The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Mentor finding its stride, tops Lake
Mentor’s girls basketball season began with a rough start.
The Cardinals lost three of their first four games and, to boot, head coach Steve Thompson was sidelined by a hip replacement.
After seven games, Mentor appears to have found its rhythm.
The Cardinals defeated Lake Catholic, 52-25, on Dec. 20 and won their third straight game. Under interim coach James Hrusovsky, Mentor is 4-0 after wins against Brush, Shaker Heights and the Cougars.
“We’re starting to know who we are,” Hrusovsky said. “Play with the intensity and the pace and the tempo we want to play with. The energy level is big.”
Senior center Teagan Ochaya led the Cardinals with 19 points and sophomore Carolyn Wochele chipped in nine. Ali Hudik scored nine points to lead Lake Catholic.
The teams were tied, 5-5, after one quarter.
Ali Hudik put the Cougars ahead, 7-5, in the first minute of the second quarter when she stole a pass and finished a transition layup.
Mentor held Lake Catholic scoreless for the next seven minutes and used a 14-1 run to take a 19-8 lead into halftime.
The Cardinals’ fullcourt pressure stifled the Cougars’ offense and sparked the Mentor offense with transition baskets. Shots that missed in the first quarter began to fall, and the Cardinals gained command of the game as they played with more energy.
“We did and had active hands,” Hrusovsky said. “Our press started to work, we started knowing what they were doing to break it and made adjustments.”
Carmyn Cremonese scored out of the half and Hudik knocked down a corner 3 to cut Mentor’s lead to 19-13. Hrusovsky called timeout, the Cardinals settled and proceeded to take a 35-19 lead after three quarters.
Ochaya scored 11 of her 19 points in the second half to help Mentor cruise to its third straight win.
In the halfcourt, the Cougars were unable to slow the Cardinals’ 6-foot-2 anchor.
“She’s multi-talented and the crowd she has around her helps her that much more,” said Lake coach Jim Galloway. “Everything we tried to throw at these guys, they did a nice job adjusting and the talent took over.”
Hrusovsky said his players, namely Ochaya’s supporting cast, are beginning to become more comfortable as they play more minutes.