Lady Wave comeback falls short

We’re right there; we just have to be better offensively ... Coach Rachael Kerns

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Maddie Hutchens comes off the bench to lead the Lady Wave in scoring in non-conference home game with Bethel Lady Bees. (Gaylen Blosser photo)

GREENVILLE – A slow start and a cold night at the free throw line was the Achilles’ heel in the Lady Wave’s comeback attempt in a Monday night 44-34 non-conference loss to the visiting Bethel Lady Bees.

Bethel bolted out to a 19-2 first-quarter lead before the Lady Wave added four late points for a Lady Bees 19-6 score with one quarter in the book.

Brooke Schmidt scores in the paint for the Lady Wave. (Gaylen Blosser photo)

“We just dug ourselves a really big hole in that first quarter,” said Greenville coach Rachael Kerns. “It’s hard to come back. We were down 17, but yet at one point in the fourth quarter, it was a four-point game.”

Greenville took the second period 10-9 with Maddie Hutchens coming off the bench to score 8 points, including 2-2 at the free throw line, sending the teams to the break with Bethel leading 28-16.

The Lady Bees were two better in the third, 8-6, giving the visitors a 36-22 advantage with one quarter to play.

Battling a bloody nose, Megan Lind goes strong to the hoop for Greenville. (Gaylen Blosser photo)

Greenville battled back in the fourth, cutting the Bethel lead to four points. The Lady Wave could not take advantage of the fourth-quarter free-throw line, hitting just 3-10, before closing the game with a ten-point loss.

“It’s hard to win games going 8-22 at the line,” said Kerns. “If we get to 50 percent on those that gives us four more points. Now it’s a six-point game, and when you’re 12-of-50 from the floor, you make three more shots, and you win by two.”

“We’re right there; we just have to be better offensively,” she added. “The second half we played a much better basketball game. We have to find a way to play for four quarters.”

Avery Baumann cans one of her two 3-pointers in home game with Bethel. (Gaylen Blosser photo)

Bethel went 9-18 at the free throw line for 50 percent shooting while the Lady Wave connected on 8-22 for 36 percent.

“We didn’t quit,” Coach Kerns noted. “We just have to find a better way to finish both in the half-court sets and at the free-throw line.”

Greenville sophomore Aubrey Baumgardner gave the team good minutes coming up from the JV squad and coming off the varsity bench to help on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court.

“Aubrey did a great job,” said Kerns. “She can help bring the ball up sometimes. Defensively she was able to guard well for us. It’s good to see that. Going down and playing some quarters in JV and getting her so many more minutes is starting to translate even more into the varsity level. Proud of her effort today; she did exactly what we needed.”

Greenville sophomore Aubrey Baumgardner gives the Lady Wave strong defensive play off the bench. (Gaylen Blosser photo)

Annabelle Adams and Caitlyn Jefferson led Bethel and all scorers with a game-high 11 points each. Hutchens led Greenville with 9 points.

BOXSCORE:

BETHEL 44, GREENVILLE 34

BETHEL – A. Adams 11, C. Jefferson 11, J. Stegner 8, M. Montgomery 7, B. Stanley 3, E. Evans 2, I. Halleg 1, P. Guzman 1 – TOTALS 13 9-18 3 44

GREENVILLE – M. Hutchens 9, A. Baumann 7, M. Lind 7, B. Schmidt 7, A. Baumgardner 3, M. Loudy 1 – TOTALS 10 8-22 2 34

3-POINTERS

Bethel 3 (Adams 2, Jefferson 1)
Greenville 2 (A. Baumann 2)

SCORE by QUARTERS

19-09-08-08 44 Bethel
06-10-06-12 34 Greenville