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OLMSTED FALLS, Ohio– Beating the same team twice in a season is hard enough.
Three times, however, is a whole new challenge.
Nonetheless, Olmsted Falls (20-2) was able to come away with a 63-45 win over Avon Lake behind a stout team shooting performance to advance to the district championship game Feb. 26.
“It says that they’re locked in mentally, I hope,” head coach Jordan Eaton said of his team defeating Avon Lake for the third time this season “It says a lot, I got to give my girls a lot of credit sticking to the scouting reports and making sure they didn’t take anybody lightly.”
It wasn’t an easy start for the Bulldogs. In fact, the Shoregals started the game off with a first quarter lead nearly lasting the entire eight minutes of play.
Pressure defense and marquee takeaways were the main reason the Bulldogs were able to chip away and eventually take a lead late in the opening quarter. Once Allison Milligan gave the Bulldogs a 12-10 lead with under two minutes left in the first quarter, they started to take control of the game.
Allison Milligan gets Olmsted Falls a lead after trailing for most of the opening quarter. pic.twitter.com/CrRim3MYI0
— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) February 24, 2021
The Bulldogs opened the first six minutes of the second quarter on a 13-6 run, leading them into halftime with a 33-21 lead.
That’s when senior Grace Simon caught fire.
She opened the quarter knocking down two quick 3-pointers, eventually connecting on a third to start the third quarter off with nine points from behind the arc. Her sharpshooting along with the fullcourt press created a myriad of turnovers and second-chance points for the Bulldogs, pushing their lead to 20 points throughout the third quarter.
“We knew that we had to come out strong,” sophomore Paige Kohler said of the scoring runs her team had throughout the third quarter. “We tried at the start of the game but they’re obviously a very good team but we had a lot of energy and we knew we had to step it up if we wanted to beat this team.”
“It’s big, anytime a kid has some confidence going and can shoot it the way Grace can shoot it, it’s really going to be a huge benefit for your team,” Eaton said of Simon’s shooting to start the second half.
Nice ball movement leads to a Grace Simon (@gracesimon40) 3-pointer to open up the second half. pic.twitter.com/JewgJKUb9A
— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) February 24, 2021
Every time the Shoregals looked like they were about to make a run and chip away at the lead, there was always an answer from several different Bulldog players. Junior Lauren Noernberg, Simon and Mia Kalich combined for 20 of the team’s 30 second half points, proving to be too much for Avon Lake.
“When we talked about being patient, especially in the second half, I thought we got some really good shots,” Eaton said. “That was the goal for the third and fourth quarter, just to be patient on offense and make sure we get good looks.”
“At the half, we just really wanted to focus on basically putting the pedal to the metal and leaving no doubt that this is our game and leaving no doubt in anyone’s mind that we were here and to be respected by everyone,” Simon added.
For the game, seven different players scored for the Bulldogs. Simon led the way with a team-high 12 points, followed by 10 from Lauren Galaska, nine from Milligan and eight points each from Sara Glover and Kalich.
For the Shoregals, senior guard and Baldin Wallace commit Emma Knick led the way with a game-high 17 points. Senior Kiley Boutin and Emily Yarham rounded out the scoring with eight and six points, respectively.
For head coach Dave Zvara and his team, he liked what he saw on the offensive side of the ball, but the Bulldog defense was too much to handle at times. He credits a stout defensive performance from Eaton’s team as the main reason for a lack of success on the offensive side of the ball to start the second half.
“I felt like we were moving the ball but we were dribbling too much,” Zvara said. “Again, credit to their defense they kind of took us out of our sync. They took us out of our offense because of their defense and I think we didn’t handle the pressure good enough.”
As for Simon and her team, she believes beating Avon Lake for the third time this season should not go unnoticed. It’s a testament to what kind of team Olmsted Falls has as the No. 1 seed in their respected district.
“I just think that it proves that we should be respected and I don’t think that there should be a doubt in anyone’s mind that we are to be respected and that we’re not messing around.”
