By CRAIG ADKINS
For The Reporter
NOBLESVILLE – Tuesday night’s battle at The Eagles Nest was about speed that turned into a tale of turnovers for both Guerin Catholic and Park Tudor.
Despite turning the ball over 21 times on their home floor, the Golden Eagles took advantage of the Panthers’ miscues in securing a 46-33 home victory.
Points were hard to come by for either team in the first. The score was tied 4-4 after the first eight minutes and scoring was spread out for both, as well. A free throw and three-pointer were the Panthers’ points in the first minute to lead 4-0.
Senior Dana Dues scored the first Guerin bucket at the 6:44 mark of the first, but they wouldn’t tie the game until 1:10 remaining in the quarter when junior Caroline Ford came off the bench to sink a pair of free throws.
“We talk about this all of the time. We really have good shooters, but for having good shooters, you’re not a good shooting team right now,” said Guerin Catholic head coach Danielle Cardinal.
The Golden Eagles got a step back left corner three from Emersyn French in the second quarter, along with another bucket when French got fouled. She missed the free throw, but Guerin was now up 9-4.
Lauren Keller and Cecilia Titus knocked down jumpers that put Guerin up 13-8 at halftime. The Golden Eagles were contending with Park Tudor’s 2-3 zone defense in the first half.
“They have a lot of length and are long and that disrupted us,” Cardinal said. “We’re young, so we’re not as disciplined. And to be honest, we thought they would come out in a 1-3-1, because they’ve played that a lot and we were ready for that.”
Cardinal’s squad regrouped at halftime and made the proper adjustments and it worked. Guerin went on a 7-0 run to start the third. Titus made a jump shot from the left baseline and then a trey in the left corner and Dues made her second field goal and it was 20-8.
“Less experience, you have a harder time adjusting in-game, so it took them a while. Halftime was better, because we had more time to talk about it,” added Cardinal. “People could figure out where they were going and I think that helped tremendously open things up and get us some open shots.”
Dues hit a left wing three and then Titus got fouled and converted the basket and free throw for the old-fashioned three-point play to push it to 26-10.
Brinna Wolf caught a pass from Ford on a backdoor cut, followed by Ford scoring on a fast break and then taking a pass from Titus for a 32-13 advantage late in the third.
Freshman Delanie Cardinal made a three from the top of the key in the final seconds of the quarter for a football score of 35-14.
Cardinal said Park Tudor’s coach “went to the 1-3-1, which we were prepared for. We didn’t hit every shot, but at least they knew where to put the ball.”
Guerin was able to hold on for the 13-point win, despite the Panthers scoring 19 to just 11 for the Golden Eagles in the fourth.
Winners of six of eight and four of its last five, the Golden Eagles went 4-2 over Christmas break in two different tournaments at Richmond and Covenant Christian.
“We played New Pal who, not only is a good team, but they’re super well-coached and play so hard and tough,” said Cardinal. “It’s a level these kids had not seen.”
Cecilia Titus led the Golden Eagles with 10 and Dana Dues with nine. Caroline Ford also had six.
Guerin Catholic (11-6) gets back into Circle City action on Friday at 6 p.m. in the first game of a girls-boys varsity doubleheader at Bishop Chatard (8-8).
