WADSWORTH — For the moment anyway, the Wadsworth girls basketball team is playing at a championship-caliber level.

The Grizzlies have gotten off to strong starts before, but this winter already looks like one of the best, especially after they quickly laid waste to North Royalton 48-24 Wednesday in a rematch of the Strongsville Division I Regional semifinals.

Wadsworth’s Sophia Fortner pushes the ball up the floor past North Royalton’s Gabby White during the first quarter. RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE

Wadsworth (5-0, 3-0) has already defeated three reigning district champions — Eastmoor Academy, Morgan County (Ga.) and the Bears (2-4, 1-2) — by 21, 28 and 24 points, and the fun will only continue Saturday when the Grizzlies travel to reigning Euclid D-I District champion Twinsburg (3-1, 2-1).

“We didn’t think about (who we were playing),” All-Gazette point guard Sophia Fortner said as teammate Meggie Flanigan tried to distract her with a silly face. “Coach (Andrew Booth) just told us to go out there and have fun and play hard. When we play hard, good things happen.”

The Suburban League National Division game against North Royalton, which extended Wadsworth’s SL win streak to 78, was pretty much never in doubt after the Grizzlies scored the first seven points.

Again the stars led the way. First-team All-Ohioan Jodi Johnson had nine points in the first quarter and finished with 16 points, five rebounds and four steals, while Fortner looked as comfortable as ever running the point and added seven points, seven assists and five steals.

Struggling to adjust without graduated four-year starters Alison Smolinski and Mackenzi Matthews but still featuring touted freshman center Taiyier Parks and athletic junior guard Gabby White (6 points, 5 rebounds), the Bears hung around until an ugly second quarter in which they took only four shots and committed five turnovers.

Wadsworth led 32-12 at halftime. The Grizzlies only won the second half 16-12, but a lot of that had to do with extreme offensive patience designed to get post touches for centers Lexi Lance (game-high 9 rebounds) and Peyton Banks (4 points, 5 rebounds).

“We knew this was going to be one of the top contenders in our league this year, and we knew we had to come out strong,” Johnson said. “We were all hyped up for this game, so that’s what motivated us throughout the game.”

With the full-court press in midseason form, Fortner creating offense more often, Johnson entrenching her reputation as an all-around star and team-wide intensity high, Wadsworth is rolling.

The Grizzlies know they can be elite and they’re not taking any chances.

“We realize we have the potential to get somewhere and do a lot of great things in the future,” said Fortner, referring to the state tournament in Columbus. “We’ve realized that sooner than later, and that’s when everything starts clicking together.”

Notes

• To the surprise of absolutely no one who knows recent Wadsworth history, current Grizzlies freshman coach Linsday Tenyak hit nothing but net on a half-court shot at halftime. The 2009 Gazette MVP made five during halftimes of boys games in the 2008-09 season.
• Freshman center Leah Maher had 14 points as the Grizzlies’ junior varsity won 48-16.

Wadsworth 48, North Royalton 24
NORTH ROYALTON 8 4 7 5 — 24
WADSWORTH 16 16 9 7 — 48
North Royalton — Lexi Chuppa 0-0-0, Tori Lineweaver 0-1-1, Taiyier Parks 2-0-4, Julianne Lebo 1-2-5, Gabby White 3-0-6, Kria Camino 2-0-4, Amy Tyma 0-2-2, Deanna Alnazer 1-0-2, Macie Plagens 0-0-0, Megan Grospitch 0-0-0, Krista Harbart 0-0-0. TOTALS: 9-5-24.
Wadsworth — Jenna Johnson 1-4-6, Laurel Palitto 3-0-6, Lexi Lance 1-0-2, Jodi Johnson 6-3-16, Sophia Fortner 2-2-7, Peyton Banks 2-0-4, McKenna Banks 1-2-4, Olivia Chaney 1-0-2, Maddie Movsesian 0-0-0, Alexa Conley 0-0-0, Leah Maher 0-0-0, Maggie Sonntag 0-0-0, Meggie Flanigan 0-1-1, Emily Kurnot 0-0-0. TOTALS: 17-12-48.
3-point goals — Lebo, Jo. Johnson, Fortner. Rebounds — North Royalton 16 (White 5), Wadsworth 30 (Lance 9). Assists — North Royalton 5 (Lineweaver 2), Wadsworth 13 (Fortner 7). Records — North Royalton (2-4, 1-2), Wadsworth (5-0, 3-0). Junior varsity — Wadsworth 48, North Royalton 16.

MEDINA — Friday was one of those nights when Jon Teske was the alpha dog.

The 7-foot-1 Medina center was everywhere, connecting on 3-pointers, mid-range jumpers, baby hooks and dunks while blocking shots, grabbing rebounds and even running the fastbreak a couple times.

Medina’s Jon Teske shoots over Strongsville’s Tyler Jamison during the first quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Toss in strong support from the beta dogs and the Bees crushed Strongsville 60-31 in their best all-around performance of the young season.

Teske had 22 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, four blocks and two steals in the Greater Cleveland Conference game. The Michigan recruit’s presence also was a key role as to why the previously undefeated Mustangs (4-1, 1-1) shot 12-for-57 (.211) from the floor.

“(Strongsville’s) a very good team, so we just wanted to come out and play good defense,” Teske said. “We know that when we play good defense, we have a good offense and that translates into wins.”

Teske getting half-court touches was a priority for Medina (3-0, 2-0), especially when coach Chris Hassinger figured out Strongsville wasn’t double-teaming. The Bees didn’t settle on forcing the ball to the block, either, as Teske also popped to the high post and 3-point arc, where he was 2-for-4.

The rest of the Bees followed suit and ball movement was crisp. Point guard Ben Geschke had 10 points (5-of-9 shooting) and three assists — Hassinger was especially pleased with the junior — Luke Schaefer added six points, six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a nifty left-footed spin move and twitchy-quick sophomore backup Colin Szumski pumped in a career-high 10 points.

“Efficient” was a good word to describe Medina, which shot 7-for-12, 6-for-13, 8-for-15 and 6-for-13 by quarter for a .509 percentage overall. The Bees only made 3-of-9 3-pointers and didn’t make a free throw until 7:36 was left, but that hardly mattered against a Strongsville team that, other than 6-7 center Tyler Jamison (2 points on 1-of-12 shooting, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks), was skittish against Teske.

“My teammates were just finding me here and there, and when they give it to me I’m going to try to score,” Teske said. “But if I get a double or something, I’ll kick it out and find the open shots.”

Strongsville entered play with a reputation for offensive balance. That technically held true Friday, as Jacob Yezbak and backup Moe Nofal had six points apiece and Jimmy Persarchick and Mark Orszycki each added five.

The defense of Medina was reminiscent of the surprise run to the Copley Division I District championship last season. Again the plan revolved around Teske, as Geschke, Schaefer, Szumski, Brian Moran and Jackson Sartain played in-your-grill style beyond the 3-point line, daring the Mustangs to drive into the teeth of Teske’s massive wingspan.

Strongsville took a 6-2 lead, but Teske immediately answered with seven points during an 11-0 run. The Bees then went on a 9-2 spurt to make it 24-12 — Teske had four points — and a 10-0 run to begin the second half in which Teske had six points and an assist.

The rest of the second half was little more than window dressing, as the Strongsville offense that was unselfish and patient earlier in the game deteriorated into chuck-and-duck.

“It’s the first game we’ve played defense consistently,” Hassinger said. “With (Teske) in the middle and our guards selling out on the perimeter and keeping guys in front, we contested every shot they took. It’s difficult for high school kids to make those shots, and if kids hit those shots, you give them credit. So, I was really happy with our defensive consistency.”

Note

Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.

Medina 60, Strongsville 31

STRONGSVILLE                   10    9   4    8   —  31

MEDINA                                  15  13  17  15  —  60

Strongsville — Jacob Yezbak 2-0-6, Jimmy Persarchick 2-0-5, Tyler Jamison 1-0-2, Jonnie Hopkins 0-0-0, Sean Aske 1-0-2, Moe Nofal 2-1-6, Berine McGivern 0-0-0, Peter Mocho 1-0-2, Mark Orszycki 2-0-5, Andrew Nelson 0-0-0, Garrett D’Abato 1-1-3, Noah Trizzino 0-0-0, Gee Gill 0-0-0, Matt Greaves 0-0-0. TOTALS: 12-2-31.

Medina — Luke Schaefer 3-0-6, Jimmy Clark 0-0-0, Jon Teske 9-2-22, Jackson Sartain 1-0-3, Ben Geschke 5-0-10, Jimmy Daw 2-0-4, Brian Moran 0-0-0, Colin Szumski 5-0-10, Sam McKee 0-0-0, Matthew McNaughton 0-0-0, Tyler Kaminski 1-0-2, Jared Keith 1-0-2, Dylan Fultz 0-1-1, Shane Cullen 0-0-0. TOTALS: 27-3-60.

3-point goals — Yezbak 2, Persarchick, Nofal, Orszycki, Teske 2, Sartain. Rebounds — Strongsville 27 (Jamison, Yezbak 7), Medina 38 (Teske 10). Assists — Strongsville 3 (Nelson, Jamison, Trizzino), Medina 14 (Geschke, Schaefer 3). Records — Strongsville (4-1, 1-1), Medina (3-0, 2-0). Junior varsity — Medina 64, Strongsville 42.

TWINSBURG — The breakout game for Lexi Lance has come and gone.

Wadsworth’s Lexi Lance scores against Twinsburg during the first quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

The 6-foot-1 center shined in the Wadsworth girls basketball team’s most physical game of the young season Saturday, posting a double-double as the Grizzlies manhandled Twinsburg 59-29 in Suburban League National Division action.

Only a sophomore, Lance finished with a career-high 16 points and 11 rebounds and drew multiple roars from the pro-Wadsworth crowd as the Grizzlies (6-0, 4-0) controlled the defending Euclid Division I District champion Tigers (3-2, 2-2) from the opening tip.

“For a 6-1 kid, she was the first to a lot of things — rebounds, loose balls, getting out on fast breaks,” coach Andrew Booth said. “It doesn’t surprise us because we’ve seen her do it in practice, but that’s the first time she’s been able to do that in a game. When she’s as active as she was tonight, that really makes us tough to beat.”

Lance already is quite touted despite being in her first season as starter — she is a three-star recruit by ESPN.com — but generally plays a supporting role to first-team All-Ohioan Jodi Johnson, a top-100 shooting guard headed to Ashland, and classmate Sophia Fortner (17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals), another ESPN three-star recruit.

That wasn’t the case in northern Summit County, as Lance consistently finished at the rim, grabbed rebounds, blocked a pair of shots and made 6-of-8 free throws.

She had eight points and three boards as the Grizzlies took a 31-9 lead at halftime.

The play of the game came shortly after Wadsworth re-entered the gymnasium.

Twinsburg attempted to attack the rim, but Lance stuffed the shot attempt, grabbed the loose ball and sprinted to the other end. She then roared through the air and kissed the ball high off glass while being defended tightly, getting a big reaction from everyone in attendance.

Lance had another highlight-reel moment in the fourth, using a left-to-right crossover above the 3-point arc to leave a defender in the dust en route to a wide-open layup.

“We just played really hard, and we didn’t worry about the score,” Lance said. “We just kept going.”

Lance was a fraction of another impressive game by Wadsworth, which has defeated reigning district champions Eastmoor Academy, Morgan County (Ga.), North Royalton and Twinsburg by an average of 25.8 points.

The Tigers, piloted by former Cloverleaf coach Julie Solis, tried to control pace with half-court offense but couldn’t get any offense going as the Grizzlies’ alternating presses forced eight first-quarter turnovers. Twinsburg leading scorer and 6-0 center Jasmine Bishop (8 points, 7 rebounds) was most affected, as her touches were limited because of the sometimes ragged pace.

While Lance had six points and Fortner added five in what ended up an 18-6 first quarter, Jenna Johnson was Wadsworth’s most important player early with three points and five rebounds (4 offensive) during a 7-0 start. Laurel Palitto then got into the act with a transition 3-pointer early in the second quarter.

