SEYMOUR
Turnovers and opposing team’s free throws have hurt the Seymour girls basketball team in several games this season, and that was the difference in Saturday afternoon’s game against Madison according to coach Jason Longmeier.
Madison made all 21 of its free throws compared to just 7 of 9 for the Owls, and Seymour committed 18 turnovers to eight for the Cubs. Those numbers were factors in a 70-52 Hoosier Hills Conference loss for the Owls in the Lloyd E. Scott Gymnasium.
“The two things that continue to jump out at me that we have to fix are the turnovers we continue to have and the point differential that we have coming from the free throw line in each of our games,” he said. “There are a lot of aspects of the game that we’re winning right now. I think we got beat on the boards today (22-20) but prior to today we had won our last five games in the rebound margin. We’re shooting the ball much better, we’re doing some good things offensive.
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“The turnovers just kill you. Going into the locker-room at halftime we were 11-for-20 (shooting), and they were 14-for-33, so they had shot 13 more shots than we had in the first half alone. When you continue to turn the ball over at the rate of which we are, and you continue to put people at the free-throw line because we’re not doing a good enough job defensively, those are two hard things to overcome.”
Seymour finished shooting 19-for-41, and Madison was 24-for-50. The Owls made seven 3-pointers and the Cubs made one.
Aidan Hiester’s shot in the lane helped the Owls pull even at 10-10 with 2:05 remaining in the first quarter.
The Cubs scored the final eight points of the first period, plus the first basket in the second to double the score at 20-10 and led the rest of the game.
Seymour battled back behind 3-pointers by Grace Meyer and Grace Schrader, and a layup by Jamya Miller for a 20-18 score before the Cubs built a 30-20 lead. Another 3 by Alyssa Perry started the Owls on a 7-0 run and a 30-27 score, and the Cubs rallied again to lead 35-27 at the half.
Madison (7-3, 2-1 HHC) increased its lead to 41-29 midway the third period and held a 52-43 lead going into the fourth period.
The Cubs shot 14-for-14 from the line in the fourth quarter.
Schrader and Meyer topped the Owls in scoring with 18 points each and Schrader had nine rebounds to seven for Meyer.
Miller added five points, Hiester and Trinkle had four each and Perry had three points.
Jade Nutley, a 6-1 junior, topped the Cubs with 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Taylor Lynch added 18 points.
Longmeier said Madison’s 100 percent shooting at the line was a credit to the Cubs being in a positive state of mind coming into the game.
“No matter who they brought in off the bench they all played well today," he said. "They battled and competed and we definitely got their best shot.”
He said the Owls’ lack of depth is another factor.
“We have to get some of our younger kids ready to go," he said. " The best thing for some of our younger kids is to get more JV minutes, and that is why we pushed some of them to three quarters because they’ve got to get floor time.”
The Owls (3-7, 1-2 HHC), will travel to Columbus North Tuesday and host Floyd Central Thursday.
Madison won the JV game 53-46. Kaylee Waskom scored 17, Trinkle 16, Kendrick Sterling 12 and Eliza Cash one for the Owls.