With just six games played, the Chagrin Falls Tigers came into their Feb. 9 game with a three-game winning streak on the line.
With just six games played, the Chagrin Falls Tigers came into their Feb. 9 game with a three-game winning streak on the line.
“Our first win over Orange, we had 2 1/2 weeks of games and 7 1/2 weeks of practice under our belts,” said head coach Brittany Anderson. “We were playing solid team basketball, in great condition, and had momentum from three good, defensive performances in a row.
“Our second win over Orange came off of a two week quarantine with no games or practices. I think that we were just happy to have the opportunity to play again, and wanted to put every ounce of energy and effort into that game because nothing is guaranteed this season. We had two very different approaches to each of those wins, but the circumstances made those approaches necessary for us.”
The Tigers wasted no time in the first quarter, building a two-point lead. Senior Emma Livingston attempted a three-point play, but it was waved off due to a line violation by the Tigers.
After a turnover by the Eagles, senior Julia Santamaria did her best impression of a buzzer-beater, but the shot was no good.
Chagrin led 9-7 after one, with Santamaria leading all scorers with four points.
Junior Peyton Gellin blew past her defender midway through the second quarter, where she scored off of an easy layup. A 4-1 run by the Tigers was cut to just two after an open three from the Eagles.
Out of the timeout, senior Lily Karyo connected on a three herself, extending the Tigers’ lead to five, 16-11.
The Tigers led 20-14 at the half, but not before baskets by Santamaria and Karyo. Geneva had an opportunity to get a shot off before the end of the quarter, but another turnover caused by the Tigers would give the ball back to them.
Santamaria recorded eight points, and Karyo contributed with five in the first half.
“We were coming off the back-to-back wins to Orange, and we had some confidence,” Santamaria said. “We were really focusing on playing our game and seeing what happens, and keeping the game close.”
The Tigers would indeed keep it close in the second half. Chagrin Falls was rewarded with the ball at the start of the second half.
An assist by Santamaria to senior Sadie Nachtwey pushed the Tigers’ lead to eight early in the third quarter. A timeout was called on the floor with 4:27 remaining.
But the visiting Eagles wouldn’t go away quietly. Behind the team’s energy and scrappy defense, the Eagles cut the Tiger lead to just one after three quarters, 25-24.
Off an offensive rebound, the Eagles would pick up their first lead of the game 26-25.
Chagrin Falls’ Marley Goodwin inbounded it to teammate Santamaria, who dished it out to Nachtwey for two, regaining the lead 27-26.
The Eagles’ resiliency tied the ballgame at 30 with only 2:15 left.
But after a 4-0 run by the home team, it felt like the game was sealed. Santamaria knocked down two, key free throws.
“Julia Santamaria gave that game her all,” said Anderson.
Then a costly turnover by the Tigers allowed Geneva to capitalize off two free throws, cutting the lead to two, 34-32. Coach Anderson called a timeout with 34.7 seconds remaining.
Goodwin connected on two more free throws, extending the team’s lead to four, 36-32.
But Geneva would tie the game again at 36 after a completed and-one with 15.2 seconds was successful — and the Eagles picked up the victory over the Tigers, 37-36.
“After the game, I challenged the girls to work on their mental toughness,” Anderson said. “Turnovers and missed free throws are things that you can control, and we weren’t able to do that. We had some mistakes in our set plays, too, which we haven’t practiced in two weeks, but these are plays our program has been running for years.
“When you are tired, you need to buckle down and focus — be mentally tough and get the job done. The good thing is that we can’t dwell on the loss because we have four games in the next week, and there isn’t any time to hang our heads. We need to be mentally tough and have a next game/next play mentality going forward.”
Santamaria led the team with 16 points, and added 10 rebounds. Goodwin and Karyo each contributed seven points.
“Peyton Gellin worked incredibly hard on the defense with three steals and three deflections, and we had to get her rest when she was in foul trouble for a bit,” said Anderson. “(Santamaria and Gellin) never want to come out of the game, and it’s hard when you’re coming off of two weeks without any games or practices and need them at full strength for a physical game.”
“We played the best defense we have played all season, and I think we were really aggressive going after the ball, getting those fast breaks,” Santamaria said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t clicking that well on offense, but everything defensively was pretty smooth.”
The Tigers travel to West Geauga to take on the Wolverines, to whom they lost Jan. 16, 40-31. Chagrin Falls will look to even the series and pick up a key victory before tournament play.
“The biggest challenge this season has been navigating all of the pauses and quarantines and staying true to what your actual goal is for the team,” said Anderson. “You are facing so many other outside factors in this pandemic that really test a student-athlete’s physical and mental health. You become so much more than a coach and mentor this season because you are working every second of the day to keep them healthy and to keep them happy now more than ever.”
As for the tournament, the Tigers will approach the game like any other.
“We need to stay focused on the task at hand and confident in our skills,” Anderson said. “We have a talented, hard-working group this season, and we cannot let one play or one game break us down and get to us.
“Staying focused on our roles, our assignments, the scouting report — that will help us to win games.”
BILL FUGATE/KMG
Chagrin Falls senior Lily Karyo, right, takes a hard shot defensively against Geneva. Kayro finished with seven points on the evening in the team’s 37-36 loss at home.
