The math wasn’t favoring Seymour’s boys basketball team on Tuesday night, so the Owls decided to change the equation.
The result was the home team’s best win of the season, 60-55, over a red-hot Greensburg squad.
Seymour made more field goals and shot better percentage-wise than the visitors, but it was Greensburg that enjoyed a two-point halftime lead.
The Owls made 10 of their 15 first-half shot attempts (67%), easily outperforming the Pirates’ 33% (6 for 15 from the floor).
The problem was five of Greensburg’s six makes were from 3-point range (Seymour had no long-range shots). Add in the Owls’ seven first-half turnovers and foul trouble, which helped the Pirates to 6-for-8 shooting from the foul line.
“We were careless in the first half,” Seymour head coach Kirk Manns said. “But we straightened that out in the second.”
And how. Seymour played a turnover-free second half, scored the first 10 points of the third quarter and never trailed over the game’s final 15 minutes.
“We had a very good third quarter,” Manns said. “We made a run, we were able to get some stops, took care of the basketball and rebounded. This was a good win over a quality team, a well-coached team with great tradition.”
Greensburg entered Tuesday’s game with a nine-game win streak. Seymour ended that and extended its own streak to four straight.
“That was a statement win,” Seymour sophomore Jaylan Johnson said. “Our locker room is very energized. We’re very together right now as a team, and that’s helping us win basketball games.”
Johnson was a primary reason for the Owls’ win, scoring a team-high 24 points on nearly flawless 9-for-11 shooting from the field. He also drained six of seven foul shots and had a game-high six rebounds.
“Jaylan’s output speaks for itself,” Manns said. “He was a man among boys inside. He continues to improve. He’s starting to figure it out.”
Warming Mann’s heart was the fact that Johnson’s performance was just one of many for Seymour.
Landon Fritsch shook off foul trouble to score 17 points, 13 of which came in the second half. The senior made three 3-pointers, including a stabilizing long shot that kept a charging Greensburg at bay.
Point guard Charlie Longmeier slashed to that basket for six points and dished out seven assists. Senior Eli Meyer hit a clutch shot, a 15-footer from the left side, that kept Seymour’s lead intact.
Bret Perry had a key steal and finished with a layup at the other end to push Seymour ahead by nine with 90 seconds remaining.
When Johnson and Fritsch were on the bench in the first half due to foul trouble, Josh Rennekamp came off the bench and hit his two shots. Michael Brooks contributed a jumper, and Evan Smith finished a pretty combination of passes that led to an easy Johnson layup.
All of the Owls’ efforts were needed to hold off Greensburg senior Ki Dyer, who made seven of his 11 3-point attempts and finished with a game-high 31 points.
Tuesday’s win is Seymour’s first over Greensburg since 2006. The two schools didn’t play each other between 2006 and 2015. Since restarting their series in 2016, the Pirates had won all six contests with the Owls.
Box score
At Seymour
Owls 60, Pirates 55
Greensburg;10;13;7;25;—;55
Seymour;11;10;20;19;—;60
Greensburg (15-5): Ki Dyer 9 6-7 31, Bradley Lutz 3 2-3 9, Jack McKinsey 2 2-3 6, Jeter Edwards 1 3-3 5, Grainger Maxwell 1 0-0 2, Addison Barnes-Pettit 0 2-2 2, Totals 16 15-18 55.
Seymour (8-11): Jaylan Johnson 9 6-7 24, Landon Fritsch 6 2-3 17, Charlie Longmeier 3 0-2 6, Josh Rennekamp 2 0-0 4, Eli Meyer 1 1-2 3, Bret Perry 1 0-0 2, Michael Brooks 1 0-0 2, Ethan Silcox 1 0-0 2, Evan Smith 0 0-0 0, Totals 24 9-14 60.
3-point goals: Greensburg 8 (Dyer 7, Lutz), Seymour 3 (Fritsch 3).
Rebounds: Greensburg 12, Seymour 22 (Johnson 6).
Turnovers: Greensburg 11, Seymour 7.
Fouls: Greensburg 15, Seymour 18.
Junior Varsity
Seymour 33, Greensburg 23
Seymour (10-9): Brady Harpe 14, Nate Fritsch 6, AJ Harrell 6, Tyson Hillian 4, Traysean Hawkins 2, Parker Thompson 1.