Greenwood forward Aaron Brown puts up a tough shot from the lane against Warren Central on Friday night. Brown scored a team-high 18 points as the Gators held on for a 66-64 victory in two overtimes.
GATORS’ BALANCE BRINGS HARD-FOUGHT VICTORY OVER DRAGONS
Greenwood teammates Lofton Howard and Aaron Brown can’t wait to get Cade Stinnett, the Gators’ leading scorer and emotional leader, back on the court for the stretch run to the KHSAA’s 14th District Tournament next month at Warren Central High School.
In the meantime, though, Greenwood has found the mental toughness that could carry the Gators a long way, if the Gators’ last three games are any indication.
Brown scored a team-high 18 points and Howard made it happen on both ends of the floor as Greenwood outlasted visiting Warren Central, 66-64, in a double-overtime thriller on Friday night.
The Dragons (12-5) forced an improbable second overtime when senior forward Jaiden Lawrence drilled a 3-pointer from the corner as time expired, but the Gators quickly regrouped and held on for the memorable victory.
Greenwood (17-3) now has the inside track to the critical top seed in the 14th District tournament, but the Gators still have district games against Warren East, and Greenwood, the latter being rescheduled after the COVID-19 protocol forced the Dragons to the sidelines for nearly two weeks.
“Losing someone like Cade, to an injury, that makes the rest of us want to work harder,” Howard said. “That game was intense.”
Brown, the Gators’ offensive catalyst in Stinnett’s stead, was quick to agree.
“Cade’s injury gives the rest of us more drive,” Brown said. “The last two or three minutes, in overtime, I think we just wanted it more.”
The 6-foot-2 Stinnett, who averages nearly 21 points per game, sustained a high ankle sprain on his left leg in last week’s hard-fought, 72-71 victory over Bowling Green High School. Stinnett was injured in the opening moments of that game, forcing Greenwood coach Will McCoy to adjust on the fly.
In the meantime, the Gators are thriving. They were certainly equal to the task against Warren Central.
“We’ve just got to keep battling,” McCoy said. “With Cade out, having seven (other) seniors helps. From the middle of last season, I think our kids have really started to understand their roles.”
One of those Greenwood players is forward Jax Buchanon, a 6-foot-4 forward who toiled in goal for the Gators’ soccer team in the fall. When Greenwood settled in to a 3-2 zone defense, in the second half, it was Buchanon who often challenged shots from the top of the key.
“Jax has great hands, great feet,” McCoy said. “He really came through for us tonight.”
Buchanon said the Gators are looking to kick it into another gear as they approach the postseason. Greenwood plays host to Glasgow High School in a doubleheader today, with the girls game to begin at 3 p.m. Saturday at The Swamp.
“We’re really just playing for Cade, right now,” Buchanon said. “We’ve got a different drive, a different motivation.”
None of the Gators plays with more drive than senior point guard Brakton Stinnett (no relation to Cade), who scored 13 points against Warren Central while handling the Dragons’ full-court pressure.
“We stretch the floor out a little bit, without Cade,” Brakton Stinnett said. “We all know we have to step up. Lofton and Aaron, you have to give them credit, for their work on the defensive boards. That was huge.”
Warren Central coach William Unseld was quick to give the Gators credit, but he’s also looking for more from his young but talented squad. Unseld met with his team in the locker room for nearly a half hour after Friday night’s game.
“We really just didn’t execute, the whole night,” Unseld said. “Offense and defense. We went out and got caught up in the moment. We didn’t communicate well enough. We didn’t make the tough plays, didn’t make the critical free throws.”
The Gators’ Aaron Brown missed an off-balance 3 from the left wing at the end of regulation, forcing an overtime with the game tied at 49. There were three lead changes in the first overtime, and Warren Central trailed by as many as 5 points, but Jaiden Lawrence’s clutch 3-pointer from the right corner tied the game at the buzzer.
“When Jaiden took that shot,” Brakton Stinnett said, “I thought to myself, ‘No way.’ I was sitting there thinking, ‘Wow.’ We had to regroup.”
That’s what the Gators have done, overall, since Cade Stinnett’s injury. Cade Stinnett said he has a high ankle sprain and agrees that he’ll err on the side of caution, as far as returning to the team.
Which he fully expects to do.
“There’s no fracture or anything, so we’ll see how it goes,” Cade Stinnett said. “Most of the guys on our team, we’ve played together, literally, for most of our lives. Everybody has really stepped up.”
Lawrence led the Dragons with 18 points, while Omari Glover, who cramped up in overtime, finished with 15. Kade Unseld had 10 points for Warren Central, while point guard Izayiah Villafuerte finished with 8.
GREENWOOD GIRLS 77, WARREN CENTRAL 54 — Junior point guard Leia Trinh scored a career-high 41 points and Greenwood rolled to victory over the visiting Lady Dragons.
Greenwood (13-6 overall, 5-2 in district play) led the entire game as Trinh riddled the Warren Central defense with drives to the basket and medium-range jump shots.
Trinh’s previous career high was 35 points, in a 69-61 loss to Casey County in tournament play last December.
“Honestly, we came out and all shot the ball really well,” Trinh said. “I just drove it to the basket and tried to get the ball to our shooters. We’re going to play our best if we’re all contributing. We’ve just got to rebound better and cut down on our turnovers.”
Junior forward Kayla Grant had 11 points for the Lady Gators, while senior guard Kaylyn Keener led the Lady Dragons with 14 points. Warren Central is 3-15 overall and 1-6 in district play.
