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The Olmsted Falls Bulldogs used a smothering defense to hold the North Ridgeville Rangers to just 11 second half points on their way to a 70-45 victory. It was billed as a heavyweight fight between the SWC ‘s two top teams, and for the most of the game it lived up to the hype. The Bulldogs flipped a switch late in the third quarter that just shut down the Ranger offense as they put the game away.
The Bulldogs were led by Mia Kalich with 20 points as she just continues to place herself in the key and does damage all game long. Kalich is the total package when it comes to grabbing boards and putting up points. Sudden sensation Danielle Cameron had 15 as she looks to be an absolute force.
Lauren Noernberg got hot in the second half to finish with 11 while Paige Kohler also had 11. For Kohler, she is such a leader out there and a calming presence that will take the Bulldogs far. Sara Glover used 3 fouls shots along with a three pointer on her way to 10 points today as well.
That’s five players all finishing with double digit points. Kohler is a generator out there and this teams feeds off of it. In a game like today, they need that leadership as the Rangers made one Hell of a run in the second quarter to take the lead on the Bulldogs at one point.
Speaking of the Rangers, the final score doesn’t indicate just how close this game was for a long stretch. They were led by Grace Kingery with 18, including 9 from beyond the arc. Daylan Baker had a great first half as she scored 13 of her 15 in those quarters. Kat Crevda had 4 while Laney Rumancik and Brynnley Kerr had 3 each. Brooke Lime finished the Ranger scoring with 2.
The first quarter was a cavalcade of scoring as the Bulldogs raced out to a 18-8 lead with 3:10 to go. The Bulldogs used three balls by Glover, Cameron and Kohler to get the Bulldogs going. Daylan Baker looked incredible for the Rangers in the first 8 minutes as she drove the lane with force to lead the Rangers with 8 in the opening frame. By the time of the buzzer, Kohler had 8, Kalich had 7 and the Bulldogs led 24-14 after one. Again, it was a 10-point game, but with the energy in the gym and the talent on the floor, it felt a lot closer.
The second quarter was absolutely incredible and a tremendous example as to why Girls Basketball is one of the best sports on the planet. The Rangers came out gunning, using an insane 14-2 run to open the quarter and snag a 28-26 lead with 4:27 to go. The Rangers used long balls by Daylan Baker and Laney Rumnancik to spark them, and then two more from beyond the arc from Grace Kingery to take the lead. The one three ball from Kingery was so far beyond the line, she could have been collecting shopping carts at Marc’s across the street it was so deep.
However, the Rangers wouldn’t lead long as the Bulldogs answered quickly and then took over. Olmsted Falls used a 5-point quarter by Mia Kalich and a three pointer by Jessica Wolanin to regain control and eventually take a 37 -34 lead into the break.
In the third quarter, the Bulldogs defense would begin to lock down as they extended their lead. After the first 5 minutes, the Rangers only scored 7 points, all of which came from Kingery at that point. The Bulldogs would eventually extend the lead to 55-43 by the end of the quarter including a 5-point run from Lauren Noernberg. Brooke Lime was the only other person to score for the Rangers as they just couldn’t bust through.
The fourth quarter was all Bulldogs as they used a 15-0 run over the first five plus minutes of the quarter to put the game away at 70-43. The Rangers didn’t get on the scoreboard in the fourth until a minute was left and a Daylan Baker layup finally stopped the bleeding.
The Rangers are back in action this Wednesday as they host Padua.
Tonight’s MVP’s are Jesse Simon, Mae Simon and Avery DeLiso for doing an incredible job with pre-game strategy and in game hydration.
