The West Geauga girls basketball team erased a halftime deficit with an impressive third quarter to defeat Hawken, 59-53, Dec. 15 at home.
Game photos click here.
The West Geauga girls basketball team erased a halftime deficit with an impressive third quarter to defeat Hawken, 59-53, Dec. 15 at home.
The Hawks led 34-29 at halftime, but the Wolverines went on a 13-2 run to start the second half and surged to a 42-36 advantage. The Hawks cut that deficit down to two points multiple times, but never got any closer.
With the victory, West G improved to 3-4 while Hawken fell to 0-4.
Hawken had a few chances to tie the game in the final three minutes until Michaela Platt of West G made a layup with 28 seconds remaining, pushing the Wolverines’ lead to 57-53. West G’s Malory Lear iced the game with two free throws with 18.8 seconds remaining. Lear finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.
However, it was West G senior Maggie Furst who led the Wolverine charge. During West G’s run to start the third quarter, Furst scored seven of the 13 points. She finished with a team-high 17 points and a game-high 23 rebounds.
When asked if she ever had 23 rebounds in a game before, Furst responded, “One time in middle school, I got 25.”
Furst said the key to the victory was defense.
“We knew we had to play defense,” Furst said. “We were being lazy. We had to play. We had to go for the ball. They were taking it to us instead of us going out and guarding them.”
West G Head Coach Brandon Stewart knows he can count on Furst, who is the only returning starter on a team that plays many underclassmen.
“She does everything for us,” Stewart said. “Her skill set is really improving. She can handle the ball, she rebounds in traffic. She’s a big presence for us.”
The Wolverines opened the game with a 4-0 lead, but the Hawks quickly answered with a 17-5 run to earn a 17-9 advantage. That lead grew to its biggest, 28-18, late in the second quarter.
Julia Scales got the Hawks going when she scored 12 of her game-high 20 points in the first quarter. Scales also led Hawken with nine rebounds. She had 17 points at halftime, but was held to just three second-half points.
“We switched things up,” Stewart said. “They were getting what they wanted with our man defense. I think our zone frustrated them. That was the different in the game.”
Once West G played zone, it was harder for Scales to drive into the lane like she did in the first quarter. The Wolverines impressively switched defenses, from 2-3 to 1-3-1 zone, from possession to possession.
“We tried to give them different looks,” Stewart said. “It was big. A credit to the girls who were able to switch on the fly.”
Hawken Head Coach Jamee Gerrick thought the Hawks’ foul trouble played a big factor in the game.
“They defended hard,” Gerrick said. “We started out aggressive, but we got into foul trouble. She (Scales) is so quick and aggressive. She’s a very good half-court player, but we had issues with fouls.
“I feel like the atmosphere shifted when the game was close. If we were a more experienced team, the kids maybe would have had more composure. This was the first time we were in a tight game late.”
Gerrick agreed Furst, the most experienced player in the game, was huge for West G.
“She was a center of calm,” Gerrick said. “There is nothing I can say about her that hasn’t been said. She’s such a strong player. I feel like she had two-thirds of their rebounds. We need to rebound better. Her experience and leadership was big. She hit free throws. She didn’t turn the ball over. She’s a tough player.”
Faelynn Beckrest was second for West G with 14 points and three rebounds.
Hawken’s Sarah Liu scored 18 points, hitting four three-pointers to go with three rebounds. Teammate Austin Fitzgerald knocked in 11 points with four rebounds.
