Newton Lady Indians break second half open for win at Tri-County North
LEWISBURG – This past Saturday the Newton Indians girls basketball team traveled to Lewisburg to take on the Tri-County North Panthers. The two teams battled fairly evenly in the first half, but in the second half Newton took control of the game. Both on offense and on defense the Indians were able to impose their will on both ends of the court. What had been a close game was broken open and the Indians had a dominating win 57-35.
Newton Coach Ryan Fiely, “It was nice to see us put the ball in the hoop. We struggled a little bit doing that earlier in the week. Camryn Gleason was a big factor in doing that; they tried to deny her with a triangle and two. But she did a good job getting the ball and not getting frustrated. For us, our intensity on defense did it. I would have liked a little better execution – but our intensity and effort were there. When we rebound we run the floor well.”
North’s strategy was apparent from the outset. They wanted to score in the paint and prevent senior Camryn Gleason from scoring. Initially, the Panthers had some success. Post player Rylee Terry scored 11 first half points. But after halftime the Indians adjusted tactics inside and also for a spell brought in a taller player – freshman Felicity Harbour to guard Terry. The changes worked as Terry would only score 2-points in the second half.
Gleason had a chaser on her the entire night, but despite the extra pressure she was able to score a game high 22-points. The scoring was balanced as the team was able to nail 3-pointers on the outside, yet could drive to the hoop or pass the ball inside to score close to the basket. Defensively Newton used full court pressure and a man to man defense in the half court. The press did get some turnovers, so it was effective.
“Camryn Gleason is a smooth kid, she is kind of shifty and can up and under defenders. She has worked really hard and is getting some of the reward for it,” said Fiely.
The score was 9-all at the end of the first quarter, and Newton had a 25-18 lead at the break. North attempted to press late in the game, but it was ineffective against Newton. The Indians offense grew confident late in the game and erupted for 18-points in the fourth quarter. Emma Szakal, who was scoreless in the first half, was a factor in the second half surge scoring all of her 9-points during this time frame.
The win somewhat makes up Newton’s loss to league leading Tri-Village earlier in the week. The game also gives Newton a winning record 4-3 entering next week. They have two more league games – Thursday the team hosts Mississinawa-Valley and Saturday they travel to Dixie.
“Mississinawa Valley has a new coach and they have a good freshman,” Fiely stated. “We expect that they will have good shooters from the outside. Defensively they like to get after it, I think it will be a fast paced game.”
