The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Late-game flurry leads Blue Streaks past Wolverines
Postseason basketball tournaments are often fraught with nail-biting, gut-wrenching games that keep everyone on the edge of their seats.
If that’s truly the case, the Beaumont girls basketball team should be in good shape for such games when the Division II sectional tournament ramps up next week.
The Blue Streaks scored eight points in the final 35 seconds of the game to erase a 51-48 deficit to beat host West Geauga, 56-51, in a battle between the seventh-ranked (Beaumont) and ninth-ranked (West G) teams in this week’s News-Herald Top of the Crop.
Beaumont (11-8) has played in a slew of close games this season, including overtime contests against Akron St. VincentSt. Mary and CVCA.
It showed against West Geauga, as the Blue Streaks had answers down the stretch, while the Wolverines didn’t.
“We play a tough schedule,” said Beaumont coach Derrick Russell. “The reason we play a tough schedule is for games like this and in the tournament.
“Most of our losses have been by five points or less. We’re used to this type of game, and my seniors didn’t wilt. They rose to the occasion.”
West G had a 51-48 lead — and the ball — with less than a minute remaining. But everything unraveled after that.
Beaumont got a bucket from Ally Ziegler with 35 second left to cut margin to one. Then after a missed 3-pointer by West Geauga, the Blue Streaks scored again when Lydia Gattozzi drove the lane and somehow got off a floater with six seconds remaining for a 52-51 lead.
“I was definitely a little out of control there,” Gattozzi said. “I saw people around me. When I was right there, it was open. I took the shot and it rolled in.”
Mayhem ensued on the Beaumont bench, but there was still plenty of time on the clock.
However, on the inbounds pass, West G threw the ball the length of the court and out of bounds to give the Blue Steaks the ball again.
Gattozzi was fouled and hit two free throws to make it 54-51.
West G’s next inbounds pass glanced off the bottom of the backboard, Sophia Boes got the ball, was fouled and two more free throws for Beaumont. Ballgame.
“Yeah, I was hoping our experience would take over at the end,” lamented West G coach Greg Dugger. “We ended up freaking out. We took some illadvised shots, made some turnovers — just mental type of stuff.”
That West G (5-3) was there in the end took a yeoman effort. Beaumont ran out to a 14-0 lead to start the game, with Gattozzi and Shannon Blankenship hitting early 3s to stake the Blue Streaks to a big lead.
West G whittled away at the lead and trailed, 2722, at the half after Athena Hocevar hit a 3-pointer.
The Wolverines really hit a stride in the third, burying five 3-pointers and taking their first lead of the game at the 2:20 mark when Alexa Hocevar hit two 3-pointers, the second of which gave the Wolverines a 43-38 lead.
“The Hocevar girls are very good,” Russell said of senior Athena and sophomore Alexa, each of whom had 15 points. “They took a couple Steph Curry shots and nailed them. They’re gonna be a handful in the tournament.”
Down 46-40 after three quarters following an Ashlyn Drayer 3-pointer for the Wolverines, the Blue Streaks got back in the game quickly on a 7-0 run, with Elissa Letterio hitting two free throws, Gattozzi with a putback and Letterio with a 3-ball for a 47-46 lead.
Athena Hocevar hit a 3 and Nicola Ehrbar scored on an inbounds pass for a 51-47 West G lead with 3:08 left.
But West G never scored again.
“We spotted them two touchdowns — it’s tough to come back from that,” Dugger said of the 14-0 deficit to start the game. “We worked the ball around, got looks and got back in the game. It’s a shame to fight that hard and give it up at the end.”
Gattozzi had a gamehigh 23 for Beaumont, while Ally Ziegler had 14.
“She’s a tough customer,” Russell said of Gattozzi. “She’s our go-to person. She and Ally Ziegler, we’re going to go as far as they take us.”
West G will host Akron Copley on Feb. 11, while Beaumont is idle until it’s tournament opener Feb. 20 against the winner of Lake Catholic and Bay.
“It’s definitely a huge win,” Gattozzi said. “(West G) is a great team. It’s a huge win for us going into the postseason, preparing us for the team’s we’re going to play.”
Ziegler nodded her head in affirmation.
“We knew it was going to be a really tough game,” she said. “We came in ready, we all worked together and got it done.”