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February 3, 2010

GIRLS' BASKETBALL: Highlanders taste first defeat at East, 78-62

By GREG MENGELT

COLUMBUS — After 19 wins, Floyd Central’s girls’ basketball team suffered its first loss this season, 78-62 at Columbus East on Tuesday.

The loss also dropped the Highlanders into a championship tie in the Hoosier Hills Conference with Jeffersonville.

“It’s a shame we had to share it, but we just didn’t play well enough,” Floyd Central coach Joe Voelker admitted.

In fact, the Class 4A No. 2 Highlanders (19-1, 6-1 HHC) turned the ball over 24 times in the defeat. They also allowed the Olympian trio of Erika Lomax, Alicia Hopkins and Shana Tooley to combine for 60 points by giving them several open shots.

Plus, Voelker said, “We were very soft and we panicked.”

Floyd was forced into panic mode early as it fell behind 9-0 less than three minutes into the game. Before its first points — a Morgan Rookstool three-point play — the Highlanders had turned the ball over five times.

By the end of the quarter, the Highlanders had cut East’s lead to 17-12. But Lomax scored four straight points early in the second quarter to give the O’s a 25-13 lead. Erica Smith scored late in the second to cut the deficit to 33-23, but Tooley hit back-to-back 3s and East led 39-26 at the break.

Floyd’s Camry Hinton hit a pair of 3-pointers and teammate Jennifer Smith converted a layup to cut their deficit to 43-35 and forced an East timeout with 6:12 left in the third. After Rookstool scored on a putback, East took advantage of two Floyd turnovers to scored five straight points.

“We tried to hit the home run instead of making the easy plays,” Voelker explained. “That’s been the story the past three or four weeks and it caught up to us. And every time we made a mistake, they took advantage of it.”

Floyd cut the lead to 57-48 at the end of three quarters, thanks to a 10-point quarter from Jennifer Smith. Behind Lomax, who finished with 26 points and nine rebounds, East outscored the Highlanders 21-14 in the fourth quarter.

“It’s pretty easy to score when we leave them wide open,” Voelker said. “We didn’t follow any kind of game plan in the post. Sometimes, they had five white shirts under the basket and we had players in green shirts at the foul line watching them. We have to become more blue collar.”

“(Lomax) has been playing her best basketball,” East coach Danny Brown said. “She’s been dealing with an injured knee and asthma. She took it to (Jennifer Smith).”

East (4-3 HHC) hit 28-of-55 shots from the field. It was the first time this season the Olympians shot over 50 percent.

“We knew eventually we were going to be good,” East coach Danny Brown said of his 11-9 squad. “Our kids wanted this bad. They brought a lot of energy. They were pumped up (for Floyd Central).”

Floyd will host Silver Creek on Senior Night on Thursday before facing Jennings County in the first round of Class 4A Floyd Central Sectional play next Tuesday.

“We’re going to have to step up and play better basketball,” Voelker said of the upcoming sectional. “We have to learn from this and start taking preparation more seriously and not do things to get behind.”



FLOYD CENTRAL 12 14 22 14—62

COLUMBUS EAST 17 22 18 21—78

Floyd Central (19-1, 6-1 HHC) — Morrissey 8, Hinton 17, Foster 2, Bierman 2, Rookstool 10, E. Smith 5, J. Smith 18.

Columbus East (11-9, 4-3) — Hopkins 21, Ogle 2, Orso 7, E. Lomax 26, Henney 3, Tooley 13, M. Lomax 6.

3-point field goals — Floyd Central 4 (Hinton 4); Columbus East 6 (Tooley 3, Hopkins 2, Orso).

Rebounds — Floyd Central 26 (J. Smith 8); Columbus East 30 (E. Lomax 9).

Turnovers — Floyd Central 24, Columbus East 24.

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