SEYMOUR
Scottsburg just couldn’t miss in the first half.
Draining seven 3-pointers and scoring 29 points in the opening two quarters proved to be too much for the Owls to overcome on Saturday night, falling to the Warriors 49-40 despite a valiant effort to claw back into the game in the second half.
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An Eric McCoy 3-pointer cut the Scottsburg lead to one in the third quarter — the closest it had been since the first minute of the game — but the Warriors rallied right back to re-extend their lead to five before the end of the period. Scottsburg continued to use their sharpshooting from the field and the free-throw line to keep the Owls at arm’s length and leave Lloyd E. Scott Gymnasium with the win.
Seymour coach Kirk Manns said his players did a much better job in the second half, but said the hole they dug themselves in the first 16 minutes was just too much for them to overcome.
“We did a much better job defensively in the second half,” he said. “We did a much better job of controlling penetration and getting to those shooters. We only gave up 20 points in the second half, but we dug ourselves a hole in the first half that was very difficult for us to overcome.
“The difference in the game was the first half,” Manns continued. “They’ve got some good kids, they got into a good rhythm, they’ve got some kids that can really shoot the ball and we were always about a half-step too late.”
The visiting Warriors’ lead was just 11 points at the halftime break. Yet, they had demonstrated time and again they were capable of scoring from wherever they wanted on the court.
Whether it was from the 3-point line, from in the lane or at the free-throw line, the Owls simply had no answer for Scottsburg.
“We were allowing penetration, which meant we had to come over and help a little more than when we needed to,” Manns said. “Therefore seven 3-pointers in the first half and 29 points in the first half is awfully difficult for us to overcome.”
On the other end, the Owls struggled to find their shot as they continuously passed around the defense, looking for the perfect attempt. More often than not they passed up several open opportunities. Even when they took them, they just couldn’t get them to fall.
Manns recognized his team’s offensive struggles, explaining they just needed more confidence in their shot and that will come with time.
“We had a lot of point blank shots that we’ve got to continue to work on,” Manns said. “We’ve got to have the confidence to step up and get them in. Over time, I believe we will get that accomplished and it’s just a matter of being put into the spots over and over again so you can make those shots in crucial times.”
Seymour shot 15-for-39 for the game. They attempted 15 more shots than the Warriors, but they were much less efficient with the basketball.
Scottsburg was 13-for-24 from the field.
Besides the Owls cutting the deficit to one midway through the third quarter, they got within four points multiple times late in the game but were never able to get over the hump.
Much of that had to do with Scottsburg already being in the bonus early on in the second half. The Warriors were near-perfect from the line, going 15-for-16 for the game, while Seymour was just 7 of 10 from the free-throw line.
Marcus Brooks led the Owls in both points and rebounds, scoring 11 as the only player in double figures and hauling in seven rebounds.
McCoy added nine, Drew Vehslage chipped in seven, Casey Regruth netted six, Landon Fritsch tallied three, and both Montana Suits and Colin Madden had two.
Seymour was much more competitive on the boards compared to the night before against Bedford North Lawrence, pulling down 14 rebounds to Scottsburg’s 18. The Owls also won the turnover battle, coughing up the ball just nine times while forcing 11 from the Warriors.
In junior varsity action, the Owls defeated Scottsburg 44-32 and were led by a pair of 11-point efforts from Brandon Kleber and Andrew Levine.
Eli Meyer added in nine points while Donovyn Thomas dropped seven. Dylan Fields rounded out the JV scoring with six points for the Owls.
The Owls return to action this Friday against Hooiser Hills Conference rival Floyd Central at 7:30 p.m. back at LSG.