NEW ALBANY
Seymour girls basketball coach Jason Longmeier had a quick answer when asked about the difference in Tuesday night’s game between the Owls and Jennings County in the New Albany Sectional.
“It started and ended with (Juliann) Woodard,” he said after the 6-foot Panther freshman scored 25 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to lead her team to a 72-48 win.
Woodard made her first shot as the Panthers scored the first five points in the game, and although the Owls came right back to tie the score, the Panthers came right back again with a 10-0 run to lead 19-9 at the end of the first period.
“(Woodard) was probably the best player on the court from start to finish,” Longmeier said. “She is hard to defend. I’ll bet Woodard had four or five offensive rebounds. Their second-chance points hurt us.”
Woodard scored six points in the first period, but she had plenty of help from her teammates as Brooke Mowery had three 3-pointers during the Panthers’ run.
“They made some early shots from the outside when we were willing to try to shut down the middle,” Longmeier said. “Mowery made some big baskets.”
Grace Meyer made a 3-pointer for Seymour and a layup to tie the game at 5 at the 5:45 mark before Mowery hit back-to-back 3s, and the Panthers were in front to stay.
The Owls had six turnovers and shot only 4-for-11 in the second period. Meyer, Grace Schrader and Jamya Miller all made 3-pointers in the second period, as the Owls were only outscored 16-13 but still trailed 35-22 at the half.
Longmeier was disappointed about one stretch in the second period when his team turned the ball over on three straight possessions and the Panthers’ lead increased from 30-19 to 35-19.
“Those turnovers kept us from chipping away,” the coach said.
The Owls had 13 turnovers for the game to 10 for the Panthers.
Seymour was unable to mount a comeback at the start of the third period as Jennings’ lead swelled to 39-22 before Kendall Sterling hit a pair of free throws at 5:44.
The Owls had an excellent night shooting foul shots (12 of 13), and Schrader and Brooke Trinkle also made two each in the third period. Jennings shot 14-for-20 from the line.
Meyer topped the Owls, who finished the season with a 10-10 record, with 14 points, and Schrader and Sterling scored eight apiece.
The Panthers (15-6) had Addyson Kent and Kali Thompson with 11 points each and Mowery with nine.
Jennings shot 26-for-40 from the floor to 15-for-42 for the Owls.
Longmeier said opponents getting and making more shots than his team “has kind of been our MO all season. When you’re giving the other team 11 more (made) shots, that’s a big difference to make up.”
All of the Seymour starters scored in the fourth period, and all three seniors scored for the Owls as Miller scored seven and Alyssa Perry had two.
“I thought our seniors had a productive season,” Longmeier said. “They kept getting better as the season went on, accepting their roles and buying into the program.”
This marked the second time this season the Panthers topped the Owls. Jennings won the Hoosier Hills Conference game by 18 points in December.
Jennings County will play Floyd Central at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
The winner of the New Albany Sectional will advance to the Bedford North Lawrence Regional.
Box score
At New Albany
Jennings County 72, Seymour 48
Jennings County;19;16;18;19;—;72
Seymour;9;13;13;13;—;48
Seymour (10-9) — Grace Meyer 6 0-1 14, Kendall Sterling 2 4-4 8, Alyssa Perry 1 0-0 2, Brooke Trinkle 0 6-6 6, Grace Schrader 2 2-2 8, Jamya Miller 3 0-0 7, Eliza Cash 1 0-0 3, Kendrick Sterling 0 0-0 0, Journee Brown 0 0-1 0, Eliza Cash 0 0-0 0, Alexis Morris 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 12-13 48
Jennings County (15-6) — Juliann Woodard 10 4-7 25, Addison Kent 3 4-4 11, Brooke Mowery 3 0-0 9, Kali Thompson 5 0-0 11, MaKenna Maschino 3 0-0 6, Charlee Barlow 0 2-2 2, Alivia Elmore 1 3-5 5, Megan Vogel 1 0-0 2, Lily Ernstes 0 1-2 1. Totals 26 14-20 72
3-point goals: S (Meyer 2, Schrader 2, Cash, Miller), JC (Mowery 3, Woodard, Kent, Thompson)
Rebounds: S 16 (Meyer 6, Kendall Sterling 5), JC 22 (Woodard 13)
Turnovers: S13, JC 10
Fouls: S 16, JC 9