by Photo Credit Laurel Gators High School
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WESTLAKE, Oh – I may not be a basketball philosopher, but I have a “Theory” and is that Haley and Taylor “Theirry” may lead the Laurel Gators to a state title this season. They combined for 32 points in the Gators 84-36 route of the Westlake Lady Demons. Haley Theirry drained three from long range while Taylor just couldn’t be stopped no matter where she shot from.
The Theirry combination was only the tip of the iceberg today for the Gators who may have played their best game all season. Autumn Taylor caught fire in the second half, finishing with all 13 of her points coming in the final 16 minutes, including all three of her long balls in the fourth quarter.
Can you imagine being the point guard of this attack? Kendall Braaten is just the young lady for the job. Braaten shows poise and vision out there, and did again today finishing with 11 points while taking care of the ball, and keeping the Gators moving. I haven’t even mentioned Mari Brickey yet, who also had 13 big points. Bickley plays with serious force, but stays in control and positions herself perfectly time and time again.
The Gators are so deep, and showed it again today 8 different players scored before it was over. Margaret Jones had 8 and appeared to have a good form with her jump shots. Riley Bedford checked in late to grab two points as well. Helen Holley wasn’t getting left out, the sharp shooter had 5 on the day including 1 from the foul line.
As for the Demons, it was a tough week with a close win on Monday over Avon Lake, a tough loss to that same Shoregal team Wednesday night on the road, and then todays matchup. I’ll say this and I think it is not something that should go overlooked.
The Demons last five games before today saw matchups with the Olmsted Falls Bulldogs twice, and the Avon Lake Shoregals twice. It would have been awfully easy for coach Rojeck to take the day off when the Berea-Midpark matchup was postponed. He instead chose to challenge his team, knowing that this game would make them better by facing off against elite competition. Again, I think that speaks volumes in the confidence and dedication to his team.
After a Kendall Braaten three pointer made it 5-1 Gators, the ensuing possession saw two Lady Demons run into each other. For Westlake, it was a rare error out of a typically flawless offense. That right there was an omen that a long day may be on the way for Westlake and we were less than 3 minutes into the game. Cory Rojeck called a timeout to settle his team down, but it was Laurel coming out of the timeout with the next bucket off of a Taylor Thierry layup to make it 7-1 Gators.
After a Gigi Redinger bucket cut the lead to 7-3, it was Morgan Kress coming off the bench for a bucket of her own to make it 7-5. Kress typically starts for this Demon squad but it was Whitesell getting the nod today. Moments after that a fast break cashed in by Taylor Gregory tied it at 7 each.
On the next Demon possession they ran a full court press break that resulted in Abbie Gardner going to the hoop for two, and just like that, the Demons had completed the 8-0 run with a sudden 9-7 lead. It appeared that an upset was very doable and we were headed for a tight game with a thrilling finish. The Gators would show they had other idea’s in mind as they scored the next 8 straight points to jump out to a 15-9 lead. The Gators used a blitzing speed combined with power at the rim to build the lead.
A Katie Whitesell half court buzzer beater would cut it to 15-12 to close the first. It was a fun shot to watch go in, but for the Demons it would turn out to be their last big highlight of the day as the Gators took things over in the second quarter and put the game out of reach.
With 7:41 to go in the second quarter, it was a Summer Salem foul shot cutting the Gator lead to 15-13. The next six minutes produced a blitzkrieg of Gator points that showed why this team can play next level basketball any time they feel like it. The Gators would explode for the next 24 straight points. Taylor Theirry couldn’t be stopped, scoring 8 in the run with four from the foul line.
It was Kendall Braaten getting hot from the three-point line as she drained two from deep. Mari Bickley had 6 points while crashing the boards and driving to the lane as did Margaret Jones who had 4 as well. Before anyone could blink, it was 39-15 before a Morgan Kress layup stopped the run at 39-17. The Kress band aid would only be temporary however as this Gator team was just getting started.
Taylor Thierry began scoring points at such a rapid pace, the camera man couldn’t even keep up with it. She was on fire and the Demons just couldn’t cool her off. By the time halftime arrived, the Laurel Gators led the Westlake Demons 46-20, and the red-hot Taylor Thierry had 16.
The third quarter, like the second, was all Gators. Autumn Taylor had 4 more, Haley Thierry launched two more three balls while Taylor Thierry had 4 more points as well. Mari Bickley and Margaret Jones scored 2 each in a 8 minute span that saw 5 Gators score and extend their lead to 64-25. The Gators clogged every lane, and seemed to pick apart pass after pass for break away layups.
Headed to the fourth and final quarter up 64-25, the Gators didn’t slow down the pace and continued to do what makes them a serious force in the OHSAA. They continued to pour it on and take advantage of every Demon costly mistake. The final score would be 84 -36. Autumn Taylor drained three from long distance in the final frame.
