Greensburg — The Greensburg girls basketball team improved to 3-3 with its 44-29 conference win over Franklin County Tuesday. The last Lady Pirate team to beat Franklin County was the sectional champion squad three seasons ago.

Greensburg used a stifling defense throughout the game Tuesday and held the Wildcats to 12 second-half points.

The Pirates took a four-point lead midway through the first quarter. Senior Clare Owens passed to junior Joanna Redelman to make it 5-4, and sophomore Jessica Banaschak added a score off an inbounds pass. Greensburg built a 10-6 lead on freshman Taylor McIntosh’s 3-pointer, but the Wildcats took an 11-10 lead into the second quarter.

The hosts stormed back on top with scores from Redelman, senior Shelby Ward, and Ward again off an Owens steal.

Head coach Mike Miller saw Owens pace her team’s defensive attack and help build on the first-half lead. Owens finished with seven rebounds, six assists and five steals, and scored four of her seven points late in the fourth quarter. Her 3-pointer closed out the third period to give the Pirates a 37-21 lead.

“She had an outstanding all-around game,” said Miller.

A Redelman triple and a free throw opened up a 22-15 lead, which was 24-17 at the half.

Scoring was at a premium in the next eight minutes as Greensburg outscored the Wildcats 13-4. After Franklin County scored the first four points of the third, Ward and Banaschak hit triples on consecutive possessions, followed by another Ward jumper to open up a 32-21 lead. A jumper by sophomore Abbey Denton, and the Owens buzzer-beater, capped the quarter at 37-21.

The Wildcats ended an eight-minute scoring drought at the 5:57 mark of the fourth quarter. Another Redelman jumper and two Owens scores led to the final 44-29 margin.

Miller said Greensburg thrived in zone defense throughout the night.

“We played together in our zone very well,” he said. “That turned out to be the right thing for us.”

Offensively, though, Miller said the Pirates need to execute more consistently.

“Offensively, we were very choppy,” he said. “We did have some people step up and play well.” He credited Ward (9 points) with her performance.

“Shelby Ward had a good offensive game,” he said. “She was aggressive without forcing it.”

Miller applauded his team’s overall play all season, with the exception of a quarter against Jennings County and the first and third quarters against East Central.

“That’s becoming an identity and a consistency we need to continue,” he noted.

Redelman led all scorers with 13 points, including 11 in the first half. Ward followed with nine points. Owens scored seven, while Banaschak scored six. McIntosh added five, while sophomore Abbey Denton and freshman Keauna Schultz chipped in two apiece.

Miller said he is encouraged by the emergence of two part-time varsity players off the bench – Schultz and sophomore Megan Schmidt.

“Megan and Keauna are playing very well,” he said. “That’s something that is turning into a development.”

Greensburg next hosts conference rival Lawrenceburg Saturday, with a 12 p.m. junior varsity contest starting the action.



JV Pirates fall in first game

The Greensburg junior varsity team fell to the Wildcats 25-22 in the first game. The Pirates trailed 10-8 at the half, but led 16-14 after three quarters. However, the Wildcats came back with an 11-6 edge in the fourth period and a crucial score to win by three.

Greensburg shot 10-for-14 from the foul line.

Sophomore Megan Schmidt led Greensburg in scoring with 10 points. She shot 4-for-6 from the foul line. Maddi Hellmich followed with five points, while Maddy Schroeder added three. Kasey Moeller shot 2-for-2 from the line, while Kalynne Asche and Keauna Schultz each scored one.

Contact Nick Gonnella at (812) 663-3111, x7003.