The Grizzlies, who made 25-of-32 free throws, eventually led 41-9 early in the third, when Jodi Johnson scored seven of her 11 points.

“We all kind of were on the same page, and we all were passing the ball around, giving opportunities to everyone,” Jenna Johnson said. “We got them out of their system and had our players push the ball up the floor.”

Note
Maria Busson had 11 points as Wadsworth’s junior varsity won 53-28.

Wadsworth 59, Twinsburg 29
WADSWORTH 18 13 12 16 — 59
TWINSBURG 6 3 8 12 — 29
Wadsworth — Jenna Johnson 0-4-4, Laurel Palitto 2-0-5, Lexi Lance 5-6-16, Jodi Johnson 5-1-11, Sophia Fortner 4-8-17, Peyton Banks 0-3-3, McKenna Banks 0-1-1, Olivia Chaney 0-0-0, Maddie Movsesian 0-0-0, Alexa Conley 0-0-0, Maggie Sonntag 0-0-0, Meggie Flanigan 0-0-0, Molly Palecek 0-2-2, Maria Busson 0-0-0. TOTALS: 16-25-59.
Twinsburg — Nya Bussey 0-0-0, Dasja Anderson 4-1-11, Jasmine Bishop 3-2-8, Tori Thomas 0-0-0, Jailyn Reid 2-2-6, Mya Gardenhire 0-0-0, Dahrienne Tyler 0-0-0, Rocki Jones 1-0-2, Trinity Carthen 0-2-2, Brittany Jolly 0-0-0. TOTALS: 10-7-29.
3-point goals — Palitto, Fortner, Anderson 2. Rebounds — Wadsworth 33 (Lance 11), Twinsburg 24 (Bishop 7). Assists — Wadsworth 6 (Fortner 3), Twinsburg 4 (Tyler 2). Records — Wadsworth (6-0, 4-0), Twinsburg (3-2, 2-2). Junior varsity — Wadsworth 53, Twinsburg 28.

GRANGER TWP. — Like the rapper Drake, the Highland girls basketball team apparently can go zero to 100 … real quick.

Highland’s Madison Less shoots against Brunswick’s Jessica Skrzypek during the second quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Monday was the epitome of how the experienced Hornets have played this season: The game isn’t always a work of art, but bodies are flying everywhere because the aggression meter is pegged to the max.

Brunswick simply couldn’t handle the desire, hustle and all-around guts as Highland walked away with a surprisingly easy 51-26 non-league victory.

“Once again, we just came out from the start playing hard,” Hornets small forward Madison Less said. “I think that game we played hard the whole game. We didn’t have any breaks. There wasn’t any period where we let down. That frustrated (Brunswick), which helped us because we played hard on defense.”

Despite shooting 1-for-14 from 3-point range — making it 2-for-33 over the last two games — Highland (5-1) got an 11-4 lead without 6-foot-1 center Marlee Profitt scoring, mostly by playing smothering defense and playing unselfishly in transition.

Coach Mike Moser’s Hornets then watched Profitt dominate the second quarter for a 25-13 halftime advantage — the Valparaiso recruit had three put-backs while scoring all 10 Highland points — before tacking on 10 points out of a four-corner offense to make the final score a tad misleading.

Profitt ultimately owned the paint and finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, two assists and four steals. Less lived up to Moser’s nickname for her — “Beast Mode” — with 11 points, four boards, two assists and three steals, while bulldog point guard Sam Catron (4 points, 4 assists), plucky Veronica Peterlin (8 points, 2 assists) and selfless power forward Kathleen Kirchner (8 rebounds) also contributed.

Almost everything the Hornets did well was a result of defense, as Brunswick’s top players — Farrah Benner (15.3 ppg coming in), Olivia Andrew (9.7) and Eileen Salisbury (8.8) — combined for nine points on 4-for-21 shooting. The Blue Devils (4-3), who were two days removed from a well-executed Greater Cleveland Conference win over Elyria, also committed 21 turnovers and made 1-of-15 3-pointers.

“The more we scored, the more down (Brunswick) got,” said Profitt, whose team is allowing 36.5 points per game. “That helped us.

“We were moving our feet, and our help defense also was good. We’ve been working since Day 1, so it’s definitely showing.”

The Blue Devils left battered and bruised after playing arguably their worst game of the season.

There were bright spots, as much-improved varsity newcomer Gabbi Campbell matched Highland’s toughness with 10 points, five steals and two assists. Maria Payne also attacked the rim, while center Paige Billetz held her own against Profitt early.

Still within punching range in the third quarter, there was a sense Brunswick could mount a comeback because of its normally stellar 3-point shooting.

The Hornets never allowed that to happen.

“We just didn’t come out ready to roll, and that was one our keys — whoever wants it more is going to win the game,” Blue Devils coach Halle Schmidt said. “Highland definitely wanted it more than we did. They played a lot harder, they played a lot faster, they communicated with each other, they had passion. We lacked those things tonight. That was the difference.

“It doesn’t matter what we do X’s and O’s because if we don’t have heart, we don’t have the desire — that goes for all 11 that are dressing for our varsity team — it’s tough to win games.”

Note
Hannah Zuro had 22 points as Highland won the action-packed junior varsity game 39-37. Natalie Galaida had 12 points for Brunswick.

Highland 51, Brunswick 26
BRUNSWICK 4 9 9 4 — 26
HIGHLAND 15 10 16 10 — 51
Brunswick — Farrah Benner 1-0-3, Olivia Andrew 2-0-4, Paige Billetz 1-1-3, Gabbi Campbell 5-0-10, Eileen Salisbury 1-0-2, Jessica Skrzypek 0-0-0, Maria Payne 1-2-4, Brittany Henke 0-0-0, Danielle Razzante 0-0-0. TOTALS: 11-3-26.
Highland — Madison Less 3-4-11, Kathleen Kirchner 1-0-2, Marlee Profitt 8-4-20, Veronica Peterlin 4-0-8, Sam Catron 2-0-4, Alli Esker 0-2-2, Emily Lyon 2-0-4, Alaina Monroe 0-0-0, Lauren Zuro 0-0-0, Cameron Angus 0-0-0. TOTALS: 20-10-51.
3-point goals — Benner, Less. Rebounds — Brunswick 29 (Benner 7), Highland 30 (Profitt 9). Assists — Brunswick 3 (Campbell 2), Highland 13 (Catron 4). Records — Brunswick (4-3), Highland (5-1). Junior varsity — Highland 39, Brunswick 37.

CLEVELAND — Mark Pinzone picked up more hardware Sunday, as the Buckeye football coach was named the Cleveland Browns 2015 High School Coach of the Year.

Pinzone topped nine other finalists for the award. The 45-year-old was honored at halftime of Cleveland’s 24-10 victory over the San Francisco 49ers with Bucks players Trevor Thome, Nathan Scott, Brad Calta and Jalin Brock and 9-year-old son Anthony at his side.

Along with Pinzone’s award, the Buckeye football program was presented with a $4,000 check from the Cleveland Browns Foundation. The Bucks also received an additional $2,000 for Pinzone being a finalist.

“The (players) snuck up behind me,” Pinzone said. “They kept it from me. I guess they found about it last week some time, but I thought I was just going on the field with those other (nine finalists). Athletic director Glen (Reisner) told me today there were another 10 (Buckeye players) at that game, but they were in the stands because only four kids can go on the field.

“The money is very nice. I’m real happy for Buckeye. That’s $6,000 Buckeye football is getting.”

Buckeye finished 10-0 in the regular season for the second time school history (2005), won its third consecutive Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division championship and qualified for the Division III playoffs for the third straight year.

Pinzone is the two-time reigning Gazette Coach of the Year. He also was Northeast Inland D-III Coach of the Year in 2014.

The Cleveland Browns High School Coach of the Year award is based on overall body of work during the regular season. Only schools that played in a Cleveland Browns High School Game of the Week — selected by online fan voting — are eligible.

Other finalists were Dan Boardman (St. Vincent-St. Mary), Lou Cirino (West Geauga), Shawn Dodd (Eastlake North), Luke Durbin (North Ridgeville), Andrew Mooney (Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin), Ron Rutt (Bay), D.J. Shaw (Midview), Steve Trivisonno (Mentor) and Josh Wells (Rocky River).

MEDINA — Cue “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson proclaiming “everybody happy, happy, happy.”

Medina’s Ben Geschke shoots between Wadsworth’s Mitchell Blackburn, left, and Reid Black during the second quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Pretty much anyone with something resembling common sense Tuesday knew Medina’s boys basketball team was significantly better than Wadsworth heading into their annual non-league rivalry. The more pressing issue was whether each team walked away satisfied with its play.

The Bees got the pressure defense they were looking for in a tidy 78-46 victory that became official at 8:32 p.m., while the extremely young and inexperienced Grizzlies proved they have spunk in what already has been an uphill battle this season.

Even so, it was the largest margin of victory for Medina (4-0) over Wadsworth (1-4) since Dec. 22, 1970 (70-31). Neither Bees coach Chris Hassinger nor Grizzlies counterpart Mike Schmeltzer Jr. were born yet.

“Our whole game plan was to get the ball to Jon (Teske) and get out and run, score quick,” Bees small forward Luke Schaefer said. “That’s all it really was — get steals and play good defense.”

Medina let 7-foot-1 Michigan recruit Teske (9 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) play facilitator in the half court and otherwise pounded the Grizzlies into submission with transition offense.

Schaefer finished acrobatically and with ease en route to a career-high 24 points, four rebounds and five steals. Shooting guard Jackson Sartain added 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists, while point man Ben Geschke scored seven of his 10 points in the third quarter.

The Bees, who led 18-4 after one period and 63-29 after three, also got six points and six rebounds from backup power forward Jimmy Daw, four points and three steals from plucky guard Brian Moran and five quick boards from Shane Cullen.

Hassinger, a Wadsworth graduate, resident and former Grizzlies assistant, pulled his starters for good with 5:04 left.

“It starts with playing hard, hustling and playing good ‘D,’” Sartain said. “If you play good defense, it turns into offense and turns into points.

“I feel like we got a lot of steals (10) and turnovers. I felt like we hustled, I feel like we moved the ball really well (16 assists) and I feel like we shot the ball pretty well, too (33-for-59).”

The Grizzlies, who started sophomores Christian Szalay, Tony Hewitt, Lucas Mills and Reid Black, were overwhelmed by the Bees’ athleticism and aggression midway through the first quarter. Wadsworth settled down, though, and got the deficit to 22-13 before a Medina flurry at the end of the half.

The 6-4 Black finished with a career-high 11 points, four rebounds and three blocks. Szalay (7 points, 4 assists) blew by defenders multiple times to create offense, while Mills chipped in eight points on a night when Hewitt, Medina’s County’s sixth-leading scorer coming in, shot 4-for-15.

“We got a lot of positives from this,” Schmeltzer said. “I told our guys that that score doesn’t indicate, I think, how much better we competed and we played. We had a stretch at the end of the second quarter and we had a stretch there at the end of the third. It might be a 15- or 16-point game at that point.

“There’s no doubt there’s a reason why (Medina) went to regionals last year and that they’re picked to do it again. They’re probably the best team in the area.”

Notes

• The Medina junior varsity won 42-33 behind 16 points from Tyler Kaminski. David Griffin and Jake Justice had eight points apiece for Wadsworth.
• The Bees won the freshman game 48-27 as Ryan Soworowski pumped in 13 points.

