On January 25th 2025 the Rocky River pirates defeated the Westlake demons in girls basketball with a final score of 42-38. Going into the game, the pirates felt a strong responsibility to win as the last time they faced the demons, they lost, and winning this game meant that the pirates would become tied for first place in the Great Lakes Conference.

The first quarter began when Nora Bruder scored a three point basket for Rocky River, which was accompanied by some amazing Pirate defense. This prevented the Demons from scoring much in the first quarter, and led the way for a three-pointer from Rocky River’s Claudia Roche, 4 points from Libby Lang, and a basket from Olivia Dewey. The Demons weren’t going down without a fight, however, as JaCaia Onunwor and Ella Stanton both scored to close the quarter at a score of 15-6, Pirates.

Quarter two appeared to be relatively similar to the first, as Libby Lang made a basket to start it off. Her two points were followed by a three-pointer from Nora Bruder, and the Pirates were looking confident. But once the Demons regained possession of the ball, they amped up their offense, leading to 3 consecutive baskets. First from Liana Ostrowski, then Sophie Taylor, and finally another 2 points from Ostrowski. The Pirates wouldn’t let this go on for long, though, as they closed the half with a three-point shot from Nora Bruder and 2 points from Olivia Dewey. The half ended with a score of 25-13, Rocky River.

In the second half there was a newfound spark on the court from Westlake, as they started playing aggressive defense. The strategy worked out well in the beginning of the third, as neither teams scored until there was 6 minutes left in the quarter. The ball traveled back and forth between the teams, leading to shots being fired from both sides.

It began with 2 Demon points from LaCaia Onunwor, after which Claudia Roche scored for the Pirates. Once Westlake got ahold of the ball again, Liana Ostrowski made a basket and lost the ball the Libby Lang who scored another for Rocky River. This back and forth manner continued for the rest of the quarter until it ended with a score of 31-22, Pirates.

The fourth quarter was filled with tension as Westlake attempted to close the gap in points, and Rocky River tried hard to maintain their lead. The Demons started the quarter off with a bang as Ella Henton and JaCaia Onunwor both scored. Rocky River was able to gain possession and move the ball down court, leading to a three-pointer from Angelina Swallow, and 2 free throw shots being scored by Nora Bruder.

When Westlake’s JaCaia Onunwor was fouled, she was able to score a free throw shot, followed by a 2 point basket. The Pirates didn’t seem rattled as they drove the ball down court setting up to shoot. Just as they were about to add more points to the board, Demon Ella Henton stole the ball and scored another basket. The game was heating up with a score of 38-36, the Pirates only leading by one basket. Ultimately, Nora Bruder was able to score 4 points due to free throw shots and secured the win and tied first place conference spot for the Rocky River Pirates.

After the game, I had the opportunity to talk to the Rocky River Pirates Coach, Jamey Pfhal. I asked him what his thoughts were going into this game, seeming as it would determine if the Pirates would tie for first in the conference. He told me that “because [they] had lost to Westlake once, [they] knew that one game at a time [they] would have to put one foot in front of the other in order to get to this moment where [they] would have the chance to face them again, and [they] got it”.

The top five scorers for the Rocky River Pirates in this game were Nora Bruder, Claudia Roche, Libby Lang, Olivia Dewey, and Angelina Swallow. The top five scorers for the Westlake Demons were JaCaia Onunwor, Liana Ostrowski, Ella Henton, Ella Stanton, and Sophie Taylor.