By Drew Terhall

DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — The Lady Wave basketball team got their first win of the season with a home win over Indian Lake High School on Nov. 28.

The game never got out of hand for Greenville. Both teams battled to keep it close. Head Coach Rachel Kerns said the defense late in the game gave the team the edge they needed to win.

“One of the biggest things is they (Indian Lake) turned the ball over and we made them pay. Skylar (Fletcher) went in and finished with the layup. That really sealed the game right there,” Kerns said.

Senior Skylar Fletcher was on fire throughout the game. She scored the team’s first eight points in the first quarter. At halftime, she had 14 points and wasn’t close to being done.

At halftime, Indian Lake had a 25-24 lead. Greenville started off a bit slow, but started to get some stops to stay in the game.

The Lady Lakers kept their lead by getting to the free throw line early and often. They were able to capitalize on their second chance opportunities with a basket or by getting to the free throw line.

In the second half, Fletcher started to lead a comeback. After the third quarter, Indian Lake had a 40-37 lead. But the Lady Lakers couldn’t contain Fletcher.

She got it done on defense and was a force on offense. Fletcher finished the game with 30 points on 14-23 shooting. She also had six rebounds, three assists and eight steals. Kerns said it was in Fletcher’s nature to come out and take control over the game.

“She’s just a competitor, competitors don’t like to lose. The two losses that we have so far has made her hungry,” Kerns said.

Kerns also said the post players stepped up in the second half. Players like senior Gracie Thacker and sophomores Megan Lind and Brooke Schmidt locked the paint down. They were able to get critical rebounds and make Indian Lake earn their points down low.

Kerns said Lind’s defense in the fourth quarter stood out to her, even though it doesn’t translate to the box score. It’s that type of effort that might go unnoticed, but was key to getting this win.

It was a total team effort where everyone played their role exceptionally well in the final minutes of the game.

“Overall it was a really great effort. Anytime we score 55 points, we’re going to have a pretty good chance to win,” Kerns said.

Lind led the team in rebounds with 10. Senior Minaxi Pandey also reach double-digit points with 14 in the game.

The Lady Wave are 1-2 and will host conference rival Fairborn on Nov. 30. Game is set for a 7:15 p.m. start.

Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]