The Georgetown Lady G-Men got their revenge over the visiting Bethel-Tate Lady Tigers on Jan. 14 at Georgetown after suffering a narrow 40-37 league loss at Bethel earlier in the season.
The Lady G-Men cruised behind a big first half to claim a 42-33 victory over the Lady Tigers in Monday’s round of high school girls’ hoop action.
The Lady G-Men outscored the Lady Tigers 9-3 in the first quarter and 17-6 in the second quarter to hold a 26-9 lead heading into halftime break.
The Lady Tigers rallied in the second half to outscore the Lady G-Men 11-7 in the third quarter and 13-9 in the fourth quarter, but the home standing Georgetown squad knocked down enough baskets down the stretch to hold on for the league victory.
The Lady G-Men started the game on a 5-0 run with senior guard Kim Seigla draining a three-pointer and later sinking a pair of free throws after she was fouled on a shot.
The Lady Tigers managed to get on the scoreboard as junior Jenna Carter sank one-of-two attempts from the charity stripe, but the Lady G-Men answered with a three-pointer by freshman guard Torie Utter to up their lead to 8-1.
The Lady Tigers cut the Georgetown lead to five as Carter dished out an assist to sophomore Alli Stolz.
Georgetown’s sophomore guard Maddi Benjamin sank one of two attempts from the foul line in the final minute to end scoring in the first period, lifting the Lady G-Men to a 9-3 advantage.
In a contest of speed versus size, the smaller Lady G-Men were able to get their transition game going in the second period with a number of fast break opportunities generated from aggressive defensive play.
Utter snatched a steal and cruised down the court for an easy bucket to kick off scoring in the second quarter, expanding the Georgetown lead to 11-3.
The Lady Tigers looked inside to junior post player Madison Burton, and she delivered with a score in the paint to trim the Georgetown lead to 11-5.
When the Lady G-Men needed to a bucket to keep their momentum going in the first half, someone stepped up to answer the call. It was Seigla rifling in her second three-pointer of the night with 5:43 to go in the first half, putting the Lady G-Men up 14-5.
Georgetown’s senior post player, Kennedy Underwood, battled hard in the paint throughout the first half to make rebounding and scoring difficult for the Bethel “big girls”. With just over five minutes to go, Underwood ventured to the charity stripe to sink a pair of free throws after being fouled on a shot attempt, expanding the Lady G-Men lead to 16-5.
Underwood suffered a head injury while taking a charge later in the first half and did not see playing time in the second half.
Another three-pointer by Seigla put the Lady G-Men up 19-7 near the midway point of the second period.
Benjamin heated up late in the second quarter, sinking a three-pointer and later snatching a steal and taking it coast-to-coast for a score to widen the margin to 26-7.
Underwood’s presence in the paint was certainly missed by the Lady G-Men in the second half, but doing an excellent job in her battle against the Bethel “bigs” was Georgetown junior Emilee Thomas.
Thomas came through with two big buckets in the fourth quarter to help keep the Lady Tigers from within striking distance.
The Lady G-Men struggled a bit from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter, connecting on only three-of-eight attempts in the frame, while the Lady Tigers sank three-of-five attempts from the foul line in the fourth quarter.
There were three Georgetown players to reach double figures in scoring in Monday’s win.
Leading the way for the Lady G-Men was Utter with 13 points, sinking five shots from the field and two-of-three attempts from the foul line.
Siegla ended the night with 12 points, draining three shots from beyond the arc and three-of-four attempts from the foul line.
Benjamin fired for 11 points in Monday’s win, sinking three shots from the field (two three-pointers) and three-of-six attempts from the charity stripe.
With their win at home over Bethel-Tate, the Lady G-Men rose to a 6-2 record in the Southern Buckeye Athletic/Academic Conference National Division, while the Lady Tigers dropped to 5-3.
The Lady G-Men are scheduled to be back on their home court Jan. 21 to host Mariemont for a non-league game.
BTHS 3 6 11 13 – 33
GHS 9 17 7 9 – 42
Bethel-Tate (33): Burton 4 3-4 11, Sandker 3 0-2 6, Stolz 2 2-2 6, Bee 2 0-0 4, Carter 1 1-2 3, White 1 1-2 3. Team: 13 7-13 33.
Georgetown (42): Utter 5 2-3 13, Seigla 3 3-4 12, Benjamin 3 3-6 11, Thomas 2 0-0 4, Underwood 0 2-2 2. Three-pointers: Seigla 3, Benjamin 2, Utter 1. Team: 13 10-15 42.
