CROTHERSVILLE
Lanesville’s girls basketball team outscored Crothersville 8-0 over the final 1:10 of Saturday’s Southern Athletic Conference battle and went home with a 52-48 victory.
The win assured the Eagles of at least a share of the SAC title, with a record of 4-0, with a home game against South Central coming up Tuesday night.
The Tigers slipped to 2-2 in SAC play.
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Makayla Helt converted a 3-point play that gave the Tigers a 48-44 lead with 1:17 remaining, but it ended the team’s scoring for the day.
Georgia Brumley hit a 3-point basket with 30 seconds remaining that put the Eagles on top for good at 50-48.
Crothersville coach Kevin Hensley said his team was hurt by five turnovers in the fourth period.
“We didn’t take care of the ball the way we needed to,” he said. “Piper (Hensley) dribbled into a couple of traps and just turned it over. You’ve got to get that ball out of there and try to put some pressure on them and get the ball to the hole.
“The only way they’re going to stop you is either give you a layup or foul you, and we didn’t do that. That’s what we were stressing, but they didn’t do it for whatever reason.”
Lanesville (12-6) held a 36-35 lead going into the fourth period and increased its lead to 44-39 with 5:30 remaining before the Tigers went on a 9-0 run.
Hensley started the rally with her fifth 3-pointer of the game, Maddie Riley scored a layup, Makinzee Isley made two free throws, and Helt converted the 3-point play with 1:17 remaining.
Grace Adams sparked the Eagles in the fourth period with a 3-pointer, a deuce, 5-of-6 free throws and three rebounds. She finished with 21 points and nine rebounds.
The Tigers went to their perimeter game early as Hensley made two 3-pointers, and Helt and Riley each added one to help their team to a 13-6 lead at 2:20 before the Eagles scored the final five points of the quarter, then added a basket early in the second period to tie it at 13 points.
Hensley scored off a rebound and added a 3-pointer, at 6:20, to put the Tigers on top 18-13.
The only point the Tigers scored the remainder of the first half was a free throw by Isabell Lewis with 19 seconds remaining as Lanesville held a 23-19 lead at the break.
The visitors were leading 31-23 midway through the third period when the Tigers went on a 9-0 run that was started by a layup by Grace Wilson at 2:20, and completed with a 3-pointer by Hensley at 1:15 to set the score 32-31.
Hensley topped the Tigers (11-7) with 20 points, and Riley scored nine to go along with 12 rebounds.
Coach Hensley said his team gave a good effort.
“They did play hard," he said. "I’m proud of them for playing hard. It was just a part of us not getting ourselves back together because we’re going through a little adversity. If we get through this I think we’ll come out better in the end, in the long run.”
Hensley said he felt like Lewis gave the team some good minutes.
“I was proud of Isabell. She had been playing mostly JV this year, and she came in and knocked down a three and a free throw," he said. "She is a big help in that aspect because she can make defenses stay honest, and not so much key on Piper and Maddie.
“We don’t have anything easy from here on out. We’ve got Brown County there Tuesday, at Jennings County Friday. So hopefully we can learn as we’re building for the sectional run.”
The Tigers will play a varsity-only schedule for the remainder of the season.