Weary Crothersville finishes 1-2 in tourney pool play

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HENRYVILLE

Playing their third game in four days, Crothersville’s girls basketball team couldn’t find their legs.

Scoring just a single point in the first quarter, the Tigers couldn’t mount a comeback in a 55-32 loss at Henryville on Friday.

With the loss, the Tigers finish 1-2 in pool play and will compete in the 2 p.m. game today for seventh place in the Henryville Tip-Off Tournament.

The Tigers didn’t score a field goal in the opening quarter, and the Hornets took advantage by going on a 10-0 run.

Baskets from the Hornets’ Cameron Kearney and Allison Horn, and a pair of free throws by Jalyn Michael, put the home team up 6-0 four minutes into the game.

The Tigers got on the board with one second on the clock.

“We came out so flat,” Tigers coach Kevin Hensley said. “We had no energy whatsoever. I was trying everything to get their energy levels up. This is something they will learn from.”

Piper Hensley split free throws, as the Tigers trailed 10-1 at the end of the first quarter.

The Hornets outscored Crothersville 12-6 halfway through the second quarter, with all of the Tigers’ points coming from the charity stripe.

The Tigers finally got their first field goal attempt to drop with 2:46 until intermission on a layup by Maddie Riley.

At the break the Tigers trailed 27-11, with two made baskets while going 7-for-9 on free throws tries.

The Hornets deployed nine players in the opening half, with eight recording at least one point.

Out of the break, the Tigers switched to a press defense to try and get their energy levels up.

The Tigers went on a 6-0 run from 5:43 to 4:18 in the third quarter, led by a 3-pointer from Hensley.

With around four minutes on the clock, there was a stoppage of play: The teams had played with a boys’ regulation sized ball the entirety of the game.

After swapping out basketballs, Hensley drained a 3-pointer on the Tigers’ possession to cut the deficit to 31-20.

The Hornets responded with a 7-0 run before a basket from Grace Wilson and three from Hensley ended the quarter with the Tigers down 38-25.

Stringing together scoring stretches of 5-0 and 8-0 in the fourth quarter — while limiting the Tigers to seven points — the Hornets ran away with the victory.

Hensley topped the Tigers with 19 points while Riley and Brewer each scored four. Kennedy Easton led the Hornets with 17 points and Kearney chipped in 11.

On the boards, the Hornets beat the Tigers 37-28.

Playing 10 players in the game, Hensley aimed to keep the girls fresh for their final tourney game for today.

“It’s tough, but I’m glad I’ve played quite a few girls,” Hensley said. “ I’m trying to keep everyone as fresh as possible. I want them to keep their energy for one more day. We need to keep it up to get a win.”

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