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.