It was tested from start to finish, but the Greenwood girls’ basketball team was able to escape with a hard-fought 61-56 overtime win over Warren Central on Monday evening in the opening round of the District 14 Tournament at Greenwood High School.
The Lady Gators (12-17 overall), seeded fourth, earned the fifth-seeded Lady Dragons’ best effort and were never really comfortable. Central (3-28) made Greenwood play its style of basketball throughout the contest, and it wasn’t until the end of regulation that the Lady Gators were able to carry any momentum.
“A lot of credit to Warren Central,” Greenwood coach Zach Simpson said. “They came out ready to play tonight. They outplayed us for three quarters. We just had to dig deep, find ways to win, and we told the girls that it shows a lot about your character and resiliency right there at the end to come away with a win.
“Every game you play in the District Tournament is going to be tough. I’m proud of different players for stepping up tonight. Carly (Miller) stepped up big, making that big shot at the end.”
Trailing 50-48 with less than a minute to play in regulation, Greenwood used a lengthy possession – which included five total shots – and capped it with a put-back layup by Miller, who grabbed three straight rebounds before making the shot that sent the game into overtime.
Video of Greenwood’s possession, which included five shots. pic.twitter.com/M1paQIZBIn
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Thanks to Miller’s big basket, the Lady Gators were fired up entering the extra frame and held a lead throughout it. And, with the victory, they’ll now meet top-seeded South Warren (27-3) on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the semifinal round.
“That was crazy,” Miller said of the final possession in regulation. “I just kept thinking ‘Oh my gosh, oh my gosh … I’ve gotta score.’”
Jacqueline Jackson carried Greenwood with a game-high 31 points, while Miller finished with a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds. Riley Hartis, who fouled out with 3:15 remaining in the fourth quarter, added 10 points.
The two sides exchanged baskets throughout the opening half.
Warren Central led 5-2 at the 3:25 mark of the first quarter, and then had a tight 9-7 lead after one. The Lady Dragons pushed their advantage to 17-12 early into the second, but Greenwood responded and cut its deficit to 21-18 at the 2:47 mark.
With Central up 24-22 with less than 10 seconds remaining in the half, Hartis nailed a three-pointer from the top of the key – her first basket of the contest – to send Greenwood into the locker room at halftime with a 25-24 lead.
“We just fought hard,” Miller said. “We just wanted to pull out the win and beat Warren Central.”
Jackson had 12 points and Miller had nine to lead the Lady Gators at the break. Ivy Shelton and Tiffany Taylor were leading the Lady Dragons with eight points each, and finished with 19 and 14, respectively.
The Lady Gators stole the momentum in the third quarter.
After Warren Central took a 31-29 lead at the 3:27 mark, Hartis answered with three soon after to give Greenwood a 34-31 lead. She then followed her big triple with a pair of free throws, which helped the Lady Gators take a 36-31 lead into the fourth.
“It could’ve gone either way,” Warren Central coach Joe Hood said. “I think that we played our best full game of the year tonight, but just didn’t get the result. It was a good environment for ‘em. I thought we played well enough to have a chance to seal it, and a couple calls just didn’t go our way that shifted the momentum.”
Greenwood extended its advantage to 38-31, but Krisheanna Johnson hit a pair of free throws to help Warren Central cut it to five midway through the fourth. A score inside by Johnson two possessions later – and then a pair of Ray free throws – made it 41-39 with 4:56 remaining.
After the Lady Dragons knotted it at 41-all, Hartis scored on a spin move through the middle of the lane to put the Lady Gators back up at 43-41. Back-to-back scores by Taylor gave Central a 47-43 lead, but just before Greenwood quickly made it 47-45 with 1:07 left.
As Miller’s layup with under a minute remaining tied things at 50-50 and sent it into overtime, the Lady Gators went to outscore Warren Central 11-6 in the extra frame to seal the victory.
“It was an overall team effort tonight, and we’re happy with it,” said Simpson.
–Senior writer Tyler Mansfield can be reached at mansfield.sportingtimes@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at @TMansfieldST.–
