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BRUNSWICK, OH – The Strongsville Mustangs came to Brunswick on Friday night and took down their rivals 57-46. The Lady Mustangs were led by Freshman point guard Sidney Butera and Junior forward Eszter Dioszegi. Each girl dropped 16 points in the victory, with Eszter adding 9 rebounds.
Early in the game, the Brunswick Blue Devils looked poised to take down the undefeated Mustangs. They played hard-nosed defense that caused multiple turnovers and tough shots. Brunswick was able to jump out to a quick 7-0 advantage.
Strongsville Head Coach Madyson Farnbauch spoke on the early deficit and not calling a timeout, after the game, “I kind of expected it to be an emotional game for us… But I trust these girls. There were so many times I was sitting there, “Do I call it? Do I call it?” But no. We just needed that first basket.”
Not calling the timeout worked in the Mustangs favor. Once they scored their first basket, they authored a 17-0 run that extended into the 2nd quarter.
After Mustang’s point guard Sidney Butera knocked down a 3-ball, the Blue Devils called time with 6:56 remaining in the 2nd. Butera was a staple to victory for the Mustangs tonight as she put up 16 points to go along with 3 rebounds and 2 assists. After the game, Coach Farnbauch had this to say about her freshman point guard, “She has taken on that role as the point guard and really taken this team under her wing. She is everything a coach wants, especially as a freshman… She wants the pressure and strives for this type of pressure in this type of game.”
Despite the big run by the Mustangs, the Brunswick Blue Devils did not back down. They cut the Strongsville lead down to single digits with 4:22 left in the quarter that forced a Mustang timeout. For the remainder of the period, the Blue Devils were playing aggressively on the defensive end. This forced multiple turnovers and tough shots. The offensive play of Kiley Deighton and Lexie Bertemes helped them cut the lead all the way down to just 2 points by the break. Heading into halftime, Strongsville was clinging to a 28-26 lead.
In the 3rd quarter, junior forward Eszter Dioszegi began to take off. On the night, Dioszegi posted 16 points to go along with 9 big rebounds and 3 assists.
Coach Farnbauch had high praise for Dioszegi following the game, “Eszter comes in from last season with no experience, no mentor, no help, or anything. Her biggest thing is the mental aspect of the game. You just got to keep her confidence up. She finds that in her teammates now. They have full confidence in her. Building that up this season has really taken off and helped her so much.”
The Lady Mustangs played their brand of basketball throughout the 3rd quarter to take a 42-35 lead heading into the final period.
The 4th quarter saw the Blue Devils continuing to fight to the end with as much effort as they had. Senior forward Journey Hildebrand knocked down a few big shots for Brunswick to keep the game close. On the night, Hildebrand dropped 14 points and added 6 rebounds. However, the Strongsville Mustangs were too much to overcome. Junior Sydney Bass scored multiple key baskets in the 4th to keep the game out of reach of the Blue Devils. At the final buzzer, the Strongsville Mustangs walked away with a 57-46 victory.
With the win, the Lady Mustangs advanced to a perfect 12-0 on the season. The message from Coach Farnbauch to her girls is simple, “Keep going! Just keep playing our game and no one can stop us! I truly believe that.” Strongsville will head down to Medina on Wednesday to take on the Battling Bees (10-3) in a tough matchup. The game is set to tip off at 7PM EST.
Key Players
Strongsville Mustangs
Sidney Butera: 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Eszter Dioszegi: 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists
Sydney Bass: 15 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists
Brunswick Blue Devils
Journey Hildebrand: 14 points and 6 rebounds
Kiley Deighton: 11 points and 6 rebounds
Lexie Bertemes: 9 points and 10 rebounds
PLAYER OF THE GAME: SIDNEY BUTERA
