In a sloppy offensive showing Jan. 24 between Hilltoppers and Rebels, it would be the youth of Chardon Head Coach Erik Hoenigman’s crew that resulted in a crucial 54-44 win.
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In a sloppy offensive showing Jan. 24 between Hilltoppers and Rebels, it would be the youth of Chardon Head Coach Erik Hoenigman’s crew that resulted in a crucial 54-44 win.
The Willoughby South Rebels held a 15-13 lead after the opening quarter. A strong first quarter from sophomore guard Sydney Isabella, who recorded six points to give her team a two-point lead, had the Hilltoppers on their heels for the majority of the first half.
Another low-scoring second quarter gave the Hilltoppers a one-point advantage of 21-20 heading into the half. Leading the way offensively was freshman Cassidy Grau with 12 points, while Isabella recorded nine.
“We had a really good pep talk during halftime, and Coach Hoenigman said we really have to get it together or else we’re gonna lose the game,” Grau said. “And that really pushed us harder, and once we started to make our shots during the third quarter, our momentum kept going.”
Coach Hoenigman confirmed his team was a little slow out of the gate.
“With freshmen and sophomores it’s always tough, especially on youth night with a bigger crowd,” he said. “After the first quarter, we began to settle in. Willoughby South played hard and kept matching us, so we knew we were in for another WRC fight like they always are.”
The Rebels regained the lead, 22-20, after senior Lacie Luketic got a layup to go down. After another Luketic offensive possession, when she got a step past her defender and made a trip to the free throw line, the Rebels started the third quarter 24-20.
Selena Sparker got the Hilltoppers back on the board after an offensive rebound and put-back, pulling her team within one, 24-23.
Back-and-forth we would go to start the third quarter, as Grau slipped behind her defender and scored two points on a fast break and Chardon took its first lead since the end of the second quarter. A mini run from the Rebels wouldn’t last long behind defensive efforts from Grau and her teammates.
A steal and assist from Grau to Sparker had things tied up again at 33.
“Our game plan was to play really good defense and hold South to one shot by being better at rebounding,” their coach said. “We did a nice job, after the first quarter, achieving this game plan. Willoughby South plays hard, and we knew we would have to defend the 3-point shooters, which I think we did a really good job of.”
Chardon ended the third quarter with a 41-33 lead after a defensive clinic put on by his team. Grau and senior shooting guard Nicole Krakora combined for a team-high 15 steals. The freshman led with nine steals alone.
“I can’t say enough about Cassidy Grau doing it on both ends of the court,” Hoenigman said.
Grau’s strong effort helped take the load off Krakora’s shoulders, and she was able to get a little bit more space for better shots in the second half.
The Hilltoppers eventually pulled out the hard-fought win with support off the bench from players like freshman Rory Duval-Lewis.
“(She) gave us some really good minutes and changed the game from a tie game to a 10-point advantage,” Hoenigman said. “She played a huge role in the third quarter, coming off the bench to make an assist, grab four rebounds and a block.”
Having been away for eight months with an ACL injury, Ava McDevitt came back to score five points and pull down 10 rebounds, he added.
“Huge to have an experienced player back on the floor,” he said.
Despite small minutes for McDevitt, she hustled going after loose basketballs, pulling down an offensive rebound, and giving her teammates another experienced player on the field.
Said her coach: “The comeback of Ava McDevitt, who really did what I thought she would be capable of doing since she has been doing it in practice — when she got on the court, she was fearless, coming back from her injury. It was so much more than I expected from her,.”
Grau led all scorers with 21 points, while Krakora added 15.
Krakora is close to notching her 1,000th career point; last year, Hilltopper Emily Noerr recorded hers. Abby Zeiger and McDevitt each added five points, and Sparker recorded four.
With the win, Chardon improved to 8-6 overall, 3-2 in the WRC. Willoughby South fell to 6-9 overall, 0-4 in the conference.
Leading the way offensively for the Rebels was Imani Harris with 14 points. Isabella added 13.
“This win does a lot because our conference is really small,” Krakora said, “so every win helps.”
Added Hoenigman: “This is a great team win, and important to get a conference win. After letting a game versus Mayfield slip away, we really needed to refocus and get a win in a tough conference.”
