Glenwood gets defensive in regular season finale
Glenwood got 13 points apiece from Brooklyn Taylor and Brielle Smith in a 43-32 victory over Denison in the Rams’ regular-season final Saturday.
The Rams’ defense limited the Monarchs to just 29.5 percent shooting (13-of-44) and their second-lowest offensive output of the season. Leading scorer Alex Mohr was also held to a season-low two points and 0-of-7 shooting from the field.
“It really was a great defensive effort,” said Glenwood coach Katie Bowen. “We were able to shut down Mohr, with Brooklyn and Danielle (Hardcastle) covering her. Sidney (Lucy) and Joslyn (Lewis) did a nice job making their post work for every basket she got and boxing her out and making sure she only got one attempt each possession. We also had some other people step up offensively as they focused on taking away Elle (Scarborough)."
Taylor and Smith combined to shoot 8-of-14 from the field and 16 rebounds out of the backcourt.
“The biggest thing for us though was having composure when they started pressing in the third quarter and down the stretch to slow down the game and burn some clock,” Bowen said. “It was also nice to be able to get Savanna (Mixan) on the floor for tip off and start off with her two free throws after sitting out all season with an injury.”
The Rams open post-season play at Harlan tonight in the Class 4A, Region 8 opener. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.
Shenandoah 57,
Glenwood 51
Different game, same story.
In its match up with Shenandoah Tuesday, the Glenwood girls basketball team, as it seemingly has in a half dozen games this season, could not hold a fourth quarter lead in another tough Hawkeye 10 Conference loss.
This time it was a 10-point fourth quarter lead for the Rams that was erased by a Fillie 15-2 run and a heavy dose of Logan Hughes in a 57-51 victory.
“It’s the same story it’s been all season,” said Glenwood coach Katy Bowen after the game. “Taking care of the ball and pulling games out down the stretch.”
Bowen said her young team – the roster includes just two seniors – is still learning how to win and Tuesday’s fourth quarter was an example of that.
“I think we can learn how to handle pressure better,” Bowen said. “I think we played really well for three quarters. It sucks for the seniors but we are getting pretty valuable experience for next season and we still have games left so I am not looking ahead but we lack some mental toughness down the stretch. You look at a player like Logan Hughes. She just took over this game and we just got back on our heels and watched.”
Took over the game might be an understatement to describe Hughes’ fourth quarter.
The 5-foot-10 junior scored the first 11 points of the final quarter and 13 of 15 as part of the Fillies 15-2 run that saw them take their first lead of the game at 47-46 on her layup with just over five minutes to go.
“We didn’t have an answer for her,” Bowen said of Hughes. “We tried a diamond-and-one (zone) on her but we didn’t feel confident enough in it to keep doing it.”
Glenwood quickly got down 51-46 but scrapped back to tie it back up at 51-51 with a Joslyn Lewis three-pointer and a putback by Elle Scarborough with 1:39 to go.
But after a defensive stop that gave them the ball back with 1:31 to go, the Rams turned it right back over and Hughes went coast-to-coast for a layup to make it 53-51 with 1:26 to go.
The Rams had their chances in the final minute but missed five straight shots down the stretch.
The fourth quarter breakdowns obscured what Bowen thought was three quarters of pretty good basketball. She thought her team shot it well, took good care of the ball and did a pretty good job containing Hughes – who entered averaging nearly 21 points per game – with freshman Elle Scarborough out-scoring the All-Hawkeye 10 forward 17-16 entering the fourth quarter.
Glenwood withstood an initial mid-third quarter rally with back-to-back three pointers by Joslyn Lewis to give them its biggest lead of the game at 41-29 with two minutes to go in the frame.
But the Rams couldn’t hold off the Fillies’ fourth quarter rally. The Fillie full court pressure forced turnovers on three of Glenwood’s first four possessions of the quarter and nine overall for the frame put the Rams on their heels.
Shenandoah out-scored Glenwood 25-7 in the fourth quarter and held them scoreless the final 2:33 of the game.
Bowen said her team has made progress this season but it may not show in the Rams’ win-loss record.
“We’ve made a ton of improvement,” she said. “We relied pretty heavy earlier this year on shooting the three and hit a rough patch shooting-wise and we found other ways to be successful and the girls to contribute. I see a lot of girls working hard. I just wish it reflected more in our record.”
Hughes finished with a game-high 33 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Scarborough finished with 21 points. Coming off a 2-of-8, five point performance at Harlan Friday, Bowen said it was good to see her leading scorer aggressive and attacking the basket.
“I think even being a freshman, people kind of look to her to make things happen and she’s getting more and more comfortable in that role,” Bowen said.