SUPER SUBS: Bench sparks Cougars in HHC win over Pendleton Heights

0
500
Greenfield-Central's Caleb McIntire(32) and Pendleton HeightsÕ Ethan Ross(24) and Evan John(4) battle for a rebound in their game at Greenfield-Central on January 29,2021.(Rob Baker/Daily Reporter)

GREENFIELD — The stat line shows three Greenfield-Central starters scoring in double figures, but the boost the Cougars got in Friday night’s 66-63 Hoosier Heritage Conference victory over visiting Pendleton Heights was from a trio of super subs.

Juniors Rashawn Street, Joey Roland and Ben Montgomery entered the lineup with the team struggling. When their first-half minutes were completed, the game was left in good hands with the Cougars starters.

Trailing 9-2, the bench crew came in midway through the first and returned to their socially-distanced chairs with just over two minutes left in the half and G-C leading 21-14. The Cougars had a 24-16 halftime lead.

“We had to get stops and get in transition and get big buckets,” Roland said.

The subs had combined for 11 points and seven rebounds during their first-half stretch.

A Roland bucket and Street put-back before the first quarter ended, cut it to 9-7 by the break. Montgomery opened the second with a 3-pointer, his first of the season, to give G-C — though it was challenged late by the Arabians — the lead for good.

“I think our role is really just being part of the bench mob and bring the energy, play good defense,” Montgomery said. “We’ve been known to get off to bad starts. So sometimes we’re counted on to lift the team up in whatever way that may be, rebounding, defense, scoring, encouraging guys.”

They did all that.

Roland followed with another quick bucket, in transition, after a Pendleton Heights’ miss. Starting guard Gavin Robertson nailed a 3-pointer and Roland added his third field goal from a Montgomery assist to wrap up a 15-0 run that gave G-C a 17-9 lead.

“They were all huge,” Greenfield-Central head coach Luke Meredith said of his Cougar bench players. “I thought Ben Montgomery, who wasn’t eligible until January, came in, hit a shot. He always plays with that juice that energy and is a big piece of what we do.

“He hit a big three, got a big steal. He’s screaming, pumping his chest yelling ‘Juice!’ This is what it’s all about. I’m really happy for our kids.”

“That’s Ben,” Street added on the excitable Montgomery’s 3-pointer. “The team loves him. Everybody just went crazy and we got our swagger back.”

In the second half, Greenfield-Central’s lead grew to double figures. Starter Adam Lester had 12 of his game-high 17 points in the third quarter.

Pendleton Heights rallied with help from its bench, too. Senior guard Luke Weaver scored 16 points, all in the second half. He had 13 in the fourth quarter. He hit his first six shots, which included four 3-pointers.

A Weaver bucket with 1:07 left got Pendleton Heights within one, 60-59. Robertson hit a pair of free throws for a three-point G-C advantage, with 47 seconds remaining.

The Cougar bench crew helped close it out, too. Street followed Robertson’s free throws with a steal and two made free throws for a five-point advantage with only 25.6 seconds on the clock. Weaver hit a trey to make it 64-62 with 15.9 prior to two more Robertson free throws.

The Cougars hit 12 of 13 free throws in the fourth quarter.

Robertson scored 16 and starting guard Dylan Moles scored 10. Montgomery also finished with 10 points, including seven in the fourth quarter. Robertson had five assists.

The Cougars shot 60.5 percent from the field (23 of 38) for the game and 76.5 percent (13 of 17) in the second half. Street, Roland and Montgomery combined to make 9 of 10 field-goal attempts.

Weaver and Evan John had 16 apiece to lead the Arabians. Jamison Dunham added 11. The Arabians were 11 of 26 (42.3 percent) from 3-point range.

It was the third straight win for Greenfield-Central. The Cougars are 9-6 overall and 3-3 in the HHC. Pendleton Heights dropped its fourth straight and fell to 4-9 overall and 0-4 in the HHC.

It was G-C’s first win over Pendleton Heights since a 64-57 double-overtime win in a sectional game at New Castle in 2017.

“Three in a row is huge. Our next couple games are going to be tough at Richmond, a big conference game with Delta and a good Greenwood team,” Meredith said. “It doesn’t get any easier. We had that tough loss at New Castle, our last loss, for us to bounce back the last three games, I’m proud of our kid and proud of our program.”

Greenfield-Central is back in action tonight at Richmond, a game that has been moved up to a noon JV start time in efforts to avoid inclement weather.