ELKINS -- The sign behind the bench on the home side read "Get your popcorn, we're putting on a show."
Elkins put on a show but couldn't pull off the upset because of one big factor. Greenland has Kim Crown on its team.
Girls
Greenland 57, Elkins 53
Greenland^12^10^12^23^—^57
Elkins^13^13^15^12^—^53
Greenland (18-5, 11-0): Crown 29, Wright 9, Boone 5, Osburn 5, Redmond 4, Arnold 3, Bohannan 2.
Elkins: (11-9, 7-4): Barnett 17, Kestner 10, Holtzhauser 8, Miller 6, Harris 5, Boaz 4, Pitts 3.
Boys
Greenland 40, Elkins 39
Greenland^6^10^14^10^— ^40
Elkins^9^11^8^11^—^39
Greenland: Z. Wolfe 18, Self 18, Lyon 2, Miller 2.
Elkins: Casebolt 11, Camp 9, Evans 8, Shackelford 5, Lewis 4, Gonzalez 2.
Crown scored 29 points to lead Greenland to a 57-53 comeback victory before a packed gym on Senior Night. Crown had 12 points in the fourth quarter, including a three-point play that broke a 51-51 tie with 29 seconds left to play. Sarah Wright followed with two free throws after feeding Crown with a pass that put Greenland (18-5, 11-0) ahead.
Those key plays kept Greenland unbeaten in league play after the Lady Pirates trailed by 10 points late in the third quarter.
"We've been in these situations before where we take everybody's best shot," Greenland coach Alan Barton said. "But to be in a hostile environment and not playing our best, I'm proud of these girls. They are strong, tough girls."
Elkins (11-9, 7-4) fed off the large crowd and earned its biggest lead, 39-29, on a 3-point shot by Tink Harris with 2 minutes, 11 seconds left in the third quarter. But Saphire Osburn made two free throws to end the quarter and Greenland outscored Elkins 23-12 in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback.
Most of Greenland's points in the fourth quarter came at the free-throw line, where the Lady Pirates were 19 of 23. Even then, Elkins appeared to still have a chance when it forced a turnover in the backcourt with 2.2 seconds left. But Elkins called a timeout it didn't have and Crown made a free throw after the technical to set the final score at 57-53.
Afterward, a group of Elkins players stood in a circle sobbing while the Senior Night activities were underway. It was a very understand reaction after coming so close to knocking off a team with multiple state championships.
"These girls played hard and the difference was a possession here, a possession there," Elkins coach Monica Wells said. "I was proud of them. It was a good game where either team had a chance to win it."
Greenland won it by going to Crown, an all-state center. Elkins kept a defender in front and a defender behind Crown, but the 6-foot-1 senior still managed to bull her way in for short shots or trips to the foul line.
"I've been a fan of Kim Crown since she was in junior high," Well said. "She deserves all the accolades she gets. It's just hard to guard a kid like that."
Boys
Greenland 40, Elkins 39
Zac Wolfe made a jump shot with 1.8 seconds left to give Greenland a victory over Elkins.
Elkins led 39-38 but turned the ball over on a high, cross-court pass with 51.7 seconds left. Wolfe dribbled around on the perimeter then, made his move with eight seconds left after glancing at the clock. He made the basket and Elkins missed on a long shot at the buzzer to give Greenland the road victory.
Wolfe and Cole Self each scored 18 to lead Greenland while Hunter Casebolt had 11 to lead Elkins.
Sports on 02/06/2016