In the new playoff formula, Ohio high schools it's easier to end up playing teams you may normally not see during the regular season. Levels of competition alter won-loss records and seedings for the tournaments, but playing good teams also is a regularity.
In the new playoff formula, Ohio high schools it’s easier to end up playing teams you may normally not see during the regular season.
Levels of competition alter won-loss records and seedings for the tournaments, but playing good teams also is a regularity.
The Berkshire Badgers girls basketball team, under first-year head coach Dave Albert, hosted a Tuslaw Mustangs team Feb. 18 with a similar record.
Tuslaw has built a solid program over the years. Coach Albert was well aware of it, but when push came to shove, the Mustangs used the inside power of Breanna McCabe and Destiny Dulkoski to power their way to a solid 56-30 victory over Berkshire.
The loss ended a fine 17-7 season for the Badgers in Div. V action against top quality teams, but the Badgers had not seen a tandem with the dominating inside game which Tuslaw put on the floor.
“We’ve taken immense strides since the start of the season here,” Coach Albert said. “It’s not easy for a team to get used to a new system like I gave them and expect much success, but these girls made me so proud with how hard they worked and were so coachable for me this year. They picked up on things in a hurry, and the work ethic was just unbelievable. I’m so proud of them, and to win 17 games like they did, with veteran and new players working as a team, this was the most wins for a Berkshire team in 14 years, and it’s all due to how they worked together.”
The tone for the game was set in the first minute. Dulkoski took a pass from Abby Leedy at the high post, and zipped a quick pass to the basket for 6-foot senior McCabe, who put the ball in easily. Leedy hit a 3-pointer with 2:21 gone in the game for a 5-0 lead, and Coach Albert called a quick timeout.
Grit has been a regular thing for these Badgers all season. They responded coming out of the timeout as Jenna Ronyak fired a pinpoint pass to Olivia Masink for the first Berkshire points of the night, but Tuslaw responded as any good team will.
McCabe hit a pair of buckets to close out the first period on a 6-0 run to give Tuslaw a 15-7 lead, and as the Badgers realized what they were in for — a regular dosage of McCabe— Tuslaw changed things up a bit with Leedy finding Dulkoski twice as the lead grew to 26-12 at halftime.
The Badgers were still right there, but shots were not going in for the locals.
Ivy Martin, a sophomore guard, tallied five points and freshman Stella Bateman added four as she tried hard to battle the double post players of Tuslaw.
After Meredith Bors hit a short jumper in the lane and Martin hit a jumper from the right wing to open the third period, Malia Mizeres stepped up her offensive output to take the pressure of the Mustang powerhouses McCabe and Dulkoski, and the Badgers just could not put any scoring runs on the board to get close.
McCabe had her usual double-double, scoring 21 points to go with 10 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Mizeres scored all 10 of her points in a 23-point third quarter outburst for Tuslaw. Leedy hit for nine points, Dulkoski and Karleight Tully added eight each as the Badgers could not keep up.
Martin paced Berkshire with 10 points, five in each half. Bateman added six as she battled inside all night, and Masink saw her high school career come to halt in a five point, nine rebound contest.
Meredith Bors added six points, but the Badgers could hit on only 32.5 percent of their shots, keeping them from lengthy scoring bursts as they battled back.
They left it all on the floor , however, which is what any coach and fan hopes to see.
