Grove City’s win over Thiel is third straight

The Wolverines have cut down on turnovers and they’re finding the open player.

By BILL ALBRIGHT

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

GREENVILLE — The Grove City Wolverines struggled the first half of the season, winning only three of their first 13 games.

However, since that time, the Wolverines have figured things out. They’ve won three games in a row, including Wednesday night’s 65-54 win over the Thiel Tomcats.

“We simply didn’t play the way we’re capable of during those first 13 games of the season,” said GCC coach Sarah Harris. “I think one of the biggest things we are doing now is keeping our composure. That is something we didn’t do earlier in the season.”

Harris was also quick to put her finger on the turnover numbers where her club gave the ball up 12 times while causing 22 by Thiel.

“We only had four turnovers in the second half,” said Harris. “And another thing we did was find the open player. We had 15 assists and we weren’t finding each other before. I don’t care if we win pretty or not. If we can grind out a victory, that is fine with me.”

The first half was about as close as it could be, with the two teams battling through five lead changes and three ties until they were deadlocked at 25.

However, during the final three minutes of the period, the Wolverines tallied six unanswered points to take a 31-25 lead to the locker room.

During the first half, the Wolverines shot 48 percent while playing good defense, holding the Tomcats to just 30 percent from the floor. For the game, those numbers still favored the Wolverines by a 40-30 margin.

“I haven’t looked at the shot chart yet, but I am guessing it is one that I am going to like, “ Harris said. “We got a number of good looks around the basket and that helps you to shoot a good percentage.”

Another big factor in the win was the GCC defense holding Amber Bodrick to 16 points, nearly five under her per-game average. Bodrick (Mooney) also pulled down 12 rebounds for her double-double, narrowly missing a triple-double with eight assists.

The Tomcats came out strong to begin the second half as they fought their way back into a tie at 38-all.

But Grove City (6-10, 2-5) went on a 21-8 run to open up a 59-46 lead, and this time the hill was too steep for the Tomcats to climb.

Leading the Wolverines were Shannon Overdorf with 17 points and Krista Beechy with 12. Overdorf also played a strong floor game with four assists and four steals.

For Thiel (6-9, 3-6), Catie Sieber was close behind Bodrick with 14 points.