The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Bulldogs’ barrage denies Shoregals
THE SCORE OLMSTED FALLS 47, AVON LAKE 34
When things were good for Olmsted Falls, they were really good during their 13-point victory over Avon Lake on Jan. 18.
The Bulldogs connected on six first quarter 3-point attempts and 11 overall, the hot shooting, combined with swarming defense, was enough for a 47-34 victory. Their 16th consecutive Southwestern Conference regular season win, and 11th this season.
Of the seven made field goals for Olmsted Falls in the first quarter, six of them were from beyond the arc, coming from four different players. A balanced effort that continued over into the second half.
“I think today we took what we were given, and that was a lot of outside shots,” Olmsted Falls coach Jordan Eaton said. “Our girls did a really good job of shooting, and shooting with confidence. It was big, three is worth more than two, so if you make those you’re in good shape.”
Facing an 11-point deficit after one quarter Avon Lake was in a hole almost immediately, it was one that the Shoregals couldn’t climb out of. In the second quarter Avon Lake was held scoreless in the first three and a half minutes of the period, before Hailey Hodge knocked down two 3-pointers.
That cut the lead to 12, and then with 10 seconds left they were able to get within 10.
But a steal and a layup by Allison Milligan at the buzzer pushed it back to 12 before the half. It was a play that really summed up the entire game for the visiting Shoregals, a team that averaged 55 points a game heading into the contest.
“Defensively we’ve been talking about this a lot all season, that if we are consistent and play as hard as we possibly can and do all of the little things, we’re going to have the chance to stop some people” Eaton said.
Offensively Olmsted Falls continued to fire away from deep in the third quarter. All four makes for the Bulldogs in the quarter were from deep, once again by four different players.
Junior Grace Simon, who opened up the game with a three, did the same to start the second half, and senior Jessica Holcomb made a 3-pointer at the buzzer that put Olmsted Falls back up 14.
Freshman Paige Kohler led the Bulldogs in scoring with 13, while Simon was the only other player in double figures with 11 for the home team.
“We knew we had to start off strong against a good Avon Lake team,” Kohler said. “Hitting those 3-pointers gave us momentum that we used to keep going. It’s really helpful (having teammates that can shoot) because if one of us is not making our shots everyone else can step up.”
Arianna Negron was the high scorer for the Shoregals with eight points. The loss snaps an eight-game winning streak in conference for Avon Lake, who hadn’t lost since dropping backto-back games against Olmsted Falls and Westlake. The Demons and Bulldogs are the two lone teams ahead of the Shoregals in the SWC.
It’s a familiar situation for Avon Lake though, as they lost both regular season contests to Olmsted Falls a season ago, before knocking them off in a district championship thriller last season.
“We want to stay as positive as we can right now,” Avon Lake coach Dave Zvara said. “Take this and learn from it. Go home and watch the film. Right now it doesn’t get any easier, we’ve just got to keep it positive. I’ve always been a believer that you’ve got that second season, so you don’t want to get too down on yourself.”
Next up for the Shoregals is a rivalry showdown with Avon on Jan. 22.
For Olmsted Falls, it moves on to Berea-Midpark on Jan. 22, before another big test against Westlake on Jan. 25. The Bulldogs narrowly defeated the Demons in their first matchup with the game coming down to crucial free throws.