Greensburg Daily News, Greensburg, IN

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  • Greensburg junior Sean Sellers rises for a shot in the second half. Nick Gonnella

    GB boys Sean Sectional

  • Greensburg junior Collin Rigney dribbles past a defender in the first half. Nick Gonnella

    GB boys Collin Sectional
February 28, 2013

Pirates outrun Knights 76-33 to advance

Nick Gonnella Greensburg Daily News

Greensburg — It might sound like a cliche, but the members of the Greensburg boys basketball team picked each other up when faced with adversity.

The second-ranked Pirates, dressed in their home white uniforms, advanced to the Greensburg Sectional 29 Semifinal game with a 76-33 win over South Dearborn Wednesday. The victory lifted the Pirates' record to 20-1.

A pair of Greensburg starters brought their hot shooting on a night the visiting Knights targeted two other starters - Greensburg’s top two scorers.

Juniors Macy Holdsworth and Collin Rigney combined for 15 points on five 3-pointers, while juniors Sean Sellers and Bryant McIntosh combined for just four points. Greensburg head coach Stacy Meyer was pleased with his team’s execution as the Knights’ Triangle-and-2 defense bottled up Greensburg’s most dangerous weapons.

“We got off to a really good start,” said Meyer of the Pirates’ 21-10 first-quarter edge. “Our other guys were doing a good job of getting us started early.”

The scheme did not last long as Sellers and McIntosh broke out for 13 second-quarter points. Greensburg’s defense stayed relentless and helped open up its transition offense, clamping down on the Knights in a 21-2 second-quarter storm. McIntosh scored nine points in a four-minute span, including a 3-pointer sandwiched between two deuces.

At the same time, Greensburg limited its own turnovers and ran an efficient offense. The highlights of the second quarter were a Sellers steal and basket, and Rigney’s triple at the first-half buzzer. The Pirates entered the half leading 42-12.

“When you don’t turn the ball over you get shots on goal, and good things are going to happen,” said Meyer.

A Holdsworth trey to start his team’s second-half scoring made it 45-14 early in the third. Welage, then, followed with six points within a one-minute span, giving his team a 53-18 edge. Sellers later converted a 3-point play to open up a 60-21 lead with 1:55 left in the third.

Meyer made substitutions in the final period. A score by senior Shane Ploeger, a trip to the foul line by junior Tom Lawrence, and senior Riley Billieu’s score off freshman Drew Foster’s steal, helped their team finish off the Knights.

Welage led all scorers with 17 points, including a 5-for-7 effort from the line. McIntosh followed with 15 points (2-for-2 and a triple). Holdsworth scored 12 on a game-high four triples, while Sellers and Rigney (three treys) each scored 11. Sellers went 5-for-5 from the stripe to lead the Pirates’ 16-for-24 shooting (67 percent). Ploeger scored three, while Billieu and senior Tyler Burcham each added two. Chipping in a free throw apiece were junior Tye Fleetwood, junior Tom Lawrence, and Foster, an addition to the sectional roster. Junior Brad Wilson also played most of the fourth quarter.

Senior Weston Taylor led the Knights (9-12) with eight points, while senior Joshua Fuller added seven.

Eighth-ranked Batesville defeated Franklin County 78-47 in Wednesday’s second game. The Bulldogs (19-2) will play in the semifinal against Greensburg for the second straight year.

“We’re very excited to be playing Friday, we’re fortunate to be playing Friday, and we’ll see how it goes,” said Meyer.

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

 

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