Coach Jason Longmeier has told his Seymour girls basketball team to be prepared for a tough battle every time the Owls take the floor this season.

On Tuesday night, the Owls hosted their third ranked opponent this season in Bloomington South, and the Panthers left the Lloyd E. Scott Gymnasium with a 53-47 win.

The Panthers are ranked ninth in Class 4A, and earlier in the season, the Owls faced Salem, No. 2 in Class 3A, and Greensburg, No. 10 in Class 3A.

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“We knew our schedule was going to be tough,” Longmeier said. “It’s really giving us a solid indication of what our strengths and our weaknesses are and what we need to do to take the next step.”

Going into Tuesday’s game, Longmeier was concerned with South point guard Addy Blackwell, who he said is “one of the better point guards in the state of Indiana.”

Blackwell topped the Panthers in scoring with 15 points, but she had to earn all four of her baskets, as Megan Ritz applied man-to-man pressure throughout the game.

“She can flat out score the basketball from anywhere on the court,” Longmeier said. “They are very well-coached. Offensively, they never stop moving, and they get after you on the defensive end.”

The Owls were hurt by 22 turnovers, while the Panthers only had 10.

The Owls shot 16 of 31 from the floor to South making 16 of 49.

South led 28-22 at the half and increased its lead to 34-22 early in the third quarter before the Owls went on a 9-0 run and cut the difference to 34-31 following a layup by Aidan Hiester with 2:40 on the clock.

South closed the quarter with a 9-0 run to lead 43-31 going into the fourth quarter.

Hiester topped the Owls with 13 points, and Ashton Chase had 12.

South’s only loss was 53-50 to Bedford North Lawrence. The Stars are ranked No. 7 in Class 4A and will host the Owls on Dec. 6.

On Thursday night, the Owls will host Brownstown Central for the annual County vs. Cancer game.

“Brownstown is always a tough game,” Longmeier said. “They are a scrappy, hard-nosed group that will come in here expecting to play well. We have to play well. We have a short turnaround for that game, so Wednesday will be a very important prep day for us.”