Hall each added six.
Springs Valley (18-0) out-rebounded the Tigers 26-19 on the day.
Tonight, the Class A Borden sectional pairings will be announced.
“I think it’s wide open,” Hensley said of the sectional. “There are few teams that can win the sectional: West Washington, Borden, Trinity, Orleans and us. Medora’s having a done year without their leading scorer (Jadelyn Dean). It should be a competitive tournament.”
Tomorrow, the Tigers (10-10) will host New Washington for senior night.