GREENFIELD, Ind. —
The Anderson Lady Tribe brought their best defense in Friday night’s semifinal battle against New Castle and rolled to a 56-31 victory to advance to the final of Class 4A Sectional 9 against Pendleton Heights.
The Tribe (18-5) held the Trojans (5-16) scoreless for 10:07, from 2:53 left in the second quarter all the way until just 46 seconds remained in the third.
“I told them how the game could be decided to start the third quarter. We struggled a little offensively but our defense made sure they didn’t do anything,” Anderson coach Chad Cook said. “We did so much better in the second half moving our feet and getting to the right spot.”
In the quarter, the Tribe forced nine turnovers and held the Trojans to just 10 percent (1-for-10) from the floor.
For the first 13 minutes of the game, it was closely contested.
Anderson rushed out to a 12-4 lead in the first quarter, seeing production from four different players. During the early run, 5-foot-4 Savannah Jones tallied two blocks. She would end the game with a game-high four.
But with back-to-back 3-point plays, New Castle would come within four points, as the first ended 14-10.
Trojans’ Brandi Pennington forced a turnover and took it coast-to-coast for an easy layup to cut Anderson’s lead to just one. Anderson’s Da’sha Boyd answered and tallied three points, all free throws, to extend the lead to four. Boyd finished with a game-high 20 points, all off the bench. Danielle Davis was next in double figures with 12, also from the bench.
“That’s no surprise for (Boyd) to do that. We are as deep of a team that I have ever been a part of. We can play 10 and not lose one step,” Cook said.
With the score 21-18, Anderson’s defense went into full force. The Tribe notched 17 unanswered points to put the game out of reach. Anderson finished with 53 percent from the floor (24-of-45).
“When we are supposed to win like that we want to come out and do that,” Cook said.
The Trojans shot 30 percent (11-of-36) from the field with 19 turnovers, while only scoring one 3-pointer (1-13).
In tonight’s championship matchup against Pendleton Heights, Cook knows the game wont be the same as Friday. “We are definitely looking forward to it and we’ve done what we were supposed to do up until now,” said Cook. “We are going up against the reigning champion three times running. Lets see if we can take it from them.”
Local Sports
Related Photos
-
Anderson's Jirah Hart looks to grab a loose ball. Don Knight
Discussion
Tribe triumphs
- Local Sports
-
-
Triumphant Tribe
Seventeen years of frustration and disappointment for the Anderson Indians baseball team ended in a jubilant dog pile atop junior pitcher Curtis Wilson on Monday night at Pendleton Heights’ Field of Dreams.
-
Argylls squeeze into crown
Madison-Grant coach Ben Rodriguez liked his squeeze play so much that he called it again in the pivotal inning of the Class 2A, Sectional 39 championship game at Eastern High School on Monday night in Greentown.
-
Bulldogs’ comeback falls just short
Not even a heroic seventh-inning rally could save the Lapel baseball team in the Class 2A sectional title game at Frankton on Monday afternoon.
The Bulldogs scored four runs in the seventh inning but still came up a run short as the Wapahani Raiders won the championship 9-8. -
Tribe rallies past Pendleton Heights into final
This is the stuff of legend.
The kind of game that defines a rivalry.
The kind of victory that breathes new life into a program.
And the kind of defeat that won’t ever be forgotten. -
Tyler runs away with second Little 500 win
Deuces were wild at the 64th running of the Pay Less Little 500 as Brian Tyler recorded his second win and brought team owner Larry Contos win No. 2 at Anderson Speedway.
-
Rick Teverbaugh: Spectacle lacking on local TV
The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, on television, is a myth in its own backyard.
-
Tipton bedevils Madison-Grant
The Madison-Grant softball team dug a deep hole on Friday night in the championship game of the Class 2A, Sectional 39 at Eastern High School in Greentown. Trailing 5-0 after four innings, the Argylls scratched their way back into the game, but were on the short end of a 5-4 decision against the Tipton Blue Devils.
-
Nominate an athlete for Madison County Area's 100 Greatest Athletes book
Nominate an athlete to be included in The Herald Bulletin's coffee table book, "The Madison County Area's 100 Greatest Athletes."
-
Indians’ Dabney headed to state
The North Central Boys Track Regional is traditionally one of the toughest in the state with powerhouses Lawrence Central, Ben Davis, Pike and the host Panthers among the competitors
But that didn’t faze Anderson senior Derrick Dabney, who turned in two brilliant performances in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles at Thursday’s regional to advance to the state meet at Indiana University in Bloomington next Saturday. -
Roller coaster ride comes to end for Lapel
The Lapel Bulldogs couldn’t overcome one more hurdle in their roller-coaster season on Thursday as they fell to Wapahani 4-1 in the softball championship game of the Class 2A, Sectional 40 at Shenandoah High School.
- More Local Sports Headlines
-
