CLEVELAND — The question was asked jokingly and Sam Catron ran with it.
Highland’s Kathleen Kirchner goes for a shot against Wooster’s Halle Kotulock (10), Sydney Clapp (12) and Carla Stoll during the second quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)
After surprisingly dismantling Wooster 70-33 Thursday, should Highland’s girls basketball team petition the OHSAA to play all its home games at Quicken Loans Arena?
“That’d be nice,” the point guard said with a chuckle. “That’d be nice.”
The Hornets had a lifetime of memories to revisit after playing their best game of the season.
The bright lights, 94-foot court and cavernous shooting backgrounds at the 20,562-seat home of LeBron James and the Cavaliers never fazed undersized-but-gritty Highland (13-3), which ran the Generals (7-9) out of the arena with noticeable advantages in speed and overall athleticism.
Going on an 18-0 run to seize control in the first half, the Marlee Profitt-less Hornets kept running, running and running, ultimately forcing Wooster into 24 turnovers and 48 missed shots that led to leak-outs, unselfish passing and layups at the other end.
Catron made her first six shots in a career-best performance of 18 points, six rebounds and six steals. Sophomore backup Emily Lyon also was strong with nine points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals, while forward Madison Less added 14 points and a game-high five assists and fellow senior Lauren Zuro pumped in a career-high six points.
Not known as a great shooting team, Highland went 14-for-30 from the floor, 8-for-9 at the foul line and 3-for-10 from 3-point range while building a 39-16 halftime lead. The Hornets also had a season-high 19 assists on 27 field goals and reached 70 points for the first time in nearly three years.
“We’re so fortunate to be able to come here and play against Wooster, and they played a great game and we played a great game,” Catron said. “It’s just an incredible honor to get to come to this. (At first) it was a little overwhelming, but I knew we had a game to play and we needed to focus.
“People were talking about how it’s a lot different from a regular game, which it is because (the court) is so big, but once we got on the court, I felt comfortable.”
The rest of the day involved little details that made the overall experience unforgettable.
No one could top the story of guard Alaina Monroe (4 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists), who was the last player to exit the halftime locker room. The senior quickly got lost in the hallway before being pointed in the right direction by none other than 7-foot-1, 276-pound Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov.
“I was so surprised,” Monroe said.
That wasn’t the only highlight, as Highland announcer Joe Jastrzemski was behind the mic, sophomore Abigail Catron sang the national anthem and Profitt got to be apart of the fun from 35 miles away.
Profitt was not at The Q but instead at her Sharon Township home recuperating after having ACL reconstruction surgery Tuesday. Assistant coach Mandy Simmons fired up the iPhone application FaceTime, allowing the team’s star to see most of the action as well as interact with her teammates.
“I could hear her laughing through the phone. It was awesome,” said senior Alli Esker, Profitt’s replacement as starting center. “I knew she wanted to be here, but it worked out.”
Toss in a team dinner and tickets to the Cavaliers’ game against the Clippers that night and there were no shortages of smiles.
“It never settled in that ‘I’m at The Q right now. This is where LeBron stepped and this is where LeBron sat,’” said Esker, a Cavaliers/Kevin Love fanatic who was wearing a team jersey and knit hat afterward. “It never settled in until after the fact, but walking in was surreal and being down there by the locker room and seeing the arena from the court was awesome. I’m so happy and blessed for the opportunity.”
Notes
- National television station TNT tested equipment throughout the game.
- Wooster sophomore Ny Brown entered play averaging 18.6 points and was coming off a 28-point showing against Massillon. Brown had only four points on 2-for-6 shooting in the first half and finished with 10 points and game-high 11 rebounds.
- The Generals had a whopping 21 players see action, which is legal until rosters are limited to 15 in the tournament. Highland did not dress anyone who hadn’t already appeared in a varsity game this season (11 players).
- Take out a 7-for-17 third quarter and Wooster shot 7-for-45.
Highland 70, Wooster 33
WOOSTER 10 6 14 3 — 33
HIGHLAND 18 21 18 13 — 70
Wooster — Ny Brown 5-0-10, Skylar Clapp 2-0-4, Carla Stoll 3-0-6, Alexis Sigler 0-0-0, Izzy Rico 0-0-0, Halle Kotulock 0-2-2, Sydney Clapp 0-2-2, Stephanie Smith 2-0-4, Alisha Berry 0-0-0, Bri Koller 0-0-0, Hanna Morgan 2-0-5, Adrian Evans 0-0-0, Alana Koller 0-0-0, Kristen Machado 0-0-0, Lindsey Kastner 0-0-0, Jalyssa Turner 0-0-0, Jada McCloud 0-0-0, Macie Meade 0-0-0, Emma Anderson 0-0-0, Ness Bouchin 0-0-0, Gina VanLieu 0-0-0. TOTALS: 14-4-33.
Highland — Madison Less 5-4-14, Kathleen Kirchner 1-2-5, Alli Esker 2-0-4, Veronica Peterlin 2-3-7, Sam Catron 8-0-18, Emily Lyon 4-0-9, Alaina Monroe 1-2-4, Lauren Zuro 3-0-6, Cameron Angus 1-0-3, Hannah Zuro 0-0-0, Kat Van Kirk 0-0-0. TOTALS: 27-11-70.
3-point goals — Morgan, Catron 2, Kirchner, Lyon, Angus. Rebounds — Wooster 41 (Brown 11), Highland 38 (Lyon 9). Assists — Wooster 7 (Brown 3), Highland 19 (Less 4). Records — Wooster (7-9), Highland (13-3).