Skip to main content

GIRLS HOOPS: Turnovers costly for James Buchanan


GREENCASTLE -- There was one pretty telling stat in Greencastle-Antrim's favor Tuesday night.

The Blue Devils' girls basketball team scored 19 points off turnovers against James Buchanan. And they won by 19 points in a 68-49 Mid Penn Colonial Division victory, during which JB had 27 turnovers.

"If we take care of the ball a little bit better, who knows?" JB coach Jen Lauthers said. "They weren't turnovers because someone was playing really, really great defense. Greencastle does play good defense on us, but a lot of times, we just dribbled it out or got a walk or just got caught up somehow. But, those are the kinds of things that can be fixed."

Greencastle (4-0, 2-0 MPC) led by only 12 at halftime, but it came out of the locker room on a 13-2 run that basically put the game away.

"At halftime, we talked about how we needed to slow down just a little bit and play our game," G-A guard Meghan Hirneisen said. "We were being a little sloppy on offense, and we were missing out on some of those simple plays. We were really focusing on catching our passes, not getting travels on our shots and stuff like that."

Although the Blue Devils extended the lead in the second half, the Rockets (2-2, 1-1 MPC) actually played a much better pair of quarters than they did to open the game. JB scored only 17 points in the first half but managed the same number in each of the two final quarters.

"At halftime, we talked about how we were good for one pass offensively and that was it," Lauthers said. "We wanted to spread the floor more, and I think against a team like Greencastle, they've been rivals forever; they want to play so well, and they just get anxious."

Greencastle got another huge game from Jenay Faulkner, who finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, six steals and six blocks.

"Right now, we're relying on Jenay," Rhine said. "She's a competitor, and she's more superiorly talented than the other players, and that's carrying us. There was no answer for her tonight."

JB's Rachel Martin said, "With Faulkner, you have to constantly help (on defense), but when people help that throws off the other players because she dishes it out so well, too. They have a lot of offensive weapons."

Hirneisen knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 15 points, while Hannah Crist finished with 11 points. But the Rockets also had three players finish in double figures.

Charity Miller scored all nine of the Rockets' first-quarter points with a trio of longballs. She finished as the team's highest scorer with 16 points. Martin had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Tristen Amsley scored all 13 of her points in the second half.

Greencastle-Antrim 68, James Buchanan 49

James Buchanan (49)

Charity Miller 5 3-3 16, Madison Martin 1 0-0 2, Cassidy Martin 1 0-0 2, Rachel Martin 4 5-5 13, Tristen Amsley 5 1-1 13, Aspen Anderson 0 0-0 0, Saige Eckard 0 0-0 0, Abby Mackling 0 0-0 0, Nina Shatzer 0 0-0 0, Renee Sollenberger 0 0-0 0, Janice Grove 0 0-0 0, Maggie Strawoet 0 1-2 1. Totals — 17 10-11 49.

Greencastle (68)

Hannah Crist 4 2-4 11, Morgan Wagaman 3 2-2 8, Jenay Faulkner 8 6-10 22, Madison Sweitzer 0 5-6 5, Meghan Hirneisen 5 2-4 15, Lydia Crist 0 0-0 0, Ashley True 2 0-0 4, Hannah Haley 1 0-0 3. Totals — 23 17-26 68.

James Buchanan _ 9 _ 12 _ 17 _ 17 _ — _ 49

Greencastle _ 15 _ 12 _ 20 _ 21 _ — _ 68

3-point goals — JB 5 (Miller 3, Amsley 2), GA 5 (Hirneisen 3, H.Crist, Haley).

JV score — James Buchanan 35, Greencastle-Antrim 31. Lydia Crist led the Blue Devils with 16 points, while Alyssa Blair and Breanna Dukehart had 7 each for JB.