Lady Lions rockin’ and a roarin’

The Rushville Lady Lions and Greensburg Lady Pirates faced off in round one of the 2023 sectionals on Wednesday evening. In a game that most thought should be the championship game, both teams displayed why folks thought that the case. Greensburg stormed out to an early lead, but the Lady Lions clawed their way back and took the lead in the third period. The Lady Bucs were able to tie the game up but Rushville held them off long enough to get a two-point win and move on to the next round.
Leah West and Aly Powers got the Lady Bucs off to a 5-0 lead in the first two minutes of play. Rushville senior Belle Gossett hit two free throws to get the Lady Lions on the board and Leonie Boyer added a field goal to make it a one-point game. Boyer hit two more shots, but Greensburg’s Mary Harmon landed back-to-back three-pointers and the Lady Bucs were up 13-8. Rushville’s Briley Munchel hit from deep closing the gap, but the Lady Bucs finished the first quarter with eight more points, two Carlee Adams three-pointers and a West two-pointer. Greensburg led after the first period 21-13. Greensburg’s first six points in the second quarter came from West, Gossett was able to hit two more free throws and the Lady Pirates led by 12. Rushville made a run to close the gap before the half ended and outscored Greensburg 6-2 over the last three minutes in the quarter (RCHS-Boyer 4, Gossett 2, GCHS West 2) making the score 29-21 at the half, in favor of Greensburg.
Coming out of the break down by eight, Rushville chipped away at the Lady Bucs lead. Munchel scored six-points in the first two minutes, Boyer added a pair of freebies, and it was just a one-point game with five minutes remaining in the third period. An Adams three got Greensburg back up momentarily, RCHS got another Munchel basket, Boyer tied it at 35-35, and Kylee Herbert scored to give Rushville their first lead of the game with 2:30 to go in the third. Gossett and Munchel both scored again giving the Lady Lions a seven-point lead. Powers and West scored back-to-back for the Lady Bucs, but Herbert ended the half with two more points and RCHS led after three quarters 44-40.

West opened the final frame with two points from the charity stripe, the Lady Lions matched that with Munchel sinking her pair. The West hit one of two the next round and Gossett match her output hitting the front end of her pair and it remained a four-point lead for the Lady Lions. West closed it to a one-point lead midway through the frame when she hit from deep, Gossett hit two freebies before West powered in a basket in the paint. Powers followed that with two more points for GCHS and the game was tied at 50-50 with just one minute remaining. The next 50 seconds resulted in four Munchel free throws and another from Boyer to put Rushville up by five. With less than a second left on the clock Powers drained a three pointer for the Lady Bucs, but Rushville claimed the victory with a score of 55-53.
The Lady Lions will play the Franklin County Wildcats on Friday at 7:30 in round two of sectional 29 for a chance to play in the championship on Saturday. Greensburg ends the season with a 13-10 record.

Unofficial Scoring-
Rushville– Munchel 17, Gossett 15, Boyer 15, Herbert 4, Olivia Smith 2, Kiley Parsley 2
Greensburg– West 24, Powers 11, Harmon 9, Adams 9