Medina 78, Wadsworth 46
WADSWORTH 4 16 9 17 — 46
MEDINA 18 20 25 15 — 78
Wadsworth — Lucas Mills 3-0-8, Daniel Weinerman 0-0-0, Reid Black 5-0-11, Tony Hewitt 4-0-8, Christian Szalay 2-3-7, Kyle Larj 0-0-0, Connor Montgomery 0-2-2, David Hardy 0-0-0, Cameron Deemer 0-0-0, Ryan Storad 1-2-4, Mitchell Blackburn 1-0-2, Graham Blind 1-0-3, David Griffin 0-1-1, Jake Justice 0-0-0, Joey Fernholz 0-0-0. TOTALS: 17-8-46.
Medina — Luke Schaefer 11-1-24, Jimmy Clark 1-0-2, Jon Teske 3-3-9, Jackson Sartain 6-0-14, Ben Geschke 4-0-10, Brian Moran 2-0-4, Jimmy Daw 2-2-6, Colin Szumski 1-1-3, Tyler Kaminski 1-0-2, Matthew McNaughton 0-0-0, Sam McKee 0-0-0, Shane Cullen 1-0-2, Jared Keith 1-0-2, Dylan Fultz 0-0-0. TOTALS: 33-7-78.
3-point goals — Mills 2, Black, Blind, Sartain 2, Geschke 2, Schaefer. Rebounds — Wadsworth 22 (Black 4), Medina 39 (Sartain 8). Assists — Wadsworth 8 (Szalay 4), Medina 16 (Teske 5). Records — Wadsworth (1-4), Medina (4-0). Junior varsity — Medina 42, Wadsworth 33.

SULLIVAN TWP. — With 1:04 remaining Friday, freshman Brennan Scheck grabbed an offensive rebound, took a baseline power dribble and was fouled in the act of shooting, causing Black River boys basketball teammates Allan Benson, Brandon Heath, Mike Hazlett, Derek Hawley and Curtis Roupe to catapult out of their seats in excitement.

Scheck missed the free throws, drawing audible groans from the giddy five, but that’s not the point. The Pirates were having a blast in what ended up a 66-46 Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division win over winless Brookside.

Think about that: “Fun,” “blowout” and “Black River” haven’t been in the same sentence in a long time.

“It’s a freshman thing,” a laughing Hazlett said. “They all miss them, so we were already giving him (a hard time).”

“I can’t tell you the last time we won by 20 points, so we’re just were excited and pumped,” the equally entertained Roupe added.

The answer to that question for the Pirates (2-4, 1-3) was beating Open Door by 26 on Dec. 2, 2011. Interestingly enough, that kick-started the program’s infamous 49-game losing streak.

Roupe (23 points, 10 rebounds) starred in the game that broke the streak — a 51-44 win at Mapleton on Dec. 21, 2013 — and all but guaranteed history won’t repeat.

“We were confident,” Roupe said. “We were the better team and knew it, so we expected (to win). We hadn’t played in a week and we were mad about the four-game losing streak, so we just wanted to get back on track.”

Against the Cardinals (0-7, 0-4), Black River didn’t panic when it saw a box-and-one defense against PAC leading scorer Benson (16 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 7 steals).

The Pirates used good ball movement to find the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Roupe in the high post for easy points.

Brookside pulled the box-and-one in the second quarter, but Black River led 17-4 behind its full-court 1-2-2 zone designed to create havoc and increase pace. Hazlett (13 points), who was making his first career start in place of the injured Zach Hawley (ankle), then went off and scored 10 points to push the ante to 38-17 at halftime.

The Pirates, who also got 12 points, nine rebounds and two assists from forward Derek Hawley, led 50-21 when Hazlett found Benson for a wide-open 3-pointer in transition.

They then got sloppy with 19 second-half turnovers — they also had 30 fouls overall — but even that couldn’t put a damper on cheerful mood.

“That was a lot of fun,” Hazlett said. “We just went out, we were intense and we played our hardest.”

Brookside never had a realistic chance, but played free and loose in the second half to keep the final score from getting embarrassing. Point guard Norman Elias was steady and made 6-of-6 free throws en route to 12 points.

The bigger issue moving forward was losing leading scorer Christian Carrion (11 points, 4 rebounds, 5 steals) to a wrist injury on a fluke scrum after he was fouled on a driving layup attempt with 6:02 to go.

That’s not good news for a team that has lost by an average of 26.7 points this season.

“First quarter they made shots, we didn’t,” said coach Tom Moyer, whose team was 2-for-14 in the initial period and 14-for-57 overall. “Our goal was to hold Benson under 15 points. We didn’t do a very good job of that. Roupe dominated us inside. The kid’s a big kid and he has good post moves. We didn’t have anyone to stop him.”

Notes

• Brookside was 12-for-30 (.400) at the foul line, while Black River was 17-for-25 (.680). The Pirates also held a big edge in rebounding (46-26).
• Caleb Poldruhi had 12 points as Black River’s junior varsity won 47-38. The Pirates are 4-2, 3-1.

Black River 66, Brookside 46
BROOKSIDE 4 13 17 12 — 46
BLACK RIVER 17 21 17 11 — 66
Brookside — Christian Carrion 5-1-11, Devin Houdeshell 1-0-2, Travis Fortney 2-0-5, Alex Koltas 1-1-4, Norman Elias 2-6-12, Manny McNeill 0-1-1, Owen Rozanc 0-0-0, Tyler Alam 1-0-2, Dillon James 1-1-4, Logan Hartzell 0-2-2, Jules Gray 1-0-3. TOTALS: 14-12-46.
Black River — Derek Hawley 5-0-12, Mike Hazlett 4-3-13, Curtis Roupe 5-13-23, Matthew Potter 1-0-2, Allan Benson 7-1-16, Brandon Heath 0-0-0, Garrett Hord 0-0-0, Seth Pluta 0-0-0, River Wheeler 0-0-0, Brennan Scheck 0-0-0. TOTALS: 22-17-66.
3-point goals — Elias 2, Koltas, Fortney, James, Gray, Hawley 2, Hazlett 2, Benson. Rebounds — Brookside 26 (Elias, Carrion, Hartzell, McNeill 4), Black River 46 (Roupe 10). Assists — Brookside 6 (Koltas 2), Black River 15 (Benson 6). Records — Brookside (0-7, 0-4), Black River (2-4, 1-3). Junior varsity — Brookside 66, Black River 46.

WADSWORTH — Nearly 11 years have passed since Andrew Booth left Mansfield Madison for Wadsworth, but those who know the girls basketball coach best say he has changed very little.

Wadsworth head coach Andrew Booth against Hudson during the first quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Cool, collected, classy, confident and competitive, Booth showed why Saturday during the Grizzlies’ 73-30 win over Hudson. He still has a towel in his hand, pauses from pacing the sideline to take a drink of water next to the scorer’s table and coaches with meticulous detail regardless of score.

Booth also doesn’t get wrapped up in personal accolades, but appreciates the community support that comes along with them. The plaque commemorating his 300th overall win hangs in the coaches’ office — aka “The Man Cave” — but above old team pictures and in a rather non-prominent spot.

The Richland County native reached another milestone Saturday, as he tied the Medina County record for victories (222) held by Buckeye’s Steve Borgis (1982-86, 1988-2000). Announcer Jason Knapp informed the crowd during the postgame handshakes, and Booth received a brief but warm standing ovation.

“I think there’s two things,” Booth said. “No. 1, you’ve been around a while and No. 2, you’ve been surrounded by great players and great coaches, and certainly that’s been the case in my 11 years here.

“I’m very blessed to have worked with a staff that has been very consistent over the years and, more importantly than that, great friends to me and my family. That’s been really important.

“Obviously we’ve had really great kids here — kids who work hard from great families — so it’s pretty easy to (win) when you’re surrounded by quality people. There’s no question that’s the main reason for where we’re at right now.”

Booth will pass Borgis if the Grizzlies (8-0, 6-0) defeat Avon (7-3) on Wednesday. Booth is 222-41 at Wadsworth (320-99 overall) and has active streaks of 20-win seasons (five), district championships (five) and Suburban League victories (81).

Along the way, Booth has coached stars such as Cassie Schrock, Jen (Uhl) Martin, Chrissy (Pavlik) Borsani, Lindsay Tenyak, Taylor Woods, Rachel Goddard and Jodi Johnson. All of them are future prime candidates for the Wadsworth Sports Hall of Fame. On a more personal subject, Booth had four outstanding years with his equally competitive and charismatic daughter, Peyton, on the team.

What keeps Booth going isn’t winning — that certainly helps — but the relationships built in a blue-collar city like Wadsworth. He lives there, teaches there, coaches there and has no desire to leave.

“I knew enough about the program (when I took over) to know that they were really serious about girls basketball here in this little town,” Booth said. “In terms of what it’s meant to my family (wife Rachel and children Peyton and Alec) moving into a quality situation — not just me personally, but my family — was certainly the right move.”

No former player knows Booth better than Martin, who is now the Grizzlies’ assistant junior varsity coach.

A 1,300-point scorer at the school and four-year letterwinner at Bowling Green State, Martin always has appreciated the beyond-the-game traits that, in her mind, make Booth successful.

“From the day he came in here, he does a really good job of showing the girls and showing all of us (coaches) that he really cares about you and he’s going to make you better,” Martin said. “He’s going to push you, but he does it in such a way that is, like, Dad — loving, you know what I mean? Your dad’s going to yell at you to make you better, but he’s also going to give you a hug and tell you how to do it.

“(Booth) is special in that way. The girls love him, but he’s like Dad. You want to make him happy and you want to make sure you’re doing the right thing.”

Current power forward Laurel Palitto, a three-year starter, echoed Martin’s statement before pointing out Booth also cultivates community pride within the program. There’s also an upcoming team Christmas party at his Wadsworth Township home featuring a JV/varsity gift exchange, games and “a lot of food.”

“He loves the game so much, and at practice he transfers that love of the game to us,” Palitto said. “It makes it fun because you can see how much he loves it.”

As for the SL National Division game against Hudson, it didn’t play out much differently than other Wadsworth blowouts over the years. The Explorers (3-6, 1-4) missed eight shots and committed seven turnovers before finally getting on the scoreboard, and they did not make a two-pointer until 5:54 left in the third quarter.

Sophomore center Peyton Banks pumped in a career-high 18 points on 6-of-10 field goals and 6-of-8 free throws. Senior All-Ohioan Johnson added 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals, while 10th-graders Sophia Fortner (10 points, 6 assists, 3 steals) and Lexi Lance (11, 7 rebounds, 4 steals) also posted their usual statistics before heading to the bench and later celebrating Maria Busson’s initial varsity basket late in the fourth quarter.

“The coaches have fun and the kids have fun,” Booth said. “It’s more than just basketball. It’s the memories you get to make every different year.

“We tell the kids that when they’re done playing, they don’t get another chance to make those memories. We get to make memories every single year with a new group of kids. That’s the big thing. That’s what keeps us going, I think.”

Notes
Wadsworth won the junior varsity game 36-20. The Grizzlies played without leading scorer Leah Maher and trailed 13-12 at halftime.

Wadsworth 73, Hudson 30
HUDSON 3 10 5 12 — 30
WADSWORTH 16 20 18 19 — 73
Hudson — Emmy Klemencic 0-5-5, Ally Prosser 3-0-9, Erin Madar 1-4-6, Gillian Spivak 0-0-0, Elizabeth Hinkle 1-0-2, Shelby Johnson 0-0-0, Elle Marquez 0-1-1, Emma Messina 1-0-3, Lorenza Chiarappa 0-4-4. TOTALS: 6-14-30.
Wadsworth — Jenna Johnson 1-2-4, Laurel Palitto 1-1-3, Lexi Lance 5-1-11, Jodi Johnson 6-1-14, Sophia Fortner 3-4-10, Peyton Banks 6-6-18, Olivia Chaney 1-0-2, McKenna Banks 0-0-0, Maddie Movsesian 1-0-2, Alexa Conley 1-0-3, Maggie Sonntag 0-2-2, Meggie Flanigan 1-0-2, Maria Busson 1-0-2, Emily Kurnot 0-0-0. TOTALS: 27-17-73.
3-point goals — Prosser 3, Messina, Jo. Johnson, Conley. Rebounds — Hudson 20 (Chiarappa 5), Wadsworth 28 (Lance 7). Assists — Hudson 4 (Klemencic 2), Wadsworth 18 (Fortner 6). Records — Hudson (3-6, 1-4), Wadsworth (8-0, 6-0). Junior varsity — Wadsworth 36, Hudson 20.

