Girls basketball: Austin leads Griffith to title

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Updated: March 13, 2012 10:41AM

GRIFFITH — Griffith captured its fourth consecutive sectional title with a 35-19 win over Hammond on Saturday. It was the first time a Griffith basketball team, boys or girls, won a sectional title on the Panthers’ home floor and they have Taylor Austin to thank for it.

Austin led the team with 12 points and nine rebounds and kept the Panthers alive through a sluggish first half. When the junior forward was forced to leave the game in the third quarter with a bloodied nose, things once again got shaky for Griffith until her fourth-quarter return.

“She rebounds, she guards the other team’s best player — she brings a lot of energy,” said Griffith coach Tom Golumbeck. “She didn’t play much varsity last year, but she’s come a long way.”

Griffith’s home-court advantage wasn’t readily apparent as the Panthers fell behind Hammond 9-7 after one quarter. Midway through the second quarter, the deficit reached 15-9 after the Wildcats’ Selena Perkins dropped in her second 3-pointer after coming off off the bench. But those were the last points Hammond would score for more than 10 minutes.

“We were a little out of control on offense in the first half,” said Golumbeck. “We told them at halftime to keep playing good defense and to try to make the extra pass.”

Griffith (18-6) took its first advantage on the first possession of the second half on a 3-pointer from Brooke Brinkley. The Panthers held Hammond to one point in the quarter and extended their lead to 20-16 after the end of the third.

“I thought we were making a good run at them, but we just couldn’t hit a basket in that second half,” Hammond coach Tony Chase said.

Hammond (8-15) cut the lead to 20-19 on another 3-pointer from Perkins, but three straight layins from Emma Blackard off of drive-and-dishes sealed the win.