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Announcement
Golden Bears blast Greensburg
By JEFF BROWN
jbrown@shelbynews.com
GREENSBURG — Coaches around the state of Indiana looked at Shelbyville’s returning roster this season and inserted the Golden Bears as the preseason No. 2-ranked team in Class 3A.
Head coach John Fair’s team didn’t make the pollsters look foolish in its season-opening 70-34 win at Greensburg Saturday.
Shelbyville (1-0) made 28 of 56 shots from the field and hit four three-pointers in the win over the Pirates (0-1). Meanwhile, Greensburg was frustrated with an attacking Golden Bears’ defense that forced 25 turnovers and limited the Pirates to 37 percent (15 of 41) shooting from the field.
“We were a little rusty on offense,” Fair said after the win. “We didn’t run through some of our (offensive) patterns we need to do but I guess with the shots that we got you really don’t need to run through the offense.
“Against the very good teams we will have to do it. Tonight, we were a little quicker, a little stronger and more athletic. Defensively, we just stagnated everything they did and frustrated them.”
An 11-0 run in the first quarter and a 13-0 run in the second quarter pushed the Golden Bears’ lead to 31-14 at the half. Another run of 12-0 in the third quarter ended the Pirates’ hopes of opening the season with a win.
A pair of seniors, Laura Stier and Jane Wilson, each scored 12 and had six rebounds for the Pirates. Wilson also blocked six shots.
Sophomore guard Gretchen Haehl led all scorers with 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting including hitting 3 of 4 from beyond the 3-point arc. Junior center Katie Douglas added 14 points and nine rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
While racking up the most wins in the history of the program last season (19), Shelbyville utilized a deep bench to wear down opponents. And although the personnel beyond the top six players this season has changed, the defensive pressure is still the same — and maybe even quicker.
With the graduation of Sarah Laird and Jenni Ross, Allison Berger and Susan Kolls move into the starting lineup. The new duo along with senior Ashley Matney combined to get five steals while pestering the Greensburg guards who are still adjusting to the graduation of Indiana All-Star Sara Riedeman, who is playing collegiately at Western Kentucky.
The Golden Bears return to action Friday at Garrett Gymnasium in the home opener against Columbus North.
“Columbus North is 10 steps up from Greensburg,” Fair said. “Greensburg is a good ballclub but, to me, Columbus North is one of the most underrated clubs in the entire state. I think they should be one of the top 10 in (Class) 4A and could be the best ballclub we face the entire year.”
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