DAILY JOURNAL SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
Greenwood took what Decatur Central gave it in their Mid-State Conference girls basketball clash Friday night.
And the host Woodmen, resplendent in their all-pink uniforms to promote breast cancer awareness, took advantage at the outset.
The Hawks dared Greenwood to shoot the ball from long range and paid dearly as the Woodmen breezed to a 63-44 triumph.
Greenwood improved to 4-2 in the Mid-State and 8-10 overall, while Decatur Central, which lost its first dozen contests this season before finally notching a win early this month, fell to 0-5 in the league and 2-16 overall.
“We shot the ball well early,” Woodmen coach Debbie Guckenberger said. “We knew they would come out in a 2-3 zone and we would get some shots.
“And we knocked them down.”
Greenwood established that pattern in the first quarter as junior guard Brooke Uebersetzig nailed three 3-point baskets to help the hosts pull away to an 18-11 lead at the first stop.
The Woodmen continued their long-range bombing in the second period.
Sophomore sub Taylor Walker hitting three straight threes as the hosts increased their advantage to 13 points at halftime.
Junior guard Holly Hoopingarner got into the act in the third quarter, hitting a pair of threes for Greenwood, which broke it wide open against the turnover-prone Hawks, who totaled 20 errors on the night.
Hoopingarner finished with a team-high 16 points and dished out four assists for the Woodmen, who shot 44.4 percent from the field. Uebersetzig was next best with 13 points, and Walker had nine.
Megan Overton, a junior forward, contributed seven points and a game-best six rebounds. Junior guard Maddy Renfro was scoreless but handed out five assists.
Decatur Central, which shot 47 percent, was paced by senior guard Macy Walker’s game-high 20 points.
Senior guard Emily Huber hit a trio of 3-pointers and added 18 points. However, no other Hawk scored more than four points.
Though Greenwood didn’t pile up a lot of turnovers in the opening half, Guckenberger said she believed her team’s ball movement improved noticeably after the halftime break.
“We got a little nonchalant with our passes, but did a better job in the second half. We’ve worked hard and having the ball kicked back to the passer and getting our feet set for shots.”
All in all, it was a good week for the Woodmen, who edged Southport by a point in overtime earlier in the week and now await a home date with neighboring rival Center Grove on Tuesday.
