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.