Greensburg Notches Two Wins To Take Tourney Trophy

Nick Gonnella

The Greensburg girls basketball team traveled into southern Decatur County Friday morning and tipped off the South Decatur Classic against the same Cougar team it had defeated one week ago.

The hosting Cougars had hoped for a better outcome than its 30-point loss to the Pirates in their first game, and it appeared that South was up to the task yesterday.

Greensburg took a 7-2 lead on senior Melanie Trammell’s 3-pointer, but South junior Ashley Lewellyn scored seven points in a three-minute span to fuel a 10-0 South run. The Cougars had stormed back from an 11-4 deficit to take a 14-11 lead on senior Briana Palmer’s fair of free throws.

Junior Laura Welage pulled Greensburg back on top at 19-17, and South encountered foul trouble in the final minute of the half.

A basket by Greensburg sophomore Jennifer Redelman gave the visitors a 24-18 lead at the break.

Trammell and Lewellyn led all scorers with nine points apiece.

Throughout the second half, the rivals found themselves in a 3-point shootout after Greensburg had built a 28-18 lead.

South sophomore Kassidie Diekhoff cut into the lead with a trey, but Welage answered with her own at the 5:35 mark of the third. The shot gave Greensburg a 10-point lead, which stayed in double figures the rest of the game in a 64-37 win.

Greensburg senior Chas Lecher scored half of her 14 points in the third quarter while the Pirates outscored South 23-7 in that period.

The 3-point exchanges heated back up in the fourth quarter. Palmer hit a triple with two minutes left, then senior Katie Burns answered with a triple to put Greensburg up 61-31. The same two girls repeated the sequence on the next pair of possessions before South junior Taylor Nolting drained a triple on South’s final possession of the game.

Palmer was held to 13 points to lead South, while Lewellyn scored 11. Diekhoff added five to lead the rest of the Cougars’ scorers.

Greensburg head coach Mike Miller admitted that the game consisted of two “very different halves” as the second half was more productive after struggling in the first half.

“The third quarter is what we want,” said Miller.

Melanie Trammell finished with 22 points and six steals, leading Greensburg’s 24-for-59 shooting (40 percent) from the field.

Greensburg shot 12-of-15 from the foul line, notched 15 assists and grabbed 24 steals defensively. The Pirates nabbed 23 rebounds.

Lecher followed up with 14 poins and four blocks, while Hannah Doerflinger tallied three points and three steals. Welage and Burns led the rest of the scorers with nine and six points, respectively.

“Mel was a real catalyst. I was glad to see her come back and do well,” said Miller.

He credited the team’s seniors for helping Greensburg overcome its slow start and prevent a second-half letdown.

“More than anything it’s the leadership and maturity of the five seniors we’re playing,” he said.



Pirates Claim Trophy After Grounding Jets 62-44



Greensburg played Hauser in the championship game, which unfolded much the same way the early game did.

The Pirates led early, but Hauser tied the game at 13-13 early in the second quarter.

Greensburg senior Melanie Trammell began her dissection of the Jets defense with a 3-pointer, and senior Chas Lecher followed with a layup to give their team a five-point lead at 18-13.

Katie Burns continued the recent emergence of her 3-point shooting with a trey to put the Pirates ahead by 10. The senior drew a foul while making the shot as a defender pushed her to the floor on the play. Burns iced the 4-point play with a free throw and a 26-15 lead.

“That was one of the really good developments of the day,” said Miller of Burns’ 4-point play. “It really helps us because it spreads out the defense.”

Greensburg maintained the 10-point edge until Trammell dished the ball inside to Lecher for an ally-oop that drew a foul as the shot fell. Lecher added the free throw for a 33-19 lead.

Burns drained another trey at the 5-minute mark, increasing the edge to 38-25, forcing Hauser to foul the rest of the way. Greensburg took the game 62-44.

Not to be overlooked in the fourth quarter was Trammell’s hot shooting. She hit a pair of triples and a jumper on her way to 10 late points.

Leading all scorers was Trammell with a 21-point effort that has caught the attention of coach Mike Miller.

“She really worked this summer,” said Miller of Trammell. “She’s a lot harder to guard. She’s gotten a lot better.”

Lecher followed up with 19 points on seven 2-point shots.

Burns tallied seven points and Macey Menkedick scored three, while adding two apiece were Laura Welage, Danielle Keillor, Tess Christian, Courtney Jones, Morgan Menkedick and Jennifer Redelman.

“We’re finding out now that we can get more kids to score,” said Miller.

Redelman contributed solid minutes off the bench while Lecher sat with two first-half fouls.

“I’m really proud of Jennifer,” said Miller. “She has really become a hard worker.”

Miller commented on what the two-game tournament win means for a Greensburg program that improves to 6-0.

“It’s a real feather in the cap for our kids,” said Miller. “They’ve done a real nice job building our tradition in the past, and they’ve living up to that.”

Greensburg enters a tough stretch of the schedule and is sure to be tested in the upcoming weeks.

The Pirates visit Franklin County Dec. 1, while conference rival Lawrenceburg travels to Greensburg Dec. 5.

A road game Dec. 10 against South Dearborn and a visit from a tough Rushville team Dec. 12 follow.

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