Chagrin Falls had two practice days to prepare for a big game against rival West Geauga. The Tigers had just come off an overtime win on the road against Perry, a team they had not beat in seven years. And now they had a road test against the Wolverines.
Game photos click here.
Chagrin Falls had two practice days to prepare for a big game against rival West Geauga. The Tigers had just come off an overtime win on the road against Perry, a team they had not beat in seven years. And now they had a road test against the Wolverines.
In the end, the Tigers earned the win 52-35.
“We didn’t have as much time to prepare for this game as we wanted because we had a very tough game against Perry Friday night that needed our full attention,” said Chagrin Falls Head Coach Brittany Laseak. “However, we were able to get in some drills that would help us to prepare for both games. We accepted the fact that we weren’t going to be able to match up with West Geauga’s height and worked on strategies to keep the ball out of the paint. And if it happened to get there, we worked on our help-side rotation.
“We also acknowledged that their key players were going to score no matter what, so the focus needed to be on containing them and limiting their opportunities. Movement and communication were big points of emphasis on defense.”
Alexa Hocevar scored the first two points with an elbow jumper that she banked in, and her Wolverines were off to a 2-0 lead. Senior shooting guard Jenna Santamaria answered with one better when she knocked down the first three of the night. A trip to the free throw line for Hocevar two minutes into the contest to put her team up by one point, but could not connect on either free throw.
Chagrin Falls turned the basketball over on its next possession, but a good defensive play by Santamaria had Hocevar picking up her first foul halfway through the first quarter.
Santamaria knocked down her second three within the quarter, stretching the lead to 6-2, in favor of the visiting Tigers. Behind a balanced offense, the Tigers would double up the score, 14-7, after back-to-back threes were made from Lilly Stukus.
Stukus paced the Tigers in their win against Perry, scoring a team-high 17 points. She continued her hot streak with eight points in the first quarter against West Geauga.
“Lilly worked like crazy to get open on back cuts to the rim and to create space on the perimeter,” Laseak said. “She earned every single one of them.”
The Wolverines would cut into the deficit slightly after an offensive rebound was corralled by a Wolverine. After the Wolverines forced another turnover, they knocked down a big-time three to pull within two points with less than one minute remaining in the opening quarter.
Senior guard Elana McGinnis created space from her defender and scored two to close out the quarter. The Tigers jumped out to a 16-12 lead.
Chagrin Falls’ defense would ultimately prove to be too much for the Wolverines. The Tigers held their opponent to 37 percent shooting, and their stingy defense forced them to the foul line eight times in the quarter, the only offense the Wolverines were able to produce.
Senior forward Kate Bartlett found herself in the stat line after going 2-2 from the free throw line.
“Obviously our team is not the tallest,” said McGinnis, laughing. “Going in, we knew that they had two strong key players, so we were going to have to be big in the paint, and shut them down individually. We did that all the way through.”
“I was really proud of Kate Bartlett’s effort,” Laseak said. “We had a lot of girls willing to step up and be the ‘glue girl’ last night — the player who does all of the little things that don’t necessarily show up in the stat book. Kate Bartlett has been a great example of that this season, and I think that her work ethic and leadership have really helped our younger players to grow and invest in what we are doing.”
Going into the half, the Tigers separated themselves from the Wolverines by opening up a 10-point lead, 25-15, heading into the locker room. Leading the pack was Stukus with 13 points. Hocevar paced her team with five, including four in the opening quarter.
If the Wolverines wanted to get back in the game, they would need more scoring around Hocevar. The home team would be awarded with the basketball to start the third quarter, and Hocevar fed Maggie Furst inside the paint, something their team was unable to do in the first half.
Bartlett scored the first points to start the third quarter, a step-back jumper at the elbow, stretching her team’s lead to 12. With back-to-back scoring possessions for West Geauga, the Wolverines were clawing their way back into the contest.
Stukus and Hocevar exchanged points on the next possessions with five minutes remaining. West G had cut the deficit to six.
Halfway through the quarter, the Tigers would get hot behind the arc. Stukus knocked down one, and Santamaria continued on her hot streak, which she started early in the first quarter. Behind Santamaria and Stukus’ big quarter, McGinnis snuck her way in for three points as well.
Entering the final quarter, the Tigers found themselves in a comfortable lead, 42-28.
“Elana McGinnis took over in the second half when we could open up the floor a bit and create space for her to do her thing,” Laseak said. “She was instrumental in breaking down their press. Jenna Santamaria hit some big shots when Lilly Stukus was being face guarded, and she was also a big part of that help defense inside.”
A late surge from the Wolverines would keep things close for the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Leading the way for the Wolverines was Hocevar, who finished the evening with 10 points. First would finish with eight points, while Haley Ottman and Hannah Mikulski each added five.
The balanced offense from Chagrin Falls was led by Lilly Stukus with 20 points, who shot 50 percent from the field. Santamaria finished with 12, shooting 33 percent from behind the arc. McGinnis finished with eight points, six of them in the fourth quarter. Kate Bartlett led the team with seven rebounds, while Stukus finished with five. McGinnis and Bartlett each added three assists to their stat line.
Coach Laseak had some pretty powerful words that she told her team before the big matchup.
“Before the game, we talked about knowing your role and taking pride in what you do,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you play 20 seconds or 32 minutes — you need to be able to do your job. I wanted everyone to know that I believed in them and what they are capable of. Every single person on that team matters, and you never know when your number is going to be called. You have to be ready to put in the work.”
Her young and inexperienced team brings just two starters from a season ago to its starting lineup, as well as three other seniors who had limited varsity action last year.
“These two games definitely boost our confidence,” McGinnis said. “Together as a team, we have figured out that we are capable of beating good, solid teams, and working together. It helps us build chemistry that we already had, and play all together.”
