WADSWORTH — Never, ever question the toughness of Jodi Johnson.
Wadsworth’s Jodi Johnson shoots over Twinsburg’s Tori Thomas during the first quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)
The first-team All-Ohioan and the Wadsworth girls basketball team got all they could handle Wednesday from tough-as-nails Twinsburg. The emotional Suburban League National Division game teetered on the brink of an upset for large portions of the second half.
When the pressure increased, Johnson took over.
Completely carrying the Grizzlies’ offense at times, the 5-foot-11 senior was a beast when it mattered most as Wadsworth survived a physical, tournament-like 49-40 victory.
Make that 86 straight SL wins. The Grizzlies (17-1, 11-0) can clinch a share of the crown Saturday against Brecksville (4-14, 2-9), which stunned North Royalton 45-41.
“I was just like, ‘Let’s go,” Johnson said. “I mean, I’m not losing this game. I’m not losing a Suburban League game. We knew this game could definitely be a big one for us winding down the Suburban League, and we needed to win this game, obviously, to get where we want to get.”
Johnson scored 18 of her game-high 24 points in the second half, including 12 straight for her team in the second half. The Ashland recruit also came out of a scare unscathed when she tripped going to the rim, glass-balled a layup and jammed her elbow into her side when she slammed into the wall padding.
The Tigers (11-7, 4-6), who lost the first meeting 59-29 on Dec. 12, cut a 44-31 deficit at the 2:07 mark to 45-40, but the Grizzlies got a gigantic transition layup from Jenna Johnson with 50 seconds left — her only points of the night. The bucket off a pass from Sophia Fortner (6 assists) came mere seconds after Twinsburg center Jasmine Bishop (13 points) scored on a nifty left-handed drop step.
The Grizzlies, who also got seven second-half points from center Peyton Banks, helped make the game close by shooting a pedestrian 10-of-18 at the foul line in the second half — they entered play as one of the best free throw shooting teams in the state — but a win is a win, especially against a Julie Solis-coached team.
“Very, very physical — at times borderline ugly and at times a grind,” Wadsworth coach Andrew Booth said. “That was very grind-it-out type of game, to steal from (Ohio State football coach) Urban Meyer.
“Obviously Twinsburg, they hang their hat on the defensive end. They’re very athletic, they play extremely hard and they were very physical tonight. At times, I thought we handled it OK. At times, I thought we didn’t handle it at all, and at other times late in the game we got some buckets because we handled it very well, which was key to keep them at bay.”
A meaningful fourth quarter seemed unrealistic early on, as the Grizzlies held Twinsburg to 1-of-9 shooting while going up 13-2. The Tigers tried to spread the floor with a wide-as-possible five-out offense but came up empty as Wadsworth’s help defense was on point.
Solis scratched that idea after the Grizzlies took a 20-4 lead with 5:06 left in the half on a three-point play by Banks. Twinsburg slapped on a man press that Wadsworth made more effective by trying to bully their way to the rim.
In the second quarter, Wadsworth committed eight turnovers and attempted only five shots. From Banks’ bucket to a three-point play by Jodi Johnson, the Grizzlies went 7:05 without a field goal.
When it was time to get down the nitty gritty, however, they had the best player on the court.
“When you’ve got a kid who’s willing to put you on the back like that and make some pretty tough shots — really, it wasn’t like they were a bunch of open looks — that’s a pretty nice luxury to have as a coaching staff,” Booth said.
Notes
- The Grizzlies finished a sparkling 18-for-34 (.529) from the floor, including 9-for-16 in the second half.
- Wadsworth scored 36 of the final 50 points to win the junior varsity game 60-37. Maria Busson had 21 points.
Wadsworth 49, Twinsburg 40
TWINSBURG 2 11 15 12 — 40
WADSWORTH 13 7 16 13 — 49
Twinsburg — Tori Thomas 1-1-3, Dasja Anderson 2-0-5, Jasmine Bishop 5-1-13, Nya Bussey 2-4-8, Jailyn Reid 2-4-8, Shaundrea Butler 1-1-3, Mya Gardenhire 0-0-0, Dahrienne Tyler 0-0-0. TOTALS: 13-11-40.
Wadsworth — Laurel Palitto 0-1-1, Jenna Johnson 1-0-2, Lexi Lance 1-1-3, Jodi Johnson 8-7-24, Sophia Fortner 2-0-5, Peyton Banks 4-2-10, Olivia Chaney 0-0-0, McKenna Banks 2-0-4, Maddie Movsesian 0-0-0. TOTALS: 18-11-49.
3-point goals — Bishop 2, Anderson, Jo. Johnson, Fortner. Rebounds — Twinsburg 15 (Bishop 5), Wadsworth 18 (Jo. Johnson 6). Assists — Twinsburg 4 (Bishop 2), Wadsworth 10 (Fortner 6). Records — Twinsburg (11-7, 4-6), Wadsworth (17-1, 11-0). Junior varsity — Wadsworth 60, Twinsburg 37.