MEDINA — The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band won … again.

Hall of fame public address announcer Jim Wienczkowski was trying to describe the current edition of the Medina girls basketball team. The Bees often play cosmetically ugly games, but get by on physicality (Nitty Gritty), determination (Dirt) and awesome chemistry (Band).

Medina’s Emma Bobey battles Revere’s Viktoria Farian for a rebound during the first half . AARON JOSEFCZYK/GAZETTE

The Grammy-award-winning musical group was what Wienczkowski came up with, and Team Better Together played the part Monday in a hairy 36-33 non-league win over severely shorthanded Revere.

Medina (6-3) has won its games by seven, five, seven, five, four and three points. The latter three victories came over a five-day span.

“Tonight was kind of an ugly type of game — a low-scoring game, a physical game, a lot of errors by both teams,” coach Karen Kase said. “But, a win’s a win. That’s our third win in a row, and this team finds a way to win even when we’re kind of not at our best. They’re finding a way to stick together and fight through some of that struggle and get a ‘W.’”

The Bees were without starting point guard and Hiram recruit Clover Kaple (knee) for the second straight game. The Minutemen (4-5) had 6-foot-1 Akron signee Caitlin Vari (knee), High Point commit Camryn Brown (wrist) and talented freshman power forward Grace Hete (knee) in street clothes.

Play reflected that offensively, as Medina was 13-for-52 shooting and Revere 10-for-41, with many of the misses from close range. The Bees almost blew a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter, but survived after the Minutemen’s Emily Brock (15 points) and Abby Brock missed 3-pointers in the closing seconds.

Medina had a hand in the score staying close by missing the front end of a one-and-one twice and committing a turnover in the final 30 seconds.

“We were a little shaky with the ball, and by normally people who aren’t shaky with the ball,” Kase said. “But Olivia Hutchman did a nice job tonight (0 fourth-quarter turnovers), and she was pretty steady. She’s one of the ones who has to step up with (Kaple) being out.”

Hitting a pair of 3-pointers and otherwise finishing on the left-side block, All-Gazette point forward Holzman led the Bees with 19 points, eight rebounds and two assists.

Amanda Holzman had 12 of her 14 rebounds in the first half, while forward Margaret Swiecicki (3 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals) played her usual defensive-oriented game.

While Emma Bobey (4 points, 5 rebounds) and Delaney Cullen (5, 7) had off-nights shooting the ball, they came up with the Bees’ two most important field goals in the fourth quarter.

Both buckets came out of timeouts, and neither player was the primary option.

The first sequence was with Medina up 29-27, as Cullen came off a screen and drilled a 3-pointer at the top of the arc. The second was with 1:34 left, as Jessie Holzman dribbled baseline, drew a double team and calmly bounce-passed across the key to Bobey for a wide-open layup that made the score 36-31.

“Delaney was due for a shot — she was working hard trying to get a shot earlier in the game and she couldn’t find it,” Jessie Holzman said. “Then she hit one.

“(On the other play), they were keying on me on the low block, so I noticed Emma was wide-open for the shot.”

No matter which way the win is dissected, it’s still a win heading into Christmas.

That was the overlying message from the Bees.

“It was up-and-down,” Jessie Holzman said. “We got some key shots to win the game, but all-around that was not the best performance that everyone on the team could have done.”

Notes

• Spotted in attendance were former Bees players Pari Yost, Christina Vukovich, Alexis Smith, Kelsey Stolarski, Angela Tesny, Madi Tata, Faith Constance, ToriBeth “T.B.” Cullen, Erin Pacholski, Holly Rhodes, Liz Hiteshue, Steph Durbin, Liz Jones, Dev King, Kelsey Shewbridge, Ksenia Klue, Becca Supan, Morgan Wickey and Dyamon Stockman.
• l Mei-Ling Spelic had 16 points as Revere’s junior varsity remained undefeated with a 44-37 win. Olivia Gordon had eight points for Medina.

Medina 36, Revere 33
REVERE 7 8 8 10 — 33
MEDINA 12 7 9 8 — 36
Revere — Abby Brock 1-0-3, Hailey Hujer 1-0-2, Viktoria Farian 3-3-9, Alyssa Nicholas 0-0-0, Emily Brock 4-5-15, Salwa Najjar 0-1-1, Jessica Vari 1-1-3, Taylor Rinn 0-0-0, Mei-Ling Spelic 0-0-0. TOTALS: 10-10-33.
Medina — Delaney Cullen 2-0-5, Margaret Swiecicki 1-1-3, Amanda Holzman 1-0-2, Anna Marie Smith 0-1-1, Jessie Holzman 6-5-19, Emma Bobey 2-0-4, Abby Teske 0-0-0, Katie Neate 0-0-0, Olivia Hutchman 1-0-2, Emily McLeod 0-0-0. TOTALS: 13-7-36.
3-point goals — E. Brock 2, A. Brock, J. Holzman 2, Cullen. Rebounds — Revere 28 (Farian 15), Medina 47 (A. Holzman 14). Assists — Revere 3 (Hujer 2), Medina 9 (J. Holzman, Swiecicki 2). Records — Revere (4-5), Medina (6-3). Junior varsity — Revere 44, Medina 37.

WESTFIELD TWP. — Ah, the memories.

First thing’s first: The Cloverleaf boys basketball team won Tuesday, nearly grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory but still beating Springfield 62-58 in Portage Trail Conference Metro Division play.

That is only part of the story.

The night began with public address announcer Ron Tisher’s microphone petering out. Scoreboard operator Eric Martin then boomed his voice to inform the crowd, and everyone in attendance sang the national anthem in unison while trying not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

Naturally, the starting lineups were not announced, so sophomore student section member Tyler Pedmo bellowed the Colts’ starting lineup — “No. 3, Tyler Kapeluck,” etc. — as the head referee tossed the opening tip. Pedmo, a 5-foot-10, 240-pounder wearing a rainbow-colored umbrella hat for reasons only he can explain, later announced the winning 50/50 ticket number.

“(The national anthem) was kind of cool, you know?” smiling Colts guard Michael Martin said. “It was nice hearing everyone come together — kind of. I heard two different tempos, but it was cool. We didn’t have the sound, so everyone just stepped up.”

This proved to be a fitting segue to the equally unique game, as Cloverleaf rallied from an 11-point deficit and gained a 17-point lead before allowing the offensively challenged Spartans (1-5, 0-5) to make the score 61-58 with five seconds left.

Cloverleaf’s Ryan Gutschow fights for a rebound against Springfield’s Jordan McLean during the second quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Thankfully for the Colts, Ryan Gutschow made a free throw following an intentional foul and Martin inbounded to Timmy Schuerger to burn the final 1.4 seconds.

A win is a win is a win, especially for a team that had lost 11 straight and 20 of its last 21.

“I’m just excited,” Schuerger said. “All of us work really hard every day toward the one common goal, and that’s to win. Tonight’s win wasn’t pretty, but we got it done.”

The left-handed Martin had a career night with 18 points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals. Schuerger added 16 points, four assists and four steals, while centers Levi Grimm (6 points, 7 rebounds) and Gutschow (7, 3) combined for 13 points and 10 boards against beefy 6-2 counterpart Jordan McLean (30, 9).

Cloverleaf led by 16 points heading into the fourth, but McLean bulldozed into the paint for 11 points in the first three minutes of the period. Things got really hairy when Springfield got the score to 53-47, 54-48, 56-50, 58-52 and 60-55, the latter on a 3-pointer by junior varsity point guard Jeff Wilson with 18.4 seconds left.

Kapeluck then missed his fourth straight free throw in the final 30 seconds, but Wilson dribbled directly into the Colts’ Jeff Gilbert, who stole the ball, got fouled and made a foul shot with 10.5 ticks left.

Springfield’s Trevor Price answered with a 25-foot 3-pointer, but on the ensuing inbounds pass Schuerger alertly tossed a football-style 70-foot pass to Gutschow, who was immediately wrapped up for an intentional foul.

Thankfully for Cloverleaf, Gutschow made a free throw.

“We’re an inexperienced team,” Schuerger said. “We’re learning. It’s a learning process.”

Down 14-3 early, Cloverleaf (1-6, 1-4) went on a 43-15 run to take its biggest lead, 46-29, on a Schuerger 3-pointer late in the third quarter. Multiple reasons were behind the surge, as coach Marty Ryan slapped on a 2-2-1 press that transitioned into a trapping 2-3. He also moved Schuerger to point guard.

The pressure kept Springfield guards distracted from getting the ball to McLean. It also led to transition layups, as the Colts shot 16-for-25 while outscoring the Spartans 38-18 in the middle quarters.

Cloverleaf turned out to need every bit of that 28-point swing to pull off the victory.

“It was a great team win,” the headband-rocking Martin said. “We definitely needed this one after losing the first six, so it’s a big up-lifter for the upcoming games.”

Notes

• Cloverleaf power forward Tyler Hissom missed his second straight game with a high ankle sprain.
• Springfield rallied to win the junior varsity game 52-43. Joe Maloney had 14 points — all in the first half — for the Colts.

Cloverleaf 62, Springfield 58
SPRINGFIELD 15 5 13 25 — 58
CLOVERLEAF 11 21 17 13 — 62
Springfield — Ronnie Dawson 1-5-7, Brody Carper 0-0-0, Jordan McLean 12-6-30, Trevor Price 2-0-6, Andrew Hanna 3-2-10, Jordan Leon 0-0-0, Michael Thomas 0-0-0, Nick Pollock 0-0-0, Jeff Wilson 2-0-5, Tracy Jordan 0-0-0, Lamont Jamison 0-0-0. TOTALS: 20-13-58.
Cloverleaf — Tyler Kapeluck 3-1-7, Jeff Gilbert 1-1-3, Levi Grimm 3-0-6, Timmy Schuerger 5-3-16, Michael Martin 6-5-18, Austin Greer 2-1-5, Ryan Gutschow 3-1-7. TOTALS: 23-12-62.
3-point goals — Price 2, Schuerger 3, Martin. Rebounds — Springfield 28 (McLean 9), Cloverleaf 21 (Grimm 7). Assists — Springfield 12 (Price 5), Cloverleaf 13 (Schuerger 4). Records — Springfield (1-5, 0-5), Cloverleaf (1-6, 1-4). Junior varsity — Springfield 52, Cloverleaf 43.

WESTFIELD TWP. — It was a shame someone had to lose.

Evenly matched opponents met Wednesday when Highland’s girls basketball team traveled to Cloverleaf for a non-league game. The score was back and forth most of the night, as both teams played aggressive and physical.

Cloverleaf’s Lexi Civittolo battles Highland’s Samantha Catron for a rebound during the first half. AARON JOSEFCZYK/GAZETTE

When the dust settled, the Hornets simply executed better in the fourth quarter and won 52-48.

“It was ugly, but it’s a win for us,” center Marlee Profitt said.

Highland (8-1) appeared to be in good shape with 2:10 left, when Kathleen Kirchner got a strip-steal and threw a leak-out pass to Sam Catron that made the score 45-39.

Cloverleaf’s Lexi Civittolo answered with a pair of free throws and the Hornets split at the other end. Civittolo then made a step-back 3-pointer, bringing the score to 46-44.

Highland missed the front end of one-and-ones on consecutive possessions, but the Colts returned the favor with an air-balled 3-pointer and turnover. That set up the play of the game, as Catron, a Hillsdale softball recruit, bombed a perfect 60-foot bounce pass to Profitt that split two defenders and resulted in an easy layup.

Cloverleaf then missed two free throws down 48-44, Kirchner answered with two made free throws and Civittolo traded four foul shots to Veronica Peterlin’s two to make the score a little misleading.

“We just got into our heads that we needed to focus and be patient on offense,” Profitt said. “We needed to wait for a good shot, which we obviously did.”

Despite not getting many half-court touches because of a box-and-one defense by Cloverleaf, Profitt finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds and three steals. Madison Less picked up the offensive slack for the better part of 3½ quarters and added 10 points, eight boards, three assists and three steals, while Catron (9 points, 3 assists, 3 steals) and Peterlin (9, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals) also contributed on a night when Highland went 0-for-11 from 3-point range and made only 5-of-12 free throws in the second half.

