MAYFIELD–Mayfield used a second-quarter run to pull away from visiting Chagrin Falls and went on to defeat the Tigers on Tuesday, 60-53.
The Wildcats outscored the Tigers, 16-9, with Olivia Williams and Sydney Montgomery accounting for each point.
“We buckled down defensively and finished possessions,” said Mayfield head coach Cullen Harris. “We got out into transition better. We got some good opportunities and made some shots, but it all starts with the defensive end for us.”
Olivia D’Angelo got Mayfield off to a quick start with a pair of corner 3-pointers and another from Alexa Januszewski.
Lilly Stukus willed Chagrin Falls back into it with seven points in the opening frame, but the Wildcats took a 16-10 lead into the second.
Montgomery got going in the second quarter with 10 points off the bench, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Williams pitched in with a pair of buckets plus two free throws to take a 32-22 lead into halftime.
Avery Russell found the range for Chagrin Falls with a pair of triples in the second quarter.
The Tigers put together a 9-6 run early in the third to trim the lead down to 36-31 with buckets from Abby Coy, Russell, and a Molly Wheatley 3-pointer.
Mayfield took a 42-34 lead into a hotly contested fourth quarter.
Russell continued to have the hot hand by connecting on a trifecta of triples, but Williams led the charge in holding off Chagrin Falls with eight fourth-quarter points to cap off a home-opening win.
Mayfield rebounded well, finishing with 24 boards as a team, helping to limit Chagrin Falls to one shot per possession.
“When teams rely on shooting, the three finishing possessions was huge,” Harris said. “(Chagrin) is a good enough basketball team where if you give them two or three extra shots, they’ll make one of them. They had a couple of those possessions that were backbreakers for us, but when it mattered, we got the rebounds and did what was needed to be successful.”
Montgomery sparked the Wildcats with 16 points off the bench, including a 10-point second frame.
“(Sydney’s) a kid who started for us on Saturday, but she came off the bench tonight for defensive purposes, but we know she can score,” Harris said of Montgomery providing a spark. “What makes us a quality basketball team is that we can have four girls score 15 points on any given night, and tonight, Syd stepped up. That’s a credit to her for taking advantage of what the defense gave her, playing under control and within herself.”
Williams led Mayfield with 20 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting from the field and connecting on 8-of-11 free throws as well.
D’Angelo added 13 points with a block and a steal.
Chagrin Falls dropped to 1-1 following the loss, with the second quarter leaving much to be desired.
“On defense, we were flat-footed,” said Chagrin Falls head coach Brittany Anderson-Laseak. “We weren’t picking up the ball and being tough. Our defense wasn’t very aggressive and kind of laid back. We allowed (Mayfield) to turn a corner on their drives. There was no help side rotation. Offensively, we were shooting too fast. You live and die by the three; we died by it tonight. We couldn’t hit outside shots, and that turned into transition offense for them. It was a domino effect of one bad thing after another in the second quarter.”
Chagrin will look to improve on its one-pass, one-shot offense with patience and by creating ball movement.
“It will just take patience on offense,” Anderson-Laseak said. “We were just moving in slow motion tonight, and we weren’t doing the things that we normally do. It comes back to bite you in the end.”
Russell led all scorers with 21 points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter, while Stukus pitched in with 15 points and eight rebounds.
Wheatley contributed nine points with four boards and assists.
Mayfield, who improved to 2-0, will travel next to North Canton Hoover on November 30, and Chagrin Falls will visit Bay Village on December 4.
