Savannah Steel earn first win in franchise history in home opener

SAVANNAH, Ga. —

The Savannah Steel made history Friday night, defeating the Greensboro Groove 85-67 to secure the franchise’s first victory in front of a sold-out crowd during the team’s inaugural home opener at Enmarket Arena.

Savannah, part of the inaugural Upshot League season, looked in control from the opening tip after dropping its first two games on the road against Greensboro.

The Steel established the pace early, moving the ball efficiently and capitalizing on strong communication to take command of the game. Savannah emphasized fundamentals during practice throughout the week, including rebounding and free-throw shooting, and the work showed early as the Steel built momentum through the first quarter.

Savannah widened the gap in the second quarter, outscoring Greensboro 20-13 to take a 40-25 lead into halftime. The Groove struggled with turnovers and miscommunication, while the Steel continued to capitalize on mistakes in transition and in the halfcourt offense.

Greensboro opened the second half with renewed energy, getting an early basket from Joyner before Diamond Johnson found an offensive rhythm to help trim the deficit.

However, Savannah responded with a strong shooting performance from Lasha Petree, who knocked down key 3-pointers to stop Greensboro’s momentum and help the Steel maintain control entering the fourth quarter.

The Steel continued to execute offensively in the final period, using off-ball movement and defensive pressure to create favorable matchups and extend the lead to as many as 20 points.

Turner helped close out the win, scoring nine points in the fourth quarter as Savannah kept Greensboro from mounting a comeback.

Greensboro made a late push, but Savannah’s play on both ends of the floor secured the milestone win.

The Steel return to action Sunday when they host the Jacksonville Waves in another home matchup at Enmarket Arena. Fan Fest begins at 1 p.m. before tipoff at 3 p.m.