The Colts saw Civittolo end up with 19 points, 13 rebounds and four steals despite second-half foul trouble. Ava Illig also had a stat-stuffing game with 14 points, seven boards, four assists and three steals, but the eight other players had only 15 points.

While the score indicated an average-paced game, the action was heavy on transition.

Highland’s alternating 2-2-1 and run-and-jump presses increased pace, while Cloverleaf’s arms-flying-everywhere box-and-one seduced Hornets not named Profitt into bricking open 15-to-17-footers or chucking up wild runners from just inside the key.

That there were 51 combined turnovers wasn’t a huge surprise. The difference was the Colts had eight in the fourth quarter and Highland just three.

“It just came down to a couple key possessions at the end,” Cloverleaf coach John Carmigiano said. “They turned the ball over less than we did in the final minutes. Overall though, I thought it was two teams that wanted it a lot.”

Having won the prior six games by 20.2 points, the intense, close game came at a good time for Hornets, who will battle perennially strong Stow (5-3) at the Massillon Jackson Holiday Classic on Monday.

“The first half was a little rough, but once we came out in the second half, we wanted it,” Less said. “We pushed through all the adversity throughout the game. A few calls didn’t go our way, and I thought we handled it well. We didn’t get down on ourselves. We kept pushing through.”

Notes

• Kirchner and sophomore backup Emily Lyon face-guarded Civittolo most of the game.
• Nordonia standout and Notre Dame College recruit Katie Karalic was in attendance supporting AAU teammates Civittolo and Profitt.
• Hannah Zuro had 12 points as Highland’s junior varsity won 46-15. Maddie Boltz had six points for Cloverleaf.

Highland 52, Cloverleaf 48
HIGHLAND 10 13 14 15 — 52
CLOVERLEAF 15 10 10 13 — 48
Highland — Madison Less 5-0-10, Kathleen Kirchner 0-2-2, Marlee Profitt 7-2-16, Veronica Peterlin 3-3-9, Sam Catron 4-1-9, Emily Lyon 1-2-4, Alli Esker 1-0-2. TOTALS: 21-10-52.
Cloverleaf — Helaina Limas 0-2-2, Lexi Civittolo 5-7-19, Taylor Barnum 2-0-4, Ava Illig 4-4-14, Jillian Miglich 0-2-2, Erian Hamilton 0-0-0, Mckenna Jordan 2-1-5, Anna Winnicki 0-0-0, Kassandra Kemp 1-0-2, Kayla Wilson 0-0-0. TOTALS: 14-16-48.
3-point goals — Illig 2, Civittolo 2. Rebounds — Highland 30 (Profitt 13), Cloverleaf 31 (Civittolo 13). Assists — Highland 11 (Catron, Less, Peterlin 3), Cloverleaf 10 (Illig 4). Records — Highland (8-1), Cloverleaf (7-3). Junior varsity — Highland 46, Cloverleaf 15.

YORK TWP. — The Highland boys basketball team’s double-or-nothing gamble paid off.

First-year coach Adam Cestaro was looking for spark after watching his inexperienced squad grind through an unwatchable first half Monday against Buckeye. The Bucks were sliding under screens atop the 3-point arc, daring the bigger Hornets to beat them with jumpers.

Buckeye’s Justin Lowry has his shot blocked by Highland’s Devin Myers during the second quarter. AARON JOSEFCZYK/GAZETTE

The adjustment was subtle, as Highland set double-screens to create driving lanes. Along with a stout defense, the Hornets did little wrong the rest of the night in an efficient 52-40 victory.

Highland (3-5) is gaining momentum even without starters Brandon Shaw (wrist) and Collin Rittman (back), and another winnable game is on tap Wednesday against rebuilding rival Wadsworth (2-5).

“Our offense was a little stagnant at first, but we pulled together,” said shooting guard Jake Mall, whose rapid improvement has been an early-season storyline. “We kept at it and knew that our shots were going to fall.”

Up 20-16 coming out of the locker room, the Hornets went 5-for-5 from the floor during a 13-2 run. Forward Isaac Matejin had four points, two rebounds and an assist on a corner 3-pointer by fellow left-hander Mall, who added an assist and two free throws during the splurge.

Struggling to score without injured star guard Nathan Polidori (ankle), Buckeye (4-3) never got closer than seven points the rest of the night.

The offense was remarkably balanced for Highland, which shot 12-for-22 and didn’t force anything in the second half. Mall (12 points) and Matejin (9, game-high 9 rebounds) loomed large during the game-deciding run, but Collin Levandowski (8 points), Joe “Tree” Wiencek (11, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Kyle Meissner (career-high 7) — the fifth player off the bench — also had their moments.

“Our defensive hustle set the tone, and that rolled into our offense,” said Matejin, who dove into his bench to save a loose ball. “That’s how we pulled out the win.”

The Bucks played their worst offensive game of the season, rarely attacking the rim and instead settling for jumpers. The 40 points were their fewest since Feb. 5, 2013 at Firelands (37), and they are now 1-3 without Polidori, who averaged 19.2 points last season.

Center Nick Wills started slow but had a team-high 10 points and five rebounds.

Braeden Stauffer (9 points) was the team’s most aggressive player offensively, but no one else added more than five points on a night when Highland took away the right-handed driving ability of 15-point scorer Liam Murray (4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists).

Buckeye shot 15-for-45 from the floor, including 3-for-16 from 3-point range. Most critically, it failed to take advantage of Highland’s equally poor offense in the first half (8-for-24 shooting).

The only good news is Polidori is expected to return next week.

“Good teams find a way to win those games,” said Wills, who added the entire team needed to be more aggressive without Polidori. “We didn’t find a way to win this game.”

Note

Jarrett Smith had 12 points and Landon Mazzocco added six points, four rebounds and four assists as the Highland junior varsity won 53-42. Michael Doerge (12 points) and Adam Fauver (8, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) had strong games for the Bucks, but the Hornets shot 23-for-41 from the floor.

Highland 52, Buckeye 40
HIGHLAND 10 10 16 16 — 52
BUCKEYE 6 10 10 14 — 40
Highland — Isaac Matejin 4-1-9, Brandon Sauer 0-0-0, Joe Wiencek 5-1-11, Jake Mall 3-5-12, Collin Levandowski 3-1-8, Ryan Frederick 0-0-0, Devin Myers 2-0-4, Tyler Frederick 0-1-1, Ethan Yerian 0-0-0, Kyle Meissner 3-0-7, Matt Fry 0-0-0, Jarrett Smith 0-0-0. TOTALS: 20-9-52.
Buckeye — Joey Bartinelli 2-0-5, Liam Murray 2-0-4, Nick Wills 4-2-10, Braeden Stauffer 2-4-9, Mikey Novick 1-0-2, Justin Lowry 1-0-2, Justin Canedy 2-1-5, Carter Hudak 1-0-3. TOTALS: 15-7-40.
3-point goals — Mall, Levandowski, Meissner, Bartinelli, Stauffer, Hudak. Rebounds — Highland 31 (Matejin 9), Buckeye 26 (Murray 6). Assists — Highland 6 (Mall 2), Buckeye 7 (Murray, Novick 2). Records — Highland (3-5), Buckeye (4-3). Junior varsity — Highland 53, Buckeye 42.

WADSWORTH — Any concerns of a letdown were swatted away like circa 1996 Dikembe Mutombo.

For the record, there was no finger wag.

Sandwiched between a six-point win over Avon last week and a highly anticipated showdown with Magnificat tonight, Wadsworth’s girls basketball team started strong and finished stronger Tuesday in a 58-33 win over GlenOak at the second annual Believe Roundball Classic.

Wadsworth’s Jodi Johnson drives past GlenOak’s Mikayla Vance during the first quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Combining the first and fourth quarters, the Grizzlies (10-0) outscored the Golden Eagles (7-4) 37-11.

“That Avon game taught us a lot,” reigning Gazette MVP Jodi Johnson said. “(Avon was) definitely physical with us throughout the whole game, and we knew we couldn’t shy away from that physicality.

“We had to come out and be a little stronger. We knew (GlenOak) was going to play the same way.”

Adjusting well to the smaller but muscular Golden Eagles, six players scored as Wadsworth took a 21-6 lead after one quarter. The Grizzlies then went on a 10-1 run to begin the fourth to turn a semi-interesting game into a laugher.

No one put up gaudy numbers for Wadsworth, but a wide variety of players contributed. First-team All-Ohioan Johnson had 15 points, four rebounds and three assists, while center Peyton Banks continued her breakout season with a hard-earned 13 points and fellow backup Olivia Chaney added six points and five rebounds.

GlenOak got 11 points from bull-in-a-china-shop point guard Dai’Shona Polk and 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds from athletic power forward Payton Brown, but little else.

“Our defense definitely led into some of our offense in the beginning,” Johnson said. “Executing our plays definitely helped out as well.”

Coming off that hairy win over Avon in which they didn’t shoot 25 percent, the Grizzlies showed no ill effects and made 8-of-12 shots in the opening period. Sophia Fortner had seven points to lead the charge, but Banks, Chaney, Johnson, Lexi Lance and Laurel Palitto also found the scoring column as Wadsworth established pace and moved the ball well.

The middle quarters weren’t exactly basketball poetry — the Grizzlies shot 6-for-22, while GlenOak shot 10-for-20 to keep the score reasonable at 42-28 — but that’s when Wadsworth got refocused, as Johnson scored four quick points at the foul line and Banks completed consecutive three-point plays to push the lead to 23 points.

“What we learned from the (Avon game) was we really need to get the tempo going,” Banks said. “The second quarter we didn’t do that well, but in the second half we brought it back.

“We just played our game and the way we know how to play. We know that we have to play fast and really get things going.”

Notes

• Twinsburg upset Magnificat 51-46 in the opener. Center Jasmine Bishop had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Tigers (6-2), including nine points in the fourth quarter.
  Bruising power forward Elise Keshock had 16 points and eight boards for the Blue Streaks, who have lost two of their last three after an 8-0 start.
• Reigning Division III Player of the Year Ashley Richardson pumped in 24 points, nine rebounds, six assists and six blocks to power undefeated Chippewa past Revere 58-37 in the second game. Star point guard Camryn Brown had 14 points for the Minutemen (4-6) in her first game back from a broken wrist.
• Behind 11 points from Molly Palecek, the Wadsworth junior varsity remained undefeated with a 42-24 victory.

Wadsworth 58, GlenOak 33
GLENOAK 6 12 10 5 — 33
WADSWORTH 21 6 15 16 — 58
GlenOak — Mikayla Vance 0-0-0, Payton Brown 5-2-12, Brooklyn Burns 0-0-0, Da’Vina Shelton 1-2-4, Dai’Shona Polk 5-0-11, Jade Abdulla 0-2-2, Nautica Haynes 0-0-0, Elana Maley 0-1-1, Sophia Cashner 1-0-3. TOTALS: 12-7-33.
Wadsworth — Jenna Johnson 1-0-3, Laurel Palitto 1-0-2, Lexi Lance 2-0-4, Jodi Johnson 4-6-15, Sophia Fortner 3-2-9, Olivia Chaney 2-2-6, Peyton Banks 3-7-13, McKenna Banks 0-0-0, Maddie Movsesian 0-0-0, Alexa Conley 1-0-2, Maggie Sonntag 1-0-2, Meggie Flanigan 1-0-2, Maria Busson 0-0-0, Emily Kurnot 0-0-0. TOTALS: 19-17-58.
3-point goals — Polk, Cashner, Je. Johnson, Jo. Johnson, Fortner. Rebounds — GlenOak 21 (Brown 9), Wadsworth 23 (Lance 5). Assists — GlenOak 5 (Polk 2), Wadsworth 10 (Jo. Johnson, Palitto 3). Records — GlenOak (7-4), Wadsworth (10-0). Junior varsity — Wadsworth 42, GlenOak 24.

