GBB: Eagles drop sectional semi-final to Warriors

South Putnam’s Bailey Birt goes up and over Covenant Christian’s Catherine Watkins in the first quarter of Friday’s game. The Eagles lost 50-36. [Click to enlarge]

CLAYTON — Losing at any point during the
season is painful but dropping a contest to end your season in which you led at
the half is more than painful — it’s heartwrenching. South Putnam bowed out of
the Class 2A Cascade Sectional with such class that any fan occupying the stands
should have been impressed by.

The Eagles came up short, 50-36 to the Lady Warriors of Covenant Christian
but a gutsier performance out of the Eagles could not have been found this
season. Their will to compete almost overpowered a much quicker Covenant
Christian squad.

“I can’t fault our kids,” South’s head coach Debbie Steffy said. “I’m so
proud of them. They fought through a lot of adversity tonight. In the second
half we were tired, in the first half we ran and stayed up with them; we just
didn’t have anything left in the second half. Our shots were short and things
like that. They fought through a lot in the second half.”

At the break the Eagles had shocked a confident Lady Warrior’s team and led
by five points 19-14. The third quarter would prove to be South Putnam’s
shatterpoint, the point where everything falls apart.

Covenant Christian began its scoring eight seconds into the half and
continued to add to its total. Buckets from Mackenzie Pheifer, Audrey Liddil and
LaNayah Pollard dug the Lady Warriors out of its hole but it was Micah Pollard’s
two bombs from downtown that broke the game open.

South managed two field goals in the quarter from Bailey Birt and Oceaia
Boetjer and a pair of free throws from Meghan Canary, but Covenant Christian has
seized a 33-25 lead going into the fourth. The Eagles would never challenge the
lead again.

The fourth quarter saw the Eagles put up some more points but the damage had
been done. As their coach stated, South Putnam battling in the fourth quarter on
will and little more.

“We were gassed there in the second half with short shots and things like
that. We only had so many timeouts,” Steffy observed.

Fatigue, coupled with an unrelenting Warrior presence kept the Eagles down
and helped out them from the tournament.

South Putnam opened the game with a sense of the moment. They attacked the
rim and aggressively went after loose balls, which helped them build an 11-6
lead after one. Physical play from senior Liz Mink resulted in a couple quick
offensive rebounds and four points.

The Eagles controlled the second quarter again by pressuring the Lady
Warriors on the defensive end and finding a way to put points up.

“Their quickness bothered us, not from the standpoint of pushing the ball up
and down the court, but their quickness on the defensive end really bothered us.
Whenever we did get to the basket there was someone always there,” Steffy
commented.

Although Covenant Christian displayed a quickness the Eagles faced in limited
amounts this season, their defensive pressure was there. In the first half, that
pressure was what kept South Putnam in the driver’s seat. Steffy commented on
the play of her seniors and how they came up big in their final game.

“When we had our legs and all, I thought we did a really good job. I told
them that at halftime and at almost every timeout “you guys are working really
hard, battling — you just have to keep doing it”. We gave up a lot of offensive
rebounds and that was something that was a kind of a concern but like I said I’m
proud of them.

“Our three senior got to leave on a good note in terms of we worked hard and
they all three did a good job too,” Steffy said.

The Eagles end their season with a record of 10-12.

At Cascade

South Putnam 11 8 6 11 — 36

Covenant Christian 6 8 19 17 — 50

South Putnam — Boetjer 12, Birt 11, Canary 5, Mink 4, Butts 2, Searles 2.
Totals: 11-46 FG 13-16 FT 36 TP.

Covenant Christian — M. Pollard 16, Polliam 15, L. Pollard 7, Liddle 4,
Pheifer 4, Owen 4. Total: 16-51 FG 16-22 FT 50 TP.

3pt. FG — South Putnam (Birt), Covenant Christian (M. Pollard 2).