Greenon girls keep CBC title hopes alive

Knights avenge earlier loss to Urbana and now need help from Urbana.

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By Michael Cooper, Staff Writer 11:02 PM Monday, January 30, 2012

ENON — Greenon clung to a three-point lead, and the fate of its championship goal rested with point guard Whitney Robinson. Even after she missed the front end of a 1-and-1, then committed a turnover with 55 seconds left, Greenon coach Gary Falkenbach wanted the ball in her hands.

“I told her when she missed that one,” Falkenbach said, “‘You’re going to win the game. You want in your hands. Go get it.’ She threw that one away, and I said, ‘You’ve got to have it.’ She said, ‘It’s mine from now on.’”

Robinson got another chance with 15 seconds left and made two free throws for a five-point lead that was enough to lift the Knights to a 50-47 victory over Urbana.

The Knights (12-4, 6-2 Central Buckeye Conference Mad River Division) kept their division title hopes alive. Urbana (10-6, 6-2 CBC) plays Graham (7-1 CBC) on Saturday. If the Hillclimbers beat Graham, that will give Greenon a chance to at least share its first league crown since 1984.

“It meant everything,” Robinson said after her team was bolstered by an enthusiastic crowd. “We knew from the beginning of the season that we wanted to get CBC.”

Robinson led the Knights with 14 points. Teddi Tankersly added 12, Heather Slaughter 11 and Jenna Robertson 10.

Falkenbach said the biggest key was holding the high-scoring Hillclimbers under 50 points. He did that by targeting Urbana guards Trischa Lacey (16 points) and Kaley Moss (8 points). When Urbana beat Greenon 62-55 in December, that duo combined for 39 points, including 32 by Lacey.

“We knew where Lacey and Moss were at the whole time,” Falkenbach said. “We said everybody else was going to beat us.”

Lacey and Moss had to work hard for their points, and Lacey even had two 3-pointers blocked.

“They didn’t realize we’d be so prepared for some of their plays, like their flare screens,” Robinson said. “They weren’t getting easy shots like they were used to. I think that really affected them.”

Greenon had played seven straight road games, winning five. This was its first home game since Dec. 21. Now they finish with four at home. Falkenbach said having six seniors has helped keep the team focused on the conference championship goal.

“We grew up,” he said. “If we had played this game last year, we might have let it slip away. But we took care of their runs and made runs of our own.”

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