WADSWORTH — When its defense plays like this, only a select few teams in Ohio can hang with Wadsworth’s girls basketball team.

Heavy Valley Forge Division I District favorite Magnificat isn’t one of them — at least for the moment, anyway.

Wadsworth’s Jodi Johnson goes up for a shot between Magnificat’s Lily Schwind, right, and Abigail Adler during the second quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Even when the Grizzlies’ run-and-jump press wasn’t working, the Blue Streaks still couldn’t do anything in the half court as Wadsworth cruised to a methodical 47-29 victory in the final game of the Believe Roundball Classic.

The Magnificat preseason hype even the Grizzlies bought into turned out to be ill-advised. It was the teams’ first meeting since Wadsworth won 46-27 in the 2013 North Royalton Division I Regional semifinals.

“This was a really big game from looking at the schedule at the beginning of the season,” shooting guard Jodi Johnson said. “We were hyped up for this game. That’s what really decided it. We were more intense, and that definitely carried onto the court and into our play.”

Wadsworth (11-0), which has won 14 straight regular-season games and 18 in a row at home, took control with a 16-4 second quarter. No one scored for the Blue Streaks besides aggressive and tough 5-foot-9 center Elise Keshock (12 points, 7 rebounds) until 3:21 was left in the first half.

Magnificat’s guards kept trying to pass over the press, leading to easy tip steals and transition opportunities for the Grizzlies. The story was nearly identical to the Blue Streaks’ upset loss to Twinsburg on Tuesday.

Moving 6-0 small forward and Penn recruit Phoebe Sterba (2 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists) to the point didn’t help, as Magnificat had nine turnovers in the critical second quarter. It also shot just 5-for-19 and attempted one free throw while trailing 25-11 at halftime.

“If we give them pressure and we work our butts off on defense, we’ll get what we want,” Grizzlies point guard Sophia Fortner said.

Wadsworth got no eye-popping stats individually, but balance was key.

Ashland recruit Johnson had 13 points and passed Elisa Inman (1,173, 1995-99) for fifth on the school’s career scoring list, Fortner had seven of her nine points in the third quarter, Peyton Banks (8 points, 4 rebounds) contributed inside and backups Maddie Movsesian (4 points) and Olivia Chaney (4 steals, 2 assists) made impact plays in the critical second quarter.

The Grizzlies struggled finishing at the rim against Magnificat’s frontcourt of 6-0 Lily Schwind, Sterba and Keshock, but kept attacking anyway and got to the foul line.

In the first half, Wadsworth was 6-for-26 from the floor but 13-for-15 at the foul line. The Grizzlies were in the bonus with more than six minutes left in the half and the double bonus shortly thereafter.

“That was one of our points of emphasis — to attack them,” coach Andrew Booth said. “I told them this before the game: ‘Those three 6-footers are going to have to guard three of you,’ and I thought we had a quickness advantage. All of our girls can go pretty good off the dribble, and we just wanted to get by them.”

Wadsworth passed a significant test, and another is on tap next week when it battles Nordonia (9-1, 4-1) in Suburban League National Division play.

The Grizzlies gained confidence for that one after suffocating the Blue Streaks with defense.

“I think we were aggressive and I think we took them out of their comfort zone,” Chaney said. “They’re a fast-paced team, and they’re kind of a team that’s exactly like us. They’re well disciplined. They’re well coached. Defense was the deciding factor of that game.”

Notes

• Camryn Brown, Emily Brock and Viktoria Farian had 12 points apiece as Revere defeated GlenOak 41-31 in the first game of the night.
• Chippewa beat Twinsburg 58-43 in the second game, but that was only part of the story. The Chipps led 46-21 after three quarters, but the Tigers went on a 22-0 run. Chippewa then countered with a 12-0 run to end the game. Ashlee Richardson (23 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 5 blocks) and Taylor Richards (16 points, 6 assists, 17 turnovers) had big games for the Chipps, while Twinsburg center Jasmine Bishop scored 20 of her 21 points in the second half.
• Maria Busson had 12 points as Wadsworth’s junior varsity won 37-29 over Magnificat. The Grizzlies moved to 132-4 since the start of the 2009-10 season.

Wadsworth 47, Magnificat 29
MAGNIFICAT 7 4 9 9 — 29
WADSWORTH 9 16 15 7 — 47
Magnificat — Phoebe Sterba 1-0-2, Lily Schwind 1-3-5, Elise Keshock 4-4-12, Jillian Birchfield 1-1-3, Sara Spicer 0-0-0, Molly Normadin 0-0-0, Abigail Adler 1-0-3, Theresa Farnan 2-0-4, Leah Becker 0-0-0, Anne Ruddy 0-0-0. TOTALS: 10-8-29.
Wadsworth — Jenna Johnson 0-2-2, Laurel Palitto 1-0-3, Lexi Lance 2-2-6, Jodi Johnson 4-5-13, Sophia Fortner 3-2-9, Olivia Chaney 0-0-0, Peyton Banks 1-6-8, McKenna Banks 0-2-2, Maddie Movsesian 1-2-4, Alexa Conley 0-0-0, Maggie Sonntag 0-0-0, Meggie Flanigan 0-0-0, Maria Busson 0-0-0, Camdyn Brady 0-0-0. TOTALS: 12-21-47.
3-point goals — Adler, Fortner, Palitto. Rebounds — Magnificat 25 (Keshock 7), Wadsworth 21 (P. Banks 4). Assists — Magnificat 3 (Sterba 2), Wadsworth 5 (Chaney, Palitto 2). Records — Magnificat (9-3), Wadsworth (11-0). Junior varsity — Wadsworth 37, Magnificat 29.

ORANGE TWP. — The good-but-not-good-enough theme is getting old real quick.

That wasn’t hard to see on third-year coach Josh Calame’s face Saturday after Black River’s boys basketball team lost to Mapleton 62-59 in non-league play.

Black River’s Allan Benson goes up for a shot against Mapleton’s Logan Hensel during the second quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Again there were positives. Tireless point guard Allan Benson pumped in 30 points for the second time this season. Center Curtis Roupe put up 17 points and 14 rebounds. The Pirates rallied in the second half, eventually taking the lead twice in the fourth quarter.

They still lost.

“It’s definitely wearing on me, that’s for sure,” Calame said after his team fell to 2-7. “It’s wearing on us because we lack confidence in a lot of different ways, and every game you lose is another loss of confidence. It’s just unfortunate we haven’t been able to figure out how to get on the winning end of some of these games.”

Calame lamented a poor start that saw man-bun-rockin’ guard Gage Barone (25 points, 11-of-18 shooting) score 11 points in a 15-6 run by the Mounties (3-7) to open the game.
The game ultimately wasn’t decided, however, until the final minutes.

Benson got a strip-steal and layup to make the score 55-53 Pirates, but Mapleton quickly tied the game and got the ball back. Barone then crossed over a defender at the 3-point arc and banked in a running

12-footer while getting bear-hugged by another defender who desperately tried to help. Only 1:32 remained.

Barone missed the free throw, and Roupe traveled on an attempted jump stop in the lane. The Mounties’ Garrett Haines (13 points) answered with a driving layup, putting the score at 59-55, and Benson and freshman Brennan Scheck (6 rebounds, 3 assists), who was making his first varsity start, got their signals crossed and a pass went out of bounds.

The Pirates’ final chance came with them down 60-57 with 12 seconds left. Benson got off a contested look in the corner off an inbounds play but was a sliver short. Barone then split free two throws, Roupe got a tip-in with 0.6 seconds left and Haines made a free throw for the final score.

“We’ve just got to be able to finish,” Benson said. “We’re still sort of a young team, you know? We’re growing, we’re learning.”

Mapleton, which hasn’t had a winning season since 1992-93, had an opportunity to blow out the Pirates in the first half because no one could guard the speedy Barone. Forward Chase Davis (12 points, 12 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks) also contributed as the Mounties led 20-12 after one quarter.

Overcoming four turnovers in the first, Benson got hot and carried the Pirates into contention. The four-year starter then went off for 13 points in the third quarter — surpassing 900 career points in the process — and gave Black River a 46-45 lead with two free throws.

The game was back-and-forth from that point, but Mapleton simply made a couple more clutch plays when pressure was at its greatest.

Black River shooting 1-for-14 from 3-point range didn’t help.

“At the beginning of the game, we just didn’t come out fast, and that led to the end of the game,” Benson said. “It just didn’t go our way.”

Note
Sophomore River Wheeler had 17 points in three quarters, but Black River’s junior varsity lost 46-39.

Mapleton 62, Black River 59
BLACK RIVER 12 16 17 14 — 59
MAPLETON 20 16 12 14 — 62
Black River — Mike Hazlett 1-0-2, Brennan Scheck 1-0-2, Curtis Roupe 8-1-17, Zach Hawley 0-0-0, Allan Benson 12-5-30, Matthew Potter 2-0-4, Derek Hawley 2-0-4, Brandon Heath 0-0-0. TOTALS: 26-6-59.
Mapleton — Garrett Haines 5-2-13, Chase Davis 5-2-12, J.J. Espy 0-0-0, Kyle Dress 2-5-9, Gage Barone 11-2-25, Tyler LeFever 1-1-3, Logan Hensel 0-0-0. TOTALS: 24-12-62.
3-point goals —Benson, Barone, Haines. Rebounds — Black River 29 (Roupe 14), Mapleton 22 (Davis 12). Assists — Black River 12 (Benson 4), Mapleton 9 (Dress 4). Records — Black River (2-7), Mapleton (3-7). Junior varsity — Mapleton 46, Black River 39.

Every year in high school sports, there are moments that cause people to, um, well, this: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Yo, Medina girls basketball team — aka Team Better Together/Nitty Gritty Dirt Band/whatever else you want to be called — please take a bow because, at this point, what y’all are pulling off is pretty much inexplicable.

Medina’s Clover Kaple, center, Margaret Swiecicki, right and Emma Bobey celebrate a big fourth quarter comeback to beat Highland 46-41. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Entering a rivalry game Wednesday against their version of That Team Up North (Brunswick), coach Karen Kase’s Bees are 9-3 and fresh off winning a bracket at the KSA Holiday Tournament in definitely-not-Ohio Orlando, Florida.

That record in itself is surprising for a team projected to be approximately .500, but winning those nine times by a combined 36 points? Dude, seriously. Logic has been thrown out of the window completely.

Medina County basketball has seen stuff like this before, but 99.9 percent of the time a team that plays a bunch of close games is .500ish. The 2010-11 Buckeye boys went 7-5 in games decided by five or fewer points and/or overtime. The 1960-61 Black River boys were 6-5.

The Queen Bees already are 8-2 in that scenario — as the kiddies like to say: YEET!!!!!!! — so let that marinate in your brain. Ten of their 12 games have been decided by five or fewer points and/or overtime. Today is Jan. 5, for crying out loud.

One that didn’t fit the criteria was a seven-point win over Elyria — led by Middle Tennessee State signee Shayla Middlebrooks — that saw Medina watch a 15-point lead wither to four in the second half before Hiram recruit Clover Kaple hit 6-of-6 free throws in the final 1:08.

Along the way, Medina knocked off Highland and Mentor, who have a combined 20-3 record and Division I prospects at center (6-foot-1 Marlee Profitt and 6-2 Teagan Ochaya). The epic 46-41 win against the Hornets ended with a 17-2 run, while the equally intense 55-50 upset over the Cardinals that no one saw coming (too bad hardly anyone was in the standings to witness it) had the Bees almost blowing a seven-point lead in the final 54 seconds.

Let’s be perfectly clear: All-time stars like Lori Koenig, Karen Alber, Shelly Miller, Caroline McCombs and Sarah Kinch aren’t trotting out there for Medina.

What has made this sometimes offensively challenged squad successful involves heart, determination, defense, rebounding and chemistry, along with confidence that doesn’t need a boost by reading the self-help book the movie “Mean Girls” is based off, “Queen Bees and Wannabes” (Oh, the irony).

