By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat
After dismantling the South Central Rebels 65-14 in the opening game of their invitational tournament, the Brown County girls basketball team lost in the championship game, 47-38, to a formidable Bloomington South squad.
In the opener, the Eagles used aggressive full-court pressure to race out to a 24-7 first quarter lead.
Outscoring the Rebels 18-2 in the second quarter, the Eagles headed into halftime up 42-7 and cruised through the second half on their way to their 11th win of the season.
Brown County got double-digit scoring from Allison Stogsdill with 20, Abby Fleetwood with 11 and Aubrey Hollander with 10. Nine Eagles scored to contribute to the lopsided win.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Points did not come so easily against the Bloomington South Panthers in the finale.
The defensive-minded Panthers held the Eagles to their lowest point total of the season in a tightly contested game that was not decided until the Panthers seized control in the fourth quarter.
The teams traded leads in the first quarter that ended with the Eagles up 12-9. Stogsdill, Brown County’s leading scorer, recorded 10 of her game-high 20 points in the quarter.
The Panthers, utilizing their full-court trapping pressure defense, outscored the Eagles 24 to 14 in the second and third quarters. “We knew coming in that they were a really solid defensive team,” said Brown County coach Matt Roberts.
Roberts called the Panthers ‘“one of the better pressing teams we have played this year.” When asked if they were the best defensive team the Eagles had seen this season, he replied, “without a doubt.”
The Eagles found a little offensive rhythm in the fourth quarter, tacking on 12 points, but it was not enough to affect the outcome of the contest.
Reflecting on the Eagles’ second loss of the season, Roberts surmised, “Probably the biggest downfall was some turnovers. We had some turnovers that gave them some extra transition opportunities and extra possessions.”
Turnovers and a lack of scoring from players who had been providing points with regularity factored in the loss. Stogsdill got her 20, including a stellar 9-10 from the line, but only three other Eagles scored, and two of the starters were held scoreless.
The Panthers were led by senior Anneka Furr with 12, and while no other Panther hit double figures, 10 Panthers produced points in the win.
Despite the loss, the Eagles were able to celebrate an impressive individual achievement as Stogsdill buried a three-pointer in the fourth quarter to give her 1,000 career points.
Calling Stogsdill a “special player” and a “student of the game,” Roberts was not surprised by the achievement, stating, “She’s one of those who puts in countless hours in the off-season.”
“It’s kind of a special thing, only the fifth person in Brown County High School girls basketball history to accomplish that feat,” added Roberts.
Stogsdill’s response was, understandably, a bit more emotional. “It kind of overwhelmed me because that is something I have been working towards for so long and I worked so hard to accomplish, that when the moment happened, I literally started crying.”
The Eagles will be back in action Friday, Jan. 10, when they host WIC foe Edgewood. They follow that game up with another WIC opponent, Indian Creek, on Saturday, Jan. 11. Both games are scheduled to tip at 6 p.m. and will precede the boys varsity games.
Roberts said playing a team like Bloomington South should prepare his team well for the tough weekend schedule. “We feel good about the opportunities we have in front of us,” he said.
