by Rocky River, OH – The Lutheran West Longhorns secured a season sweep over the Independence Blue Devils Tuesday night with a dominant 44-25 victory. Lutheran West’s physical play on defensive output led the way in the win. Several Longhorns had multiple steals in the winning effort, most of which came from Ce Grant. On the offensive end, Aliciana Medina led the way for West with 15 points.
The opening quarter was evenly matched until the end. Emily Gibbons and the Blue Devils started fast. Gibbons knocked in a quick 5 points for Independence. Physicality and toughness also made it difficult for the Longhorns to get a quick start. However, Lutheran West quickly adjusted to the style-of-play needed to keep up. They slowed down the Blue Devils offensively for the remainder of the 1st quarter. Offensively, they were led by Ella McCarty. McCarty dropped 4 points in the opening quarter. At the end of 1, the game was knotted up at 9.
Lutheran West put on a clinic in the 2nd quarter. Defensively, their full-court press and hard-nosed physicality made it difficult for the Blue Devils to score. They consistently created turnovers and difficult shots for Independence. The Blue Devils were only able to muster 4 points in the quarter. On the offensive end, the ball was constantly being spread around. Six different players scored for the Longhorns in the 2nd. Out of the 17 points scored, Ella Heisner led them with 5 in the quarter. Heading into the break, the Longhorns had opened up a 26-13 lead.
Casey Adams got the scoring started quickly for the Blue Devils in the 2nd half with a 3-pointer. Adams finished the game with 9 points to lead Independence. Once again, the Longhorns would tighten up on the defensive end and only allow 2 more points in the 3rd quarter. The Blue Devils were able to sure up on the defensive end as well after a rough 2nd quarter. Independence held the Longhorns to just 7 points in the 3rd quarter.
In the season opener, the 4th quarter was when Paige Priebe dropped 18 of her 22 points for the Blue Devils. The comeback attempt fell just short against the same Longhorns. However, Priebe was not able to go on Tuesday night which made it difficult for the Blue Devils to attempt a comeback this time around. Solid offensive quarter from Aliciana Medina and Maddie Kandrach did not make it any easier. Medina and Kandrach scored 5 and 4 points respectively for the Longhorns in the final frame. In the end, the Longhorns came out on top with a 44-25 victory.
The Longhorns advanced to 2-1 on the season and 2-0 in CVC Metro play. They host Cuyahoga Heights (2-0) on Friday night. First tip scheduled for 6:45PM.
Key Players
Lutheran West:
Aliciana Medina: 15 points
Maddie Kandrach: 8 points
Ella McCarty: 6 points
Independence:
Casey Adams: 9 points
Emily Gibbons: 7 points
Alexa Johnson: 6 points
Player of the Game: Aliciana Medina
