Athenians season comes to an end vs Warriors
Jared McMurry | Journal Review
LEBANON — Danville took a 17-0 lead and never looked back on a 53-16 win over Crawfordsville Wednesday night in the opening round of Class 3A Sectional 25 in Lebanon.
The Warriors (20-4) led 20-4 after a quarter and 32-9 at halftime as they drove to an easy win over rival Athenians (7-16) in the Sagamore Conference.
Crawfordsville was held without a field goal until Taylor Abston scored 7:28 in the second quarter. Danville caught just 12 of 43 (28%) shots in the first half, but grabbed 24 rebounds in the first half, including 18 on offense, and propelled the Athenians to 19 turnovers in the opening 16 minutes.
“It’s been the Achilles’ heel all year to recover and then you’re playing against a team of so much size and athleticism, it’s tough,” said Crawfordsville coach Tyler Smith. “I think I was happy with our press break, it was just halffield most of the time after we got over the initial trap.”
Smith was also pleased with the Athens’ half-field defense in the first half.
“Defensively, apart from 22 (Rector) being left open a couple of times, I thought we were doing a good job mixing up the defense,” he said. “We did a good job there but losing a shooter a couple of times and obviously the second chance kills you and kills the momentum when you feel like you did your part to get the stop and you can’t finish the game. ”
With Danville jumping so far in the lead, there was little Crawfordsville could do to recover, but overall Smith was happy with the effort.
“I think our mood was good and they knew the challenge ahead,” he said. “You know what Danville brings and we had a good week of training before that. But of course it’s another game to see if I can stay composed and balanced when you get a slap in the mouth early on, but overall I’m happy with the fight and the effort.”
Cameryn Rector led Danville with 14 points, all in the first half, while Kooper Stone had eight points and Emma Ancelet and Addison Davis had seven points each. Taylor Abston led Crawfordsville by 11 points.
As the season draws to a close in Crawfordsville, it spells retirement for seniors Abby Cox and Elyse Widmer.
“We’re thrilled to have her,” Smith said. “Wonderful examples of being an Athenian, a student athlete. Elyse is the only girl we’ve had for four years, and we’ve had Abby for three years. It’s always tough for them and those moments and the season is like a second family so it’s tough when it’s over. Thinking with a few tears in the dressing room and that obviously shows how much fun it is and how good it is with the memories you make. We wish them all the best and they really made their mark. Now the work is just beginning as we have achieved a lot and want to build on that in the future with many returning players.”
