by Strongsville, OH – The Wadsworth Grizzlies defeated the Strongsville Mustangs 75-59 in a high scoring matchup. Both teams came into this one with strong records. The Grizzlies being undefeated and the Mustangs with only one loss. This game was a fun one to watch with both teams playing very competitive basketball.
The top scorers for the Grizzlies were Lauren Decker and Natalie Maddox with 16 points each. Both would get most of their points inside the arch with only one three coming from Natalie Maddox. Also, for the Grizzlies Leah Blake, Analise Lucey, and Julia Maddox would each score 9 points.
The top scorer for the Mustangs was Sidney Butera with an impressive 33 points and 7 three pointers. With this performance she is now only 1 point away from 1000 career points. She will look to hit this milestone during their next matchup against Berea-Midpark. Madeline Klinzing also finished with 10 points and Parker Zwick had 8 down low.
The first quarter was action packed with many changes in the lead and lots of scoring. Each team was spreading the wealth with at least 5 players getting a bucket. For the Mustangs Parker Zwick was a presence in the paint with 8 points this quarter. For the Grizzlies Natalie Maddox had 6 points and led their charge against the Mustangs. The game was tight with the score being 19-17 Mustangs leading at the end of the quarter.
The second quarter was more of the same, lots of scoring and a high intensity matchup. For most of the quarter neither team was able to pull away. For the Mustangs Sidney Butera scored 7 points and had assists for the two other Mustangs baskets. The Grizzlies continued to spread the ball with 6 players scoring. Lauren Decker had 6 points and Julia Maddox scored 5 points. The Grizzles would end the quarter on top 37-31 with the biggest lead in the game thus far.
In the third quarter the Grizzlies would come out strong and maintain their lead throughout. Their team-oriented style of basketball proved to be effective. Great ball movement and defense would stretch the lead to 52-43 by the end of the quarter with the Grizzlies leading.
The fourth quarter was another exciting one. The Grizzlies continued to share the basketball with 8 different players scoring. Their style of basketball would extend their lead to 75-59 by the end of the game dominating this quarter. For the Mustangs Sidney Butera had an impressive quarter with 16 points and 5 three pointers. She was doing everything she could to win this game for the Mustangs scoring all their points this quarter, but it would not be enough unfortunately.
