DAILY JOURNAL SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
Offensive struggles continued to plague the Greenwood boys basketball team Friday night in a 61-36 loss to visiting Shelbyville.
The Woodmen (3-12), who have dropped four consecutive games, were kept under 40 points for the sixth time this season.
“We got smacked in the mouth in the first quarter tonight, but then we held them to only seven in the second, and I felt like that part of the game was when we had a chance to get back in it,” Greenwood coach Bruce Hensley said. “Unfortunately, we only scored seven in the second quarter, too.”
After surrendering a field goal in the game’s opening moments, the Golden Bears (7-9) raced out to an early lead with 10 unanswered points before settling in for a 20-9 advantage heading into the second quarter.
Paced by an 11-point first-half effort by senior Baden Cole, Shelbyville led 27-16 at halftime.
The Woodmen hit only six of their 34 shot attempts in the opening half and were 14 of 61 for the game.
“When scoring is your second thought, it’s hard to score,” Hensley said. “It has to weigh heavily on a player’s confidence.”
The Golden Bears also struggled to make shots at times, but second-chance opportunities allowed for high-percentage baskets inside the paint.
Shelbyville, a team that hit 23 of its 50 field goal attempts, outrebounded Greenwood 41-35.
“We’re not going to play over people because we’re just not big enough,” Hensley said. “Some of that has to do with a lack of confidence.”
Freshman Jeffrey Reynolds led the Woodmen with 15 points while senior Spencer Isenthal registered a team-high nine rebounds.
Cole topped all scorers with 21 points. Teammate Cameron Clouse added 10 points.
“I felt like we didn’t give up. We still competed,” Hensley said. “But fundamentally, we’re still making mistakes around the basket. It’s hard. We work hard in practice and the guys are resilient, but I know they’re frustrated.
Greenwood hosts Roncalli tonight at 7:30 p.m.
