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After three starters graduated from last years Westlake squad and Emma Hall and Katie Whitesell started on the sidelines nursing injuries, many questions may have been asked about where the scoring would come from?
The answer is clear, from everyone! This Demons team is solid from top to bottom and the Coach Rojeck way of passing and defense is working to perfection! In fact, the coaching style of Rojeck fits perfectly with the skill set of this team.
Tonight, all 10 Westlake Demons who checked into the game scored, as part of their 61-26 road victory at North Royalton. Leading the way in a very balanced attack was Maria Kolocouris with 12, 10 by Morgan Kress, 11 from Abbie Gardner and 11 from Anika Norris. That’s four players in double digits, with two of those players coming off the bench.
Also accounting for the big night was Taylor Gregory with 3, Ana Williams with 2, Kaitlyn Kerr with 3, Gigi Redinger with 2, Summer Salem with 5 and Lauryn Stanton with 2. I’ll say it again, constant ball movement, stiff defense and persistent pressure will lead this team far.
The Demons used tenacious defense and an incredible ability to drive and kick, to jump out to a 7-0 lead minutes into the game. The three-guard formation of Gigi Redinger, Anna Williams and Summer Salem know how to find the open girl. All 7 of those points were scored by Abbie Gardner and Morgan Kress. It is Kress with the ability to capitalize on second chance points that will take this team far.
After two Jenna Kotlyn free throws got the Bears on the board, the Demons went on another 7-0 run. This time highlighted by a Maria Kolocouris three ball and buckets from Kress, Norris and Gardner to run the lead to 14-2 before a Jordan Evanko three ball stopped it.
Speaking of three balls, after two Anika Norris foul shots gave them 17 points, it was Kolocouris draining another 3 ball at the buzzer to hand Westlake a commanding 19-7 lead after one quarter of action. Kolocouris is deadly from long range if left open. Without Emma Hall in the lineup, she will continue to be counted on to nail them from deep.
I recently said that this Westlake defense may be the best in the conference, they proved why that could be with an incredible second quarter. The Demons nearly pitched a shutout as they didn’t allow a single point until 4.2 seconds remained in the quarter as Katie Bockelman hit a 15-foot jumper. Even that didn’t faze them as they quickly countered with an Anika Norris bucket to send the Demons into the half up 30-9. The quarter also saw another 3 ball from Maria Kolocouris early on.
The third quarter was much of the same as the Demons ran out to a 39-11 lead, thanks in part to a 9-2 spurt to start the quarter. North Royalton took a timeout at the 4:10 mark trying to re-gather themselves. Any chance of concentration during that timeout was pretty much wasted as “All I want for Christmas Is You” blared from the loud speakers. If there is a worse Christmas song, I’m not sure I’ve heard it. Salem was the key part of that first four-minute stretch with a 3 ball, a layup and a steal.
Before the quarter was over, the Demons would go on several more runs before finishing it with a 50-15 lead. The Demons outscored them 20-6 in the frame, and put things away for good. Again, it was constant ball movement that led to the Demons route.
Six different Westlake Demons scored in the 8-minute stretch, with points from Williams, Redinger, Gardner, Norris, Kolocouris and Salem. Perhaps most impressive is their ability to score full court points with the clock running out as they did it again with Norris at the buzzer. You cannot afford to take your eyes off this team for a second.
The fourth quarter would remain even with each team scoring 11 more before it was over as the Demons rolled to a 61-26 victory. Sophomore Kerr checked in the game and promptly buried a 3 for the Demons. Kress had four more in the quarter as well.
The Bears got hot from deep late as well with fourth quarter three balls by Evanko, her second of the game. Claire Casey and Antonella Palmiero also landed shots from deep beyond the arc.
The Demons will host the Avon Eagles this Wednesday night as SWC play resumes.
