IAC GIRLS BASKETBALL: SHOOTING WOES, LATE TURNOVERS COSTLY IN S-VE LOSS (19 PHOTOS) (2019-01-11)
Tioga County Sports ReportSPENCER - The shots just weren't falling for S-VE Friday night. That and a couple untimely mistakes late in the game helped Groton pull out a 54-50 IAC crossover win here.
"We had couple of turnovers down the stretch and that's always hurtful, and we also had a lot of shots right by the rim that we didn't finish," S-VE head coach Abby Gentile said. "We make those layups, those gimmes, and we could have won the game by maybe even 10, because we had so many of them."
The Indians also took advantage of the Panthers' aggressive play in the final quarter, going 9-for-10 at the free throw line - S-VE was just 2-for-4.
S-VE looked good at the onset of the evening, jumping out to a 16-10 lead after one quarter behind nine points from Paige Grube and five more from Madelynn Pasto.
However, the home team would cool off in the second quarter and Brooke Brecht led Groton to a 26-24 halftime lead on the strength of a pair of 3-pointers.
In the third quarter, Grube would notch a couple of field goals, Pasto would can her third trey of the evening and the Panthers would hold Groton to six points, giving S-VE a 36-32 advantage heading into the final eight minutes of play.
Brecht, who scored a team-high 17 points, hit a pair of free throws and a layup less than 30 seconds into the fourth quarter to tie the game at 36. With 5:45 remaining, Grube drew her fourth foul.
Over the next five minutes, the lead would change hands or the game would be tied nine times. The Indians went up to stay, 47-46, when Brecht grabbed an offensive rebound and dished off to Abby Dykeman under pressure for the go-ahead basket with less than two minutes to go. JJ Harriot made it 49-46 with a pair of free throws. Grube's steal and layup made it 49-48 with 50 seconds left, but Harriot's putback of a teammate's miss made it 51-48 with 20 ticks left on the clock.
That left S-VE with no option but to foul. Maggie Ossit, who had 14 points up to that point, but none in the final period, sank two foul shot with 14.4 seconds left for a 53-48 lead.
Despite their shooting woes, the Panthers did manage to come away with some positives.
"They did a good job of running and getting out, and beating that press," Gentile said. "They also did a good job of going after the rebounds on the offensive end. I don't even know how many offensive rebounds we had as a team, but Paige had 21 rebounds on her own. She just went after everything. She doesn't give in. She doesn't give you an inch. You've got to earn everything you get.
"And that's what it is, I feel like, for my whole team. They will make you play. You have to beat them. They don't just sit down and let you win easily. They're going to work, they're going to work, they're going to work. Even on a night when our shots wouldn't necessarily fall, we can make a close game because of that determination."
Grube finished with a double-double - 20 points and 21 boards. She also had four assists. Pasto contributed 15 points and four assists; Ava Bruehwiler had eight points, five rebounds, four steals and a block; and Tara Perkins added four points, five boards, four assists and two blocks.
S-VE (3-8, 1-5 South Small) hosts division-leading Newfield (11-1, 7-0) Tuesday.
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IN PHOTO 1: S-VE's Abbie Kellogg. ... PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.
