Bearcat girls fall to No. 6 Green Devils

PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL: OSAGE 51, NORTH BUTLER 33

Bearcat girls fall to No. 6 Green Devils

Conditioning will be key in practice this week for Bearcats

It was a tale of two halves Tuesday night when the Bearcats fell to the No. 6 (3A) Green Devils, 51-33.

A relentless defense kept Osage out of the paint for nearly the enitre first half, and forced errant 3-point shots that didn’t fall.

But by the end of third quarter, the Bearcats showed they were worn down.

Marcy Jacobs said she expects the team to do a little running this week in practice to help get in shape for long games, like Tuesday night’s.

The hope is it will keep the Bearcats in games late, and even pull off an upset win.

“We came in tonight thinking we could win this game,” Jacobs said. “But then in the second half, we just got worn down. We’re definitely going to be doing some running.” Head coach Kevin Clipperton said the biggest problem with the second half was the turnovers. “We forced things in the second half and that allowed them to get out and make their runs,” Clipperton said. “In the first half, we eliminated turnovers and were patient.

They just kind of wore us down.”

Patience was the key for the Bearcats. Early in the second quarter, Clipperton yelled “patience!” when the Bearcats had the ball. And what followed was a minute-long possession that ended in a layup.

It was that kind of play that gave the Bearcats a 24-20 lead at the half. Two critical 3-pointers by the Green Devils got it to the four-point deficit, but the Bearcats controlled much of the first half.

The Bearcats will get a break until Dec. 22 when they come back to host Nashua-Plainfield at home.

That game tips off at 6:15 p.m.

By Stephen Koenigsfeld sports@charlescitypress.com