NEW PALESTINE — It’s like 2011 all over again.
Ending an eight-year drought, Greenfield-Central finished at the top of a 12-team field to win the New Palestine Girls Golf Sectional, held Monday at The Links Golf Club.
Earlier this month, the Cougars won their first Hancock County title since 2011.
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As a team, the Cougars shot 365, three strokes better than New Palestine, Pendleton Heights and Greenwood, who finished in a three-way tie for second with rounds of 368.
With only the top three teams advancing to Saturday’s regional at the Edgewood Golf Club in Anderson, the tie was broken by the score of each team’s fifth-best round. New Palestine was awarded second and Pendleton Heights third.
The top three individuals not on the top three teams also advanced. That group included Mt. Vernon’s Alaina Nugent (82) and Meredith Johnson (83).
“It’s always a goal at the beginning of the season to be playing our best golf at the end of the season,” Greenfield-Central’s Caroline Gibson said. She shot a two-over-par 74 and finished in second place, just two strokes behind three-time individual champion Annaliese Fox of New Palestine.
It was the second straight year Fox and Gibson took the top two spots.
For the Cougars, Tandess O’Neal added a 91. Haley Hoagland shot 98 and Katie Curry had a 102.
Gibson shot a one-under-par 35 on the back nine. Coach Russ Wiley said all of his golfers had better rounds on the back nine.
“Giving the difficulty of the course, I’m pretty happy with that score,” Wiley said. “I didn’t think that we had played well enough to win, but Tandess, Haley, Katie and Caroline all did better on their back nine. We were just hoping to get in the top three and move on.
“It was a crazy scenario. Pendleton had a good day. Greenwood played about where I expected, but New Palestine struggled and we got a break with that.”
Along with ending its long run without a title, Greenfield-Central ended a streak of crowns won by the Dragons. New Palestine had won five straight.
“It’s great (to win the sectional),” Wiley added. “We have had some strong teams, but couldn’t quite come close to (New Palestine) the last few years.”
For the Dragons, coach Sarah O’Brien, considering the circumstances, was glad to get her team to the next round.
“It was very nerve-wracking,” New Palestine coach Sarah O’Brien said on waiting on the fifth-player scores to see which teams advanced. “I know we struggled a little today, so we’re thrilled to make it (to the regional).
“It shows that every shot counts.”
Following Fox’s even-par 72, Izzy Gray finished with a 91. Michaela Purnell shot 97 and Rachel Purnell had a 108. Megan Diller’s 109 was the best of the three tying teams’ fifth scorer. Pendleton’s Heights’ fifth player had a 118 and Greenwood’s No. 5 scored 127.
Mt. Vernon and Eastern Hancock finished fifth and sixth, respectively. The Marauders shot a 393 and the Royals finished with an 18-hole team-record round of 410.
Haleigh Cavaletto was low for the Royals with a 97. Jocelyn Duncan added a 100, Daly Pelger chipped in with a 106 and Shelby Jackson had a 108.
Following Nugent and Johnson, who placed third and fourth overall in the meet, Mt. Vernon got a 107 from Mackenzie Miner and 121 from Emily Rollo.