Chris Hassinger gave birth to the program motto “Better together” in 2009, and Kase, Hassinger’s understudy and a kick-butt Medina player in the mid-1990s, kept it when she took over in 2013.

The family-above-all philosophy was tested with a 22-24 record over Kase’s first two seasons. Being sub-.500 is hard for teenagers to comprehend after watching their peers win three straight league titles, but there always was a sense of (for lack of a better corny cliché) sisterhood (and, for the record, nothing like Regina George’s squad The Plastics in “Mean Girls”).

Watch the bench during a Bees game and count the number of times a player stands up, leans over the baseline and screams “Yaaaaaa, (player name).” Then add every time someone jumps up and down like a sugar-high 3-year-old on Christmas morning after an exciting play.

Here’s a hint: You’ll need a pen and piece of paper.

That’s just one example. No wishy-washy, faker-than-a-three-dollar-bill smiles come from the faces of Jessie Holzman, Margaret Swiecicki, Kaple, Delaney Cullen, Emma Bobey, Amanda Holzman, Abby Teske, Olivia Hutchman, Anna Marie Smith, Katie Neate, Emily McLeod and Sydney Koch. They’re all real.

The trip to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on the campus of Walt Disney World Resort further entrenched Medina’s claim as one of the most lovey-dovey, tight-knit teams in the history of, like, ever.

It featured coloring books on the plane, riding Splash Mountain, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, The Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and Toy Story Midway Mania, an 8:30 a.m. stomach drop on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, napping on or next to picnic tables (you can do that in 85-degree weather) and posing for pictures with the Spaceship Earth and Sleeping Beauty Castle in the background.

The Bees also met Mickey Mouse, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto and Chewbacca — Kase wanted to see Aladdin, but he was off on a magic carpet ride or something — sang their hearts out at the Frozen Sing-Along Celebration (can’t make that up), chillaxed at a swimming pool and lived it up at a tournament-sponsored New Year’s Eve party that they instead turned into noted ice cream lover Jessie Holzman’s 18th birthday party.

Last but not least, in case anyone needed a tour guide since they were a gazillion miles away from Medina High, super-duper smart Disney fanatic Swiecicki provided answers to trivia questions and pointed out Hidden Mickeys — a representation of Mickey Mouse inserted subtly into various objects — at every turn.

Oops, maybe that wasn’t last but not least. There was ridiculously intense basketball, too, at the 80,000-square-foot, six-court Jostens Center.

The first game had Amanda Holzman making a layup with 6 seconds left in a 51-50 overtime win over Bishop Eustace Prep (N.J.), which started three girls 6-2 or taller.

Two days later, Medina survived Mount Blue (Maine) in a 25-24 slugfest. Finally, there was a physical, come-from-behind 48-45 win over Skiatook (Okla.) in which Bobey made 6-for-6 free throws in the fourth quarter.

Only fate knows if the Bees continue to beat the odds. Nine of their final 10 regular-season games are against Greater Cleveland Conference opponents, with Berea-Midpark (8-3) the only non-league foe. Then Medina will go the Valley Forge D-I District, where it has the ability to beat anyone, including heavy favorite Magnificat on the right night.

No matter what happens from this point, however, Medina has proven it can hang with just about anyone. The Bees also have proved “Better together” is more than simply a catchy way to break a huddle.

It’s a way of life.

MEDINA — Fans got their money’s worth Tuesday night.

Medina’s Jackson Sartain drives around Brunswick’s Kevin Simmons during the fourth quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

The latest chapter of Medina County’s most elite boys basketball rivalry was worthy of sole possession of first place in the Greater Cleveland Conference. Medina and Brunswick kept trading blows — often from the 3-point line after selfless ball movement — and almost everything schematically revolved around 7-foot-1 Bees center Jon Teske.

The Bees ultimately brought the Richard H. Clevidence Gymnasium crowd to its feet with a 61-56 win.

Jackson Sartain made two momentum-grabbing 3-pointers and Teske grabbed a critical offensive rebound, but the gutsy Blue Devils (7-3, 3-1) still had two chances to take the lead in the final 15 seconds.

Circle the Feb. 9 rematch at Brunswick on the calendar because odds of another dandy are high.

“It’s a great feeling. Beating Brunswick is always good,” Teske said. “But you’ve got to give them credit. They made shots, and they’re a very good team. We were just fortunate to come out with a victory.”

Despite seeing 2-3, 1-3-1 and man defenses with face-guarding by 6-5 Aaron Badowski, Teske had 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting — one miss was a one-handed putback dunk — 10 rebounds and two assists. Sartain had three second-half 3-pointers among his 17 points, Luke Schaefer (11 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists) had another steady effort and guards Colin Szumski and Ben Geschke combined for 11 assists.

Brunswick countered by making a season-high 14 3-pointers on 33 attempts — the Blue Devils were 6-for-13 inside the arc — using a five-out offense that drew Teske away from the rim. Zach Cebula hit five threes, Kevin Simmons scored all 11 of his points in the second half and All-Gazette point guard Michael Quiring had 13 points, three assists, four steals and one turnover.

“It was a good game. Two good teams,” Brunswick coach Joe Mackey said. “In the end, I thought that they made a couple more plays.”

Medina (9-2, 4-0) led 56-48 with 5:09 left after back-to-back threes from Sartain — “My adrenaline was going,” he said — and 58-50 with 2:49 to go on a rattled-in putback dunk by Teske. Quiring then gave Brunswick hope with a 3-pointer, setting up an action-packed final minute-plus.

Up 58-53, the Bees committed turnovers sandwiched around a missed Brunswick 3-pointer. Cebula then drilled a three to bring the score to 58-56 with 24.5 seconds left, leading to a timeout.

Medina coach Chris Hassinger went for the dagger via a football-style inbounds pass from Szumski to Geschke, but it fell well short and was picked off by Quiring.

Solid man-to-man defense by the Bees burned almost 10 seconds before Kyle Goessler suddenly found himself wide open, elbow-extended. The freshman’s shot drew back iron, but the 6-1 Simmons outsoared Teske near the foul line for an offensive rebound and Mackey called timeout.

Unfortunately for Brunswick, Badowski grabbed the inbounds and threw a short but errant pass to Quiring. Geschke came up with the ball in the ensuing scrum and got fouled.

The junior made the front end of a one-and-one with 10.3 seconds left and missed the second, but Teske grabbed the offensive rebound amongst a throng of defenders and passed back to Geschke.

Geschke then made both ends of another one-and-one and the game was, for all intents and purposes, over.

‘“Hass’ just told me to try to be aggressive, try to get the rebound and get another foul,” Teske said.

The first half was smooth, as the teams made 22-of-41 field goals and 12-of-25 3-pointers, committed just eight turnovers and dished out a whopping 16 assists. The halftime score was 30-30.

The third quarter was much of the same, as the game was tied when Sartain made a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to put Medina ahead 48-45.

That set up a thrilling finish between the heated rivals.

“It’d say it was a battle,” Sartain said. “We had to play defense this whole game. We knew it was going to be a dogfight from the beginning. It wasn’t going to be a blowout at all. We had to fight until the end.”

Notes

• Teske was among 755 players nominated for the McDonald’s All-American Game. Other Ohioans were Frankie Hughes (Garfield Heights), Jarron Cumberland (Wilmington), Nick Ward (Gahanna Lincoln), Sean Flannery (St. Edward), Willie Jackson (Garfield Heights) and Xavier Simpson (Lima).
• Szumski started at shooting guard after playing one quarter in the junior varsity game.
• Brunswick did not attempt a free throw in the second half.
• Keith Simmons buried a double-teamed driving shot with two seconds left to give Brunswick a 44-42 triumph in the JV game. Simmons scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half, while Sam McKee’s 16 points paced Medina.

Medina 61, Brunswick 56
BRUNSWICK 15 15 15 11 — 56
MEDINA 16 14 18 13 — 61
Brunswick — Kevin Simmons 5-0-11, Zach Cebula 5-0-15, Aaron Badowski 2-0-6, Kyle Goessler 2-0-5, Michael Quiring 4-2-13, Austin Mick 1-0-3, Tyler Williams 0-0-0, Zak Zografos 1-0-3. TOTALS: 20-2-56.
Medina — Jackson Sartain 6-1-17, Luke Schaefer 4-0-11, Jon Teske 9-4-23, Colin Szumski 1-2-5, Ben Geshcke 0-3-3, Dylan Fultz 0-0-0, Jimmy Daw 1-0-2. TOTALS: 21-10-61.
3-point goals — Cebula 5, Quiring 3, Badowski 2, Goessler, Simmons, Mick, Zografos, Sartain 4, Schaefer 3, Teske, Szumski. Rebounds — Brunswick 12 (Simmons, Goessler 3), Medina 25 (Teske 10). Records — Brunswick (7-3, 3-1), Medina (9-2, 4-0). Junior varsity — Brunswick 44, Medina 42.

BRUNSWICK — Farrah Benner and Co. flipped the table on the Medina girls basketball team.

Brunswick’s Farrah Benner drives during the first quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

The Bees entered a Greater Cleveland Conference showdown against Brunswick with an uncanny ability to win close games. The Blue Devils didn’t, having played once — last week in a two-point over Berea-Midpark — when the final score was decided by less than six points.

None of that mattered Wednesday, as Benner pumped in a season-high 23 points, rebounded well and played solid defense as the Blue Devils did just enough to stave off a furious rally to win 41-38.

The well-deserved celebration for Brunswick (8-5, 3-3) was filled with screams and smiles.

“It was an awesome win,” Benner said. “It’s always good winning a rivalry game, and everyone was all in it. We were all playing together as a team. It was great.”

Medina (9-4, 3-3), which fell to 7-3 in games decided by five points or less, was in a do-or-die situation down 37-30 after Benner drilled her fourth 3-pointer.

In typical Bees fashion, they staged a gutsy comeback, but this one ended with two missed 3-pointers by All-Gazette pick Jessie Holzman (9 points, 7 rebounds) in the final six seconds.

Holzman began the rally with a bucket, followed by a free throw by her sister Amanda. Brunswick burned clock but also kept committing turnovers out of a spread offense, and Medina’s Emma Bobey (10 points, 10 rebounds) made two free throws to bring the score to 37-35 with 1:38 to go.

Benner, whose three was Brunswick’s only field goal of the fourth quarter, finally answered with two free throws, but Blue Devils missed the front end of two one-and-ones and the Bees’ Delaney Cullen hit a step-back three that made the score 39-38.

The teams then traded turnovers, and Eileen Salisbury made two important free throws at the 10.4-second mark that forced Medina to chuck up a three-ball prayer.

The Bees got off two. Jessie Holzman missed from the left corner, but forced a jump ball on the ensuing rebound battle. The possession arrow favored Medina, but Holzman missed again from close to the same spot.

“I don’t think our bubble was burst by this loss,” Medina coach Karen Kase said.

The rest of the game belonged to Benner, who was the best player on the court. The Lake Erie recruit was especially clutch right before and right after halftime, hitting five straight shots and giving Brunswick a 32-25 lead on her third 3-pointer, one of many shots that immediately followed a Bees score. The Blue Devils career 3-point leader also grabbed seven rebounds and had four steals.

A season-long theme held true, as undersized but very scrappy Brunswick improved to 8-3 when Benner scores 10 or more points.

“A lot of people recognize Farrah as just a shooter,” Blue Devils coach Halle Schmidt said of the two-time All-Gazette pick. “And she’s a great shooter, but she does a lot of other things. She’s our best player — she’s the best player in the program — and she’s really stepped up defensively this year and taking the ball to the basket and becoming a pretty good leader for us.

“We need her, and she needs to be recognized for the things that she does in addition to her shooting ability.”

The win was just what the doctor ordered for Brunswick, which was coming off a 61-51 loss to Amherst on Saturday.

“When we play hard, we can make a lot of really great things happen,” Schmidt said. “That was one game I saw us play a complete game, and everyone was invested the whole entire time, the whole four quarters.

“I can’t ask any more of them than to do what they just did, because I felt like their emotions were in check and they were playing as hard as they possibly could. Win or lose, we always want to go back to the locker room and say that we played hard. We did.”

