Gentry holds on to defeat Greenland

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

— Gentry girls' basketball coach Tim Rippy worried his players had gone into “panic mode” for a brief moment Tuesday.

The Lady Pioneers watched as their 12-point lead over Greenland dwindled to five during a span of 49 seconds in the fourth quarter. As soon as a time-out was called, Rippy gathered his upperclassmen and challenged them to come through down the stretch.

They did as their coach asked.

Senior guards Tara Arnold and Destiny Thomas hit four consecutive free throws and helped Gentry hold Greenland scoreless over the final 1 minute, 42 seconds, to seal a 45-35 win at Dee Lee Gymnasium.

“I looked at my seniors and said, ‘Can you guys not step up and handle this pressure as seniors? Let’s put this ball game away,’” Rippy said. “I just kind of challenged them, and I thought, from that point, we really locked it up.”

The Lady Pioneers (5-2) relied on Arnold’s quickness and the inside presence of 6-foot-4 center Heather Marshall to take control from the opening minute. They scored the first six points of the game, never trailed and used an 10-0 run in the third quarter to turn a 23-20 lead into a 33-20 advantage.

Marshall, who finished with nine points, started the run with an inside basket. Arnold then added a 3-point play, giving Gentry a boost and allowing her to score a gamehigh 18 points. They also disrupted Greenland’s offense by limiting point guard Anna Rogers’ ability to attack the basket.

“That forced them to take tough shots, and I thought we controlled the boards,” Rippy said. “And then obviously we got out and got a couple of transition baskets and hit a couple of shots.”

Rogers scored a teamhigh 15 points for the Lady Pirates (2-3), who were playing their second game in as many nights. Shorthanded because of injuries, Greenland coach Alan Barton admitted his players appeared exhausted, but relied on “a little heart” and “guts” to make a late rally.

Rogers sparked the fourth quarter run with a 3-point play, and Mackenzie Brown added a 3-pointer that got Greenland within 40-33 with 1:54 remaining. Rogers added a steal and lay-up eight seconds later, but the Lady Pirates didn’t get any closer.

“I thought we played well, battled back within five. The bottom line is we played last night,” Barton said. “So they had dead legs and we’re playing with five girls that were not starters.” GENTRY 46 GREENLAND 35 Gentry 8 13 14 11 - 46Greenland 5 10 10 10 - 35 GENTRY (5-2): Arnold 18, Marshall 9, Thomas 7, Olds 7, Hammond 5. GREENLAND (2-3): Rogers 15, Miller 7, Riggles 6, Brown 3, Scott 2, Vaughn 2.

BOYS GENTRY 52, GREENLAND 36

Dusty Haag scored 18 points and Brent Barker added 16 for Gentry, which outscored Greenland 15-3 in the third quarter to coast to the win.

Calvin Giddens, less than two weeks removed from wrapping up his football season, finished with a game-high 21 points to carry the bulk of Greenland’s offense. But the Pirates (0-5) let Gentry (3-4) turn a six-point half-time lead into a 35-19 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

“I think we came out with high energy, and we talk about that on a daily basis,” Gentry coach Sean Price said. “And if we don’t do that, we’re not athletic and as physical as most teams, so we’ve got to be playing harder.

“That’s all it was - our effort - in the third quarter.” GENTRY 52 GREENLAND 36 Gentry 10 15 15 12 - 52 Greenland 6 13 3 14 - 36 GENTRY (3-4): Haag 18, Barker 16, Hockenberry 7, Stoufflet 5, Massie 4, Ellis 2. GREENLAND (0-5): Giddens 21, Honeycutt 6, Farrar 5, Johnson 4.

Sports, Pages 9 on 12/12/2012