Defense is key to win for Lady Wolfpack

Greenbrier girls basketball players did not recognize themselves while watching video of their season-opening meeting at Lakeside.

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The Wolfpack had been embarrassed by the Panthers and torched by Lakeside standout Tishal Turknett. That was not the case last week.

A rejuvenated Greenbrier used a stifling defense to avenge the previous loss, beating Lakeside 47-32 on Tuesday.

"We watched film, and they were like, 'Coach, we're not that team. I know we're not that team,' " Greenbrier girls coach Dana Bull said. "They did not like losing. They still had that taste in their mouth and they were ready to go out there and get it."

The Wolfpack defense held Turknett and fellow guard Carolyn Hennecken to 16 points. The pair had combined in previous games to average almost 30 points.

Hennecken likes to drive the lane and either get to the basket or create an open look for a teammate. The Wolfpack countered by having a post player partially commit to her path and having someone else fill passing lanes.

"Even though Carolyn got some pretty good drives on us, we were there to recover and help and take away the next pass beyond that," Bull said. "They're rotating and doing what they need to do."

Greenbrier freshman Deztinie Cotton scored a game-high 16 points. She scored 9 during the fourth quarter to help put the game away.

The game was knotted at 20 at the half before the Wolfpack defense clamped down. Lakeside was outscored 13-2 during the third quarter.

"I challenged them and said, 'It's all about desire. How bad do you want it? And how much are you going to play together to make it happen?' " Bull said.

The Lakeside boys overcame a double-digit deficit at halftime to beat Greenbrier 48-45. Michael Punch led the Panthers with 17 points.

The victory was the third in a row for Lakeside, which lost its first seven to start the season.

Lakeside missed 17 free throws during the first half and trailed by 12. The Panthers started more aggressively in the second half, and the shots began to fall.

"I think our free throws imitated our mood," Lakeside coach Ryan Morningstar said. "We just didn't have a purpose out there. Halftime, we wanted to emphasize a purpose."

The boys teams took part in a ceremony before the game to raise awareness for breast cancer. Players wore pink T-shirts during warmups and climbed into the stands before the game to give the shirts to their mothers. Players from both teams wore pink socks and pink shoelaces.