Mike McGraw
Hoosier Authority
Skyler Gick led 3A #7
Central to a come from behind 66-60 victory over 3A #4 Crawfordsville in the
Zionsville Invitational by scoring 15 fourth quarter points. She is a great
player and that is what great players do. The headlines from this story will
gravitate n that direction because that is what headlines do. However, it was
two of Gick’s lesser known mates. Hillary Wood and Emily Sheets, that swung the
momentum in a game that was all about momentum. This was a tale of two halves,
or more accurately, a tale of 20 minutes and 12 minutes.
Simply stated, Crawfordsville played perhaps their best half
of basketball all season in racing to a 36-25 lead at intermission. The
Athenians’ talented front line of Alex Gasaway, Mandi Johnson, and Betty Elliot
dominated play. They scored at will in the paint and those shots which did not
go in the first time; they just went after and put in on the second try.
Lethally efficient point guard Lexi Stevens calmly handled Benton Central’s
pressure defenses and controlled tempo with her usual steady hand. A 12-0 run
midway through the first quarter put Crawfordsville ahead 18-9 and the only
remaining question was whether the Bison could make it to halftime still within
hailing distance.
They did, but just barely. Gick was held to eight first half
points and Benton Central seemed to have no answer for Crawfordsville’s
powerful inside attack.
After scoring the first basket of the third stanza, Crawfordsville
went five possessions without denting the scoreboard and
However, the Athenians responded with a 6-0 run and seemingly led comfortably,
44-31, midway through the period. That is when the momentum began to sway in
favor of the Bison.
It started with the play of Wood, who suddenly began to
assert herself on the boards. She successfully limited Crawfordsville’s second
chance opportunities and points became a little harder to come by for the
Athenians. Still, the lead was 46-37 in the waning seconds of the quarter.
Enter Emily Sheets. The diminutive guard drained a long range three pointer at
the buzzer to cut the lead to six at the end of three periods. The effect of that
dagger was tangible in the gym even before the fourth quarter began.
Benton Central looked energized as the final eight minutes
began and despite an opening possession turnover, quickly cut the lead to 52-49
on two free throws from Sheets. Those charity tosses began a 14-2 Bison run
capped by a Gick steal from Stevens that was an emotional blast to the
Athenians. The final blow came with the score 62-57 and slightly over two
minutes to play. The Bison missed both of a two shot foul but a fumbled rebound
returned possession to Benton Central and resulted in two more free throws
which Gick calmly sank.
Crawfordsville did not die quietly. The Athenians drained a
three pointer to close within 64-60, but Benton Central kept the ball in Gick’s
hands and successfully ran out the clock.
Processing your request, Please wait....
