Basketball (GJV) LaVille Basketball (GV)
Defense Key In INSC Win At John Glenn
By Scot Shearer | Dec 15, 2024 8:12 PM
WALKERTON - LaVille coach Nicholas Amor knew Friday's high school girls basketball game was going to be a good one. And as advertised, this Indiana Northern State Conference contest came down to the final seconds as the Lancers came away with a hard-fought 40-36 victory over the Falcons at Everwise Gymnasium. The big key, according to Amor, was his club's defense. LaVille was able to win the turnover battle. Unofficially John Glenn had 25 turnovers and the Lancer 'D' did a good job of keeping track of the Falcons shooters. "Defense was by far the difference maker in the game," Amor said of his group's effort. "Defense is what kept us in it. Madi Singleton came off the bench (in the second quarter) and just kept that energy firing from the defensive end. She was flying around and I love to see that. I love to see a kid take her opportunity and use it." Neither team shot very well in the first half, though LaVille took a 21-16 lead into the locker room. "We were cold," said Amor. "We were as cold as you can get shooting from the floor in the first half, but our defense played some pretty key possessions." Amor's defense held the Walkerton hosts to just 1 of 8 from the floor in the second quarter to limit the Falcons to just three points in the quarter. While the defense was doing its job, Lancer shooters had some looks but to John Glenn's credit, they limited LaVille to just 1 of 8 from beyond the arc in the first 16 minutes. The two teams continued to battle in the second half. LaVille led by 8-9 points on a couple of occasions, but coach Ryan Reese's team kept battling, narrowing the gap to one point in the fourth quarter before a big 3-pointer by Mackena Deason pushed the LHS lead back to four at 38-34. According to Amor, the Lancers knew John Glenn wanted to put up some treys, so communicated to his team one big aspect. "I told them we need ball pressure," explained Amor. "In that fourth quarter they were trying to get Reese the ball, they were trying to get Turnage the ball to try and shoot threes. Reese got a couple, right? But she still had to earn them. That defensive pressure ... they really make you feel them no matter where they are on the floor." LHS was able to maintain its lead as Weil and Jasmine Foster hit a couple free throws. A last desperation 3/4-court pass was intercepted by Denni Markin, who dribbled the remaining time off the clock. "This is Indiana basketball!" smiled Amor, who watched his team win its fifth straight. "This is what Indiana basketball should look like. It's fun. The fans were there. We finally had a good student section. It was just exciting to be part of and the girls took advantage to be a part of. "This is a really good win ... I told the girls before the game that this is a game to determine where we are at. Glenn is a good team. They have a good record and they have beaten some teams that we have lost to. This was a real determining factor where we are actually at." Weil led the Lancer offense with 11 points, who went 2 of 3 from deep. Brooke Edison added 10 points. Markin and Jasmine Foster chipped in with five points each. Foster led the rebounding effort with eight. Addison Reese led the way for the Falcons, scoring 18 points and both JG 3-pointers. Mia Hurford added nine points and eight boards. LaVille improved to 8-2 overall and 2-2 in the INSC and will return to Dale E. Cox Gymnasium for a non-conference game against Logansport December 14. LAVILLE 40, JOHN GLENN 36 At Walkerton Score By Quarters LaVille 10 21 31 40 John Glenn 13 16 23 36 LaVille - Madi Singleton 0, Mackena Deason 5, Ava Weil 11, Brooke Edison 10, Mikalah Kuskye 4, Denni Markin 5, Jasmine Foster 5. Totals: 15 6-16 40 John Glenn - Alivia Turnage 2, Danni Divine 0, Addison Reese 18, Daelynn Nance 5, Mia Hurford 9. Andreia Weddington 0, Arianna Stanley 2. Totals: 14 6-11 36 3-point field goals: LaVille 3 (Weil 2, Deason), John Glenn 2 (Reese 2). JV score: John Glenn 43 (Kendra McClellan 11), LaVille 23 (Paula Oneca 9, Lexi Huff 9) 2024-25 INDIANA NORTHERN STATE CONFERENCE STANDINGS Girls Basketball Team INSC OALL Bremen 4-0 9-1 John Glenn 3-1 9-3 LaVille 2-2 9-2 Tippecanoe Valley 2-2 5-6 Knox 1-3 3-10 Jimtown 0-4 1-11 Games Involving INSC Teams Week of Dec 16 Through Dec 20 Dec 16 Knox at SB Saint Joseph Western at Tippecanoe Valley Dec 17 Bremen at Culver Academy Jimtown at Triton Plymouth at John John Glenn Dec 18 LaVille at South Bend Riley Dec 19 John Glenn at Argos NorthWood at Jimtown Triton at Bremen Dec 20 LaVille at Culver Academy