FAIRMOUNT, Ind. —
It would not be too hard to pinpoint exactly when things went wrong for the Madison-Grant girls basketball team Friday night in its sectional semifinal game against Eastern.
However, identifying the cause of the team’s struggles would be more difficult.
The Argylls’ hung tough for three quarters of the game, but fell apart in the fourth with a perfect storm of problems, resulting to a 56-38 loss to end their season.
“It was frustrating,” first-year Madison-Grant coach Kyle Douglas said afterward. “We just couldn’t finish tonight.”
Eastern led through most of the first half, but never by more than four points. Deadlocked at 16 midway through the second quarter, Comets guard Amanda Alexander hit a three-pointer to make it 19-16 Eastern. Argylls’ leading scorer Olivia Stroup was fouled on the ensuing Madison-Grant possession and made one free throw.
A defensive struggle continued, as neither team was able to score for a stretch of nearly four minutes. Finally, Ally Oyler’s quick block and upcourt pass to a streaking Taylor Holliday broke the stalemate, giving Eastern a four-point lead at 21-17 with just seconds left in the half.
In the locker room during the break, Douglas said that he and his staff searched for answers.
“We felt like we missed a lot of easy shots in the first half,” he said. “At one point we had counted probably 10 or 11 missed layups. That’s frustrating.”
There would be plenty more to be frustrated about in the second half for the Argylls.
With Stroup, Hunter Wise and Taylor McNutt all battling foul trouble after halftime, Madison-Grant still managed to remain close with Eastern leading 33-30 at the end of the third quarter.
However, the Argylls would struggle to find any kind of offense as the game wore on.
“We are a very different team without Olivia Stroup in the game,” Douglas said. “It’s hard to play when you’re in foul trouble like that. Their defensive pressure got to us a little and we just couldn’t score.”
Suddenly Eastern found its scoring touch, taking advantage of a series of Madison-Grant errors to open the fourth quarter with an 11-0 run.
Turnovers on three straight possessions gave the Comets a 38-30 edge before Holliday pounced on an errant inbounds pass and scored an easy basket give her team a 40-30 edge.
The Argylls finally scored their first points of the fourth on two Wise free throws with three minutes left and Eastern leading 46-32.
Frustrations boiled over late, with McNutt taking a technical after fouling Eastern’s Beth Neeley. Neeley made four straight free throws as the Comets shot 14-of-15 from the line in the game’s final stretch.
Brandie Russell and Stroup led Madison-Grant with 10 points each. Brittany Neeley topped Eastern with 24, followed by twin sister Beth’s 17.
Despite the disappointing loss, Douglas’ first season at Madison-Grant was a memorable one. The team finished 14-9 on the season, but won 12 of its final 14 games. Douglas praised the Argylls’ three seniors — Stroup, McNutt and Russell.
“Those three have been shining examples to our team,” he said. “They’ve all given so much to this program and I’m proud of what they’ve helped us build.”
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Related Photos
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Madison Grant sophomore guard Kayla Martin shoots over the outsretched arm of an Eastern Comet defender. David Humphrey / For The Herald Bulletin
Discussion
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