ELIJAH POE
FOR THE HERALD BULLETIN
FAIRMOUNT — It had been almost six years to the day since Elwood girls basketball won a Central Indiana Conference game, but the streak ended Friday against Madison-Grant.
Elwood defeated Madison-Grant 50-19 in the girls game, and the Argylls returned the favor with a 52-34 victory in the boys game to cap the doubleheader.
The last time the Panthers beat a conference opponent was Dec. 15, 2018, against Blackford. The late Craig Brunnemer still led Elwood.
Elwood coach Courtney Lickliter let the girls know before the game just how long it had been since the Panthers won a conference game, and she said the celebration after the win was pure excitement.
Lickliter has her first CIC win as well. She said it means her own hard work, the players’ hard work and even the parents’
understanding and work is paying off.
“It means a lot. It means we’re going in the right direction, and we just got to keep moving,” Lickliter said.
The Panthers were led by sophomore Breelyn Norris. She had 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Lickliter said Norris was really able to learn and grow from her freshman season and now is a very powerful player just as a sophomore.
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Elwood’s Kendra Sallee looks to shoot as she is guarded by Madison-Grant’s AJ Hayes (15) and Grace Wood on Friday.
Don Knight | For The Herald Bulletin
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“A lot of it is her and her initiative,” Lickliter said about Norris’s impressive sophomore season. “She watches film religiously. She takes direction really well. She never back talks. She just nods her head and tries to be better every day.”
Elwood was also aided by senior Kendra Sallee who finished with a double-double. She had 15 points and 11 rebounds. Lickliter said Sallee has played through injuries in recent years and is one of the leaders of the Panthers.
Elwood moved to 8-3 on the season, and is 1-2 in the CIC. Lickliter said she was pleased to see the Panthers improve and learn from every single quarter, but the quarter she loved most was the third.
“I told then at the end of that third I said, “Listen, girls, I know we scored some points, but I am more proud that you guys came out here and didn’t give up a shot in that third quarter,’ ” Lickliter said. “I’m not sure they even realized it until I said it, and then they were pretty excited.”
The Argylls boys started out hot in the nightcap with senior Luke Gilman leading the way. He outscored the Panthers in the first half alone. There was a sequence where he got a tough layup, went coast to coast, and hit a 3-pointer on back-toback- to-back possessions.
Gilman said a lot was going through his head at that moment, but more than anything he felt the energy around him.
“It’s just pure excitement,” Gilman said.
M-G coach Josh Hendrixson said any scoring for the Argylls is needed, and it was great to see Gilman go on a run.
“When you struggle to score the basketball like we do, when you have a guy go on a run like that, it’s absolutely huge,” Hendrixson said.
Gilman finished with 19 points and seven rebounds.
Gilman led Madison-Grant to a comfortable 20-12 lead at halftime, and the Argylls ran with that lead until the very last whistle.
Elwood coach Ryan Vanskyock said he thought the Panthers had the Argylls right where he wanted them, but a flopping call was the key moment it all flipped for Vanskyock. He believes the call is too subjective to officials.
“We talked with our kids, of like in basketball, there’s always gonna be adversity in life. There’s always gonna be adversity,” Vanskyock said.
The Argylls are now 3-0 to start their season. Hendrixson said being undefeated is big in the locker room for momentum since they expect to succeed through their work put in.
Madison-Grant forced Elwood to turn the ball
over countless times. Those turnovers often resulted in easy buckets in transition.
“Defense is something we’ve had to rely on to this point this season,” Hendrixson said. “I hope it’s not something that we have to solely rely on the entire season. I’m hoping our offense catches up, and it could be a little bit more of a balanced team in that way. But right now, it is our identity.”
Elwood was led by senior Jayden Mullins. He had a double- double at the 4:45 mark in the third quarter and was a focal point for the Panthers. He finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Elwood fell to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the CIC.
Elwood’s Blaise Jones fouls Madison-Grant’s Luke Gilman on a drive to the basket Friday.
Don Knight | For The Herald Bulletin