Notes

• Medina’s Clover Kaple is out for the season after doctors diagnosed a torn ACL. The senior, who will play for Hiram College next season, was averaging 10.7 points when she got hurt Dec. 16 against Mentor.
• Medina also was playing without backup point guard Olivia Hutchman, who bumped her head during a game in Florida. Freshman Katie Neate played almost the entire second half at point guard for the Bees.
• Angela Fink (16 points) made 6-of-6 free throws in the fourth quarter as Brunswick’s junior varsity pulled away to win 42-29. Jenna McCollum had eight points for Medina.

Brunswick 41, Medina 38
MEDINA 7 10 11 10 — 38
BRUNSWICK 11 11 12 7 — 41
Medina — Margaret Swiecicki 3-0-6, Amanda Holzman 2-1-5, Emma Bobey 3-4-10, Delaney Cullen 3-0-7, Jessie Holzman 3-1-9, Anna Marie Smith 0-0-0, Abby Teske 0-0-0, Katie Neate 0-1-1, Emily McLeod 0-0-0. TOTALS: 14-7-38.
Brunswick — Farrah Benner 8-3-23, Olivia Andrew 2-0-6, Paige Billetz 1-0-2, Gabbi Campbell 1-0-3, Eileen Salisbury 2-2-7, Jessica Skrzypek 0-0-0, Danielle Razzante 0-0-0, Maria Payne 0-0-0, Brittany Henke 0-0-0. TOTALS: 14-5-41.
3-point goals — J. Holzman 2, Cullen, Benner 4, Andrew 2, Campbell, Salisbury. Rebounds — Medina 36 (Bobey 10), Brunswick 23 (Billetz 7). Assists — Medina 6 (Swiecicki, Cullen 2), Brunswick 10 (Campbell 4). Records — Medina (9-4, 3-3), Brunswick (8-5, 3-3). Junior varsity — Brunswick 42, Medina 29.

YORK TWP. — One of the most demoralizing things in sports is when you know exactly what’s coming and you’re powerless to stop it.

The first aspect of play listed on the Buckeye boys basketball team’s locker room whiteboard Friday was rebounding as the Bucks headed into a critical Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division showdown against Keystone.

Buckeye’s Joey Bartinelli scores between Keystone’s Austin Conrad, left, and Turner Campbell during the third quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

The bigger, stronger and flat-out better Wildcats did their thing anyway in front of a near-capacity crowd, and the 65-56 final wasn’t indicative of how the game went because Keystone (9-3, 7-0) led by 17 points with 4:36 to go.

“They shot the ball well (26-for-55), especially early, but we couldn’t rebound the ball,” Buckeye center Nick Wills said. “That’s on us, especially as seniors. Inside guys, that’s on us.

“(Keystone is) a good team, and they’re not going anywhere. We’ve got to do a better job sticking to our game plan. The No. 1 thing on the board was rebounding. We didn’t do that, so we’ve got to learn to do the little things and that will help us win games.”

The statistics collaborate what Wills said, as the Wildcats held a 32-19 rebounding advantage and grabbed 11 offensive boards in the first half. Keystone also scored 12 of its first 14 points in the paint, including eight on putbacks, and continued to beat up the Bucks (5-4, 4-3) en route to a 20-6 lead.

Buckeye, which saw the return of All-PAC guard Nathan Polidori, went to a 2-3 zone and got the score to 25-all, but the Wildcats’ Brody Kuhl (15 points, 5 rebounds) hit two big 3-pointers and Keystone got comfortable again finding 6-foot-3, 230-pound Ohio football recruit Austin Conrad (11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists) in the high post.

Bucks coach Tom Harrington was forced to yank the zone down double-digits in the third quarter. Predictably, 6-0, 220-pound Keystone center Brandon Kuhl (career-high 20 points, 13 rebounds) dominated inside and point guard Chris Sittinger (6 points, 7 assists, 2 turnovers) facilitated with ease.

“Austin Conrad, Brody (Kuhl) and myself, when we’re crashing the rebounds like that — not sounding cocky or anything — but I think we’re pretty hard to rebound against,” Brandon Kuhl said.

Wills led the Bucks with 14 points and a team-high five rebounds. High-flying backup center Justin Canedy was brilliant during the first-half comeback and finished with 11 points, three boards and two assists, while forward Liam Murray added 11 points and four steals.

Polidori was rusty after missing five games with a sprained ankle and didn’t score until burying back-to-back 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter. The 5-foot-11 senior’s rare off-night hardly affected the final outcome, however, because Buckeye was getting drilled in the paint.

“We do rebounding drills and all sorts of things,” Harrington said. “I told them, ‘The best defensive rebounder on the Cavs is the least athletic guy, Kevin Love.’ To me, it’s something that definitely needs to change going forward.”

The Bucks are now facing a dire scenario in the division race. Wellington (5-6, 4-2) moved into second place with a 68-50 win over Brookside, though a positive for third-place Buckeye moving forward is it plays seven of its next nine games at home.

A lot of soul-searching will be needed heading into a Tuesday game with archrival Black River (2-8, 1-6).

“When we struggle, it’s easy to get down on ourselves too much,” Wills said. “We have to stay a little bit more positive, but losing games is no fun, especially when our expectations are as high as they are.”

Note

Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.

Keystone 65, Buckeye 56

KEYSTONE          22  12  18  13  —  65

BUCKEYE            13  14  13  16  —  56

Keystone — Austin Conrad 5-0-11, Turner Campbell 3-1-9, Brandon Kuhl 9-2-20, Brody Kuhl 5-2-15, Chris Sittinger 2-1-6, Jeremy Gerhardinger 2-0-4, Kyle Sherrill 0-0-0, Corey Moffat 0-0-0. TOTALS: 26-6-65.

Buckeye — Joey Bartinelli 3-2-9, Liam Murray 4-2-11, Nick Wills 7-0-14, Nathan Polidori 2-0-6, Mikey Novick 0-0-0, Carter Hudak 0-2-2, Justin Canedy 4-3-11, Justin Lowry 1-1-3. TOTALS: 21-10-56.

3-point goals — Bro. Kuhl 3, Campbell 2, Sittinger, Conrad, Polidori 2, Bartinelli, Murray. Rebounds — Keystone 32 (Bra. Kuhl 13), Buckeye 19 (Wills 5). Assists — Keystone 14 (Sittinger 7), Buckeye 6 (Polidori 2). Records — Keystone (9-3, 7-0), Buckeye (5-4, 4-3). Junior varsity — Buckeye 42, Keystone 36.

BATH TWP. — Revere girls basketball coach Kevin Verde had planned to buy a bouquet of flowers to give to Highland star Marlee Profitt when she scored her 1,000th career point.

Verde instead somberly gave his condolences to Profitt on Saturday afternoon, leading to a hug and tears of appreciation from the 6-foot-1 Valparaiso recruit.

Highland’s Alaina Monroe scores over Revere’s Viktoria Farian, left, and Hailey Hujer during the third quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Less than 20 hours before the Hornets were slated to battle the Minutemen in a huge Suburban League American Division game, doctors revealed Profitt had sustained a season-ending torn ACL in her left knee Wednesday against Kent Roosevelt.

The shockwave reverberated throughout the incredibly close Highland program, as everyone, including Profitt, was convinced the injury was not serious.

“It’s been awful,” Profitt said while trying to force a smile to mask her true emotions. “I haven’t stopped crying.”

“My heart breaks for Marlee,” coach Mike Moser added. “My heart also breaks for the rest of the kids. It’s clearly such a tight-knit group that when one of them suffers something like that, they all suffer something like that — not just on the court, but behind the scenes, too.”

After a pregame team meeting — “we all just bawled our eyes out in the locker room,” Profitt said — the undersized Hornets kept pace with Revere for a quarter before falling behind and looking lost without Profitt.

The 55-23 defeat snapped Highland’s 10-game winning streak and gave the Minutemen a share of first place in the division.

The game, which included Revere standout Camryn Brown surpassing 1,000 career points, was hardly the biggest conversation piece among fans.

Profitt was injured in the first quarter of the 50-38 win over Roosevelt while flashing down the middle of the key on a fast break and looking for a pass from guard Veronica Peterlin. Profitt never got the pass because she made contact with the Rough Riders’ Samara Wright and crumbled to her knees.

After halftime, Profitt appeared to be no worse for wear, re-entered the game and helped the Hornets pull away from the Rough Riders, but she felt her knee was unstable and Moser yanked her for good after she made her only basket, a 3-pointer, in the fourth quarter.

Two days later, doctors called with the MRI results.

“I came home from practice (Friday) hoping to have the (MRI) results so I could know if it was a bone bruise or something else that was not even major,” said Profitt, who ends her career fifth in school history with 976 points. “I walk in and my dad (Scott) was like, ‘It’s bad news.’ My dad always jokes with me, so I was like, ‘Ha ha. Good one,’ but he was like, ‘No, you might want to sit down.’ Then he’s just like, ‘You just completely tore your ACL,’ and I just started bawling.”

So, too, did her teammates before and after the loss to Revere.

Behind two 3-pointers from forward Kathleen Kirchner, Highland (11-2, 6-1) ended the first quarter on a 13-3 run to take a three-point lead. Then the game turned ugly, as Revere (7-6, 6-1) went on a 35-3 run that featured the 1,000th point by High Point recruit Brown (14 points, 8 rebounds) and 1-for-26 shooting by the Hornets, who also had 16 straight misses and a scoreless second quarter.

Highland finished 7-for-50 from the floor, 3-for-20 from 3-point range and 6-for-16 from the foul line. Those figures were 3-for-38, 0-for-15 and 4-for-14 after the first quarter.

Despite the crushing loss, the Hornets, who also were outrebounded 47-21, felt they did all they could under the circumstances.

“I don’t think you can say (the game) is any indication whatsoever of what our kids play basketball like when (Profitt) is not on the floor,” Moser said. “The emotions are all over the place, and I don’t know anyone mentally strong enough to just bounce out of what we’ve had to deal with and be able to compete at the highest level.”

On the other hand, Highland knows the season isn’t over. The Hornets would still grab a piece of a league title for the first time since 1980 if they defeat Aurora (Jan. 23), Copley (Jan. 27), Tallmadge (Jan. 30), Barberton (Feb. 3) and Roosevelt (Feb. 10).

They also know they’ll have to do that without Profitt in the middle.

“Obviously Marlee is a huge part of this team,” Kirchner said. “She always has been and she always will be regardless of if she’s hurt or not. Other girls definitely had to step into other roles they weren’t comfortable with, but it was nice to come off the court and have her cheering us on, just as she was on the court next to us.”

Revere 55, Highland 23
HIGHLAND 13 0 3 7 — 23
REVERE 10 18 13 14 — 55
Highland — Madison Less 0-0-0, Kathleen Kirchner 2-1-7, Alli Esker 1-0-2, Veronica Peterlin 0-0-0, Sam Catron 1-2-5, Emily Lyon 1-2-4, Lauren Zuro 0-0-0, Alaina Monroe 2-0-4, Cameron Angus 0-0-0, Hannah Zuro 0-0-0, Kat Van Kirk 0-1-1. TOTALS: 7-6-23.
Revere — Abby Brock 1-1-4, Alyssa Nicholas 2-1-5, Viktoria Farian 5-1-11, Emily Brock 2-5-9, Camryn Brown 5-0-14, Hailey Hujer 0-0-0, Salwa Najjar 2-0-4, Jessica Vari 2-0-4, Alexa Langenfeld 0-0-0, Caitlyn Auletta 0-0-0, Taylor Rinn 2-0-4, Meiling Spelic 0-0-0. TOTALS: 21-8-55.
3-point goals — Kirchner 2, Catron, Brown 4, A. Brock. Rebounds — Highland 21 (Less 4), Revere 47 (Farian 9). Assists — Highland 4 (Less, Catron 2), Revere 8 (Nicholas, Hujer 3). Records — Highland (11-2, 6-1), Revere (7-6, 6-1). Junior varsity — Revere 42, Highland 35.