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The Olmsted Falls high pressure defense and relentless scoring attack was too much for North Ridgeville tonight as the Bulldogs defeated the Rangers 64-25 in Ridgeville. Leading the way was a well-balanced attack by the Bulldogs that saw 10 different players score.
Putting up double digits tonight for the Lady Bulldogs was Sara Glover with 11 and Allison Milligan with 15 points. Milligan hit two from beyond the three-point arc and nailed a foul shot along the way as well. For Glover, I’ll say it again, she may come off the bench but she would start on any other team in the conference. Falls is that loaded, and Glover is that damn good. She has this knack for being in the right place at the right time.
Also finding the bottom of the net for the Bulldogs was Lauren Noernberg with 3, Mia Kalich with 7, Hannah Mahoney with 2, Lauren Galaska with 8, Ashley Keener with 2, Paige Kohler with 5, Jessica Wolanin with 2 and the sharp shooting Grace Simon with 9. All 9 points from Simon came from long distance as she continues to be lights out when left open.
The Rangers struggled to score tonight after a hot first quarter, they slowed down drastically from there. Madyson Rosado had another solid night with 7 while she continues to drive the lane when she can. Daylan Baker had all 4 of her points in the first quarter. Grace Kingery took several smart shots, but they simply didn’t fall, however the freshman still finished with 8. Becca Bradley and Brooke Lime had 2 each.
The first quarter was actually very competitive and quite exciting. After Falls jumped out to a 9-2 lead, it was a Grace Kingery three ball that spurred a 9-3 Ranger run to cut the lead to 12-11. In the closing seconds of the quarter, it was Paige Kohler nailing a three ball to extend the Bulldog lead to 15-11 after one.
Olmsted Falls built that lead thanks to a strong full court defense that caused numerous turnovers. High scorers in the quarter were Grace Kingery with 7 and Daylan Baker with 4. Olmsted Falls was paced by four starters all scoring, and Glover off the bench as well.
Mia Kalich is known for her incredible defense, but in the second quarter she showed everyone she could score too. She is a major presence down low and when she gets position, it’s going in. Kalich had 6 of her 7 in the second quarter as the Bulldogs began the quarter on a 7-0 run.
It was Rosado playing clutch ball yet again, stopping the run and putting in 5 straight for the Rangers. Sadly, for the Rangers, it was all they could get in the quarter as no other Ranger scored.
The Bulldogs would close the quarter on another 7-0 run to finish the half up 29-16. The final blow came in the closing seconds again, as this time it was a Noernberg buzzer beating three ball. The Bulldogs are coached to play to last whistle and it showed big time at the end of the first and second quarter. Those last second buckets in each quarter turned what could have been a 7-point difference into 13 at the half.
I felt as though the second half would be razor close and we were headed for a dogfight ( no pun intended), I couldn’t have been any further off. Olmsted Falls exploded for 25 points in a brilliant quarter of defense leading to offense. It was incredible to watch as they just poured it on and showed how good they can be. At one point, Lauren Galaska scored 4 points in 8 seconds. Grace Simon sunk two from long range while Allison Milligan went off for 8 and Sara Glover for 7 points.
Meanwhile the Rangers just couldn’t sink anything despite several smart shots, they just weren’t going in. A Rosado bucket stopped the initial 11-0 Olmsted Falls run to start the quarter, but the Rangers would go on to be outscored 14-3 from that point, and 25-5 in the quarter. This blitzkrieg of scoring and forcing turnovers gave the Lady Bulldogs a commanding 54-21 lead heading into the fourth.
A couple of takeaways I want to point out from this game tonight.
- The intensity from both reams in the first half was excellent. It had a big game feel to it and was one of the halves where you can throw the record out the window.
- That Olmsted Falls defense is incredible. While a lot of press will focus on the scoring, they are solid from top to bottom on both sides of the ball. If you don’t understand what “defense leading to offense” means, just watch them play.
- Rosado is tough Senior leader for the Rangers. She stopped two runs tonight and is fearless at times with the ball.
- I’ll say it again, Sara Glover is the best 6th player I’ve seen in a long while. You mix that in with two underclassmen in Mia Kalich and Paige Kohler who can do it all, not to mention tough as nails Lauren Noernberg and this team has a bright future beyond this year.
- The Rangers are still a very good shooting team, it was just one of those nights against a great defense where every shot needed to count.
Can’t wait to watch that defense again in the next game