Loyal girls edge Greenwood in double-overtime thriller

Despite Greenwood leading in the standings (5-1 in conference compared to Loyal’s 3-3 heading into the game), the Loyal Greyhounds pulled out the win against Greenwood at home last week Tuesday, in a close game as has come to be expected from these longstanding local rivals.

The game was a back-and-forth battle, with nine lead changes throughout the first half alone. Loyal’s Olivia Nikolai made the lone 3-pointer of the half. Other Loyal contributors were Autumn Zvolena, Addysen Wolf and Summer Smith.

On Greenwood’s side, Tysen Lindner scored the most in the first half, with 5 points, but scoring was well-rounded with Addison Davidson, Tatym Travis, Sarah Beth Reiff and Britney Walde putting in baskets as well.

Fairly even play led to a score of 19-17 at the half, Loyal slightly ahead.

The second half opened with a 2-pointer from Zvolena to put Loyal up by 4. Over the next five minutes, Greenwood lost out on some opportunities due to three turnovers from different players. However, Loyal struggled in other ways, fouling three times and missing some key shots. The fouls led to a point from Walde, and later on, Lindner connected with the hoop for two. However, it wasn’t until 12:16 was left on the clock that Travis made a 3-pointer that switched the lead to Greenwood, 23-21. Over the next seven minutes, the Greenwood girls stayed ahead, extending their lead to as much as 5 points. But, Loyal fought back, with Zvolena and Nikolai being the main contributors.

At 4:11, Nikolai made a free throw to tie things up at 28. From there, it was a race to the finish, with the teams tying at 31 to head into overtime. Zvolena hit a three from the top of the key to start things off. Greenwood took the ball down the court and sent it to Wuethrich, who drove in for a layup, missed, but got her own rebound and took it back out for a corner three, which she made to tie things at 34. A couple free throws later, the teams were tied again at 35. The next time Loyal inbounded the ball, a poor pass led to Davidson snatching the ball away and racing down the court towards her team’s basket. However, Zvolena knocked the ball away just in the nick of time, before Davidson made it to the hoop. Loyal inbounded the ball with seven seconds left to play but ran out of time to do anything and the teams headed to another overtime.

In double overtime, Nikolai wasted no time getting things started. She shot a floater from the free throw line, hitting the basket and drawing the foul. She made the free throw to put Loyal at 38. The Greenwood Indians responded with two points of their own. Back on the Loyal end of the court, Annika Schley picked up a loose ball and put it in for two, making it 40-37 in Loyal’s favor. Greenwood raced the ball back down the court and found the hoop again with a floater by Wuethrich to make it 40-39.

In the end, it all came down to free throws, however. The Indians got an opportunity to go to the line with 32 seconds left, but missed both their free throws. Just three seconds later, Loyal was back at the line and Nikolai came in clutch, making both free throws and putting Loyal up 42-39. At 14 seconds remaining, Greenwood was called for a foul again and Nikolai again stepped up to the line. She made her first free throw and missed her second, but that was still enough to make it a multi-possession lead. Greenwood had the chance to fire off two more shots before the buzzer sounded, but neither went in, giving Loyal the 43-39 victory. Some of the Loyal team roles were shuffled around due to typical starter Sheila Tellock being on the bench. Nikolai filled the role of point guard, a position she said she hadn’t played since eighth grade. However, she rose to the occasion and scored the most points of any player that night, with 21. She made six 2-pointers, one 3-pointer and six of her seven free throws. Zvolena also switched between her usual post position and guard throughout the night, commenting that she hadn’t played guard since junior high. Despite the adjustment, she scored 13 points, with one from beyond the arc and the rest 2-pointers. She also played aggressively at the rim, bringing down 10 rebounds, including two on offense. Other point totals were: Wolf 5, Annika Schley 2 and Smith and Corder with 1. Wolf made three assists and stole the ball twice. Smith also had two steals.

On the Greenwood side, scoring was more balanced. Lindner scored 12 points, with two of those coming from free throws. Travis scored 10 points, with two 2-pointers, one 3-pointer and three free throws. Other point totals were: Avry Wuethrich 7, Davidson 5, Walde 3 and Reiff 2.

The teams were set to face each other again on Tuesday night, this time at Greenwood, in what could have very well been the last Loyal versus Greenwood girls basketball matchup, if the schools decide to co-op in basketball for the 2024-25 season.

Editor Valorie Brecht contributed to this report.