Slow start leads to second straight loss for Owls

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GREENSBURG

Seymour High School’s girls basketball team had a 13-point deficit in the first quarter and couldn’t mount a comeback in a 70-48 loss to Class 3A No. 5 Greensburg Saturday.

Owls head coach Jason Longmeier felt the loss was a result of not adapting on the floor.

“We have to be better at understanding a team’s strengths and weaknesses, and be able to take their strengths away and expose their weaknesses,” Longmeier said. “Right now, our weaknesses are being exposed by our opponent. We let them play to their strengths today.”

In the first quarter, the Owls (3-3) led 4-0 before Taylor Cooney and Aliyah Evans hit back-to-back 3-pointers to spur a 12-2 run for the Pirates (5-2). After going on another 6-0 run, leading 12-6 with 5:15 on the clock, Longmeier took at time out.

Out of the break, Melina Wilison scored five quick points to bolster the Pirates lead to 17-6. In the final 1:56 of the first, Cooney hit a trey and Anna West, the Pirates’ 6-1 center, added three points to put the Pirates up 25-12.

The Owls continued to struggle to start the second quarter, as the Pirates scored nine unanswered points to lead 34-12 with 6:01 left in the half.

Grace Meyer scored four points in a 6-0 Owls run to cut the deficit to 34-18, but the visitors would add just one more point before intermission.

At the halfway point, the Owls trailed 37-19.

Out of the break, the Owls mustered a 7-2 run behind three different scorers.

The Pirates answered with a 9-0 scoring streak before SHS scored six straight to close the third quarter.

Going into the final eight minutes, the Owls trailed 50-34.

The closest the Owls would get to the lead was 14 points in the fourth quarter, as the Pirates held on for the win.

“We’re so much better than what we’re playing like right now. We’re not playing very well right now,” Longmeier said. “I think there are things that are there.”

Fee and Meyer each scored 14 points to lead the Owls. West had 17 points and Evans and Micha Morrison each added 12 points.

Both teams struggled from the free throw line, with Seymour making nine of 19 and Greensburg hitting 13 of 23.

The Owls had 21 turnovers to the Pirates’ 11. On the boards, the Owls won the rebounding battle 30-23.

Longmeier said the turnovers need to get cut down.

“We’re giving them too many possessions in a quarter,” he said. “You can’t give up that many points in high school girls basketball. We need to stiffen up and be more stubborn in the shot selection in the half court.”

The Owls will host Bloomington South on Tuesday and Brownstown Central, in the annual County vs. Cancer Game, Thursday.

“I thought the girls fought in the second half, they came out and played with a little bit of pride. We need to build off that because it doesn’t get any easier,” Longmeier said.

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