Early scoring run spells trouble for Greenwood against Athens

Despite some positive moments and lessons learned, the Greenwood boys basketball team didn’t come away with the win against Athens in their recent game.

The boys took on Athens at home Dec. 29, with the girls playing later that night. Greenwood got out to a 5-4 lead, but it was short-lived.

“We were doing OK but then Athens went on a 17-point run. So things got out of hand right away,” said Greenwood Coach Hayden Hinker.

The team spent the rest of the game trying to recover. The boys still need to work on closing gaps when playing from behind, said Hinker.

Greenwood senior Rogan Travis made efforts to cut into Athens’ lead in the first half especially. He brought down his team’s only three-pointer of the half, along with two twos. He made both his free throws as well. Overall though, his team missed several opportunities, as they only made three of seven baskets from the charity stripe in the first half.

By the end of the half, the gap had stretched to 18 points with Athens up 36-18.

The second half played out similarly to the first. In an attempt to score points as quickly as possible, the Greenwood boys played in a rushed manner, not giving enough time to get a good look. A couple of their three-point attempts bounced out. In the meantime, Athens kept up its dogged defense and stole the ball twice, leaving Greenwood feeling frazzled.

“We weren’t very patient. We were just taking the first look we got,” said Hinker.

However, “We eventually figured it out and learned to wait. So we’re learning.”

Although Greenwood wasn’t able to gain on Athens, the boys prevented Athens from stretching the lead out much further. The score was 56-37 when the final buzzer sounded, a 19-point difference, showing how pivotal Athens’ initial scoring run was.

Despite the loss, Hinker was pleased with the progress of individual players.

In the second, one Greenwood player in particular stood out for his aggressiveness and ability to get to the basket. Sophomore James Durrstein scored four field goals for eight points, compared to just one basket in the first half.

“James had a breakout night tonight. I’m very proud of him. It was his best game so far. He dominated and was very strong on the inside,” said Hinker.

Another high scorer for Greenwood was Ryver Glynn. He picked up 10 points on the night, with seven of those in the second half. He hit Greenwood’s only three of the second half. As team captain, Glynn is a leader on the team, said Hinker.

Another special mention went to Travis, who picked up four points from the charity stripe in the second half. That combined with his nine points from the first half made him his team’s leading scorer at 13. Not all of his contributions were reflected in the scorebook though.

“Rogan did a lot of dirty work on the inside for us. He held (Athens senior Aiden) Janke to nine points. He needed 23 to get to 1,000 points. So that was one of our goals, to hold him, and we did that,” said Hinker.

Christian Thomas, a senior, also scored for Greenwood. He had four points.

With Athens sitting at the top of the Marawood-North Conference at 4-1, with an overall record of 6-2, the team presented a definite challenge for Greenwood. That being considered, Hinker was proud of how his team played.

“We played pretty well defensively. We held Athens to 56 points, so I was very proud of that,” said Hinker.

Athens scored more than that in six of its last eight games.

“Now we need to finish offensively. We will keep working on our fundamentals, the same things we’ve been working on the whole season,” said Hinker.

Greenwood sophomore James Durrstein pops one up for Greenwood in the Dec. 29 game versus Athens. Durrstein had a “breakout night” according to his coach Hayden Hinker, providing a strong presence on the inside.

VALORIE BRECHT/STAFF PHOTO

Reaching to score

Greenwood freshman Tatym Travis captures her own rebound before putting the ball in to score during the Dec. 29 home basketball game versus Athens. Travis made it to the basket several times over the course of the game. Athens defeated the Greenwood girls 71-31.

VALORIE BRECHT/STAFF PHOTO