BURTON—Trailing 20-17 at halftime, Crestwood outscored host Berkshire in the second half, 25-11, to pull out a 42-31 win in the Chagrin Valley Conference opener for both squads on Tuesday.
The Red Devils used a big 13-3 run in the fourth quarter to seal their win.
“We had to believe in ourselves, make the right plays, and step up the pressure defensively,” said Crestwood head coach T.J. Henderson. “We made the right rotations and got some steals, which sparked us offensively.”
Crestwood’s first nine points all came from 3-point range, with Hannah Ward, Becca Brady, and Olivia Martini all connecting from downtown for an early 9-4.
The Red Devils, who led 15-7 after one, scored on their first possession of the second quarter before Berkshire put together a 13-0 run to cap off the half, led by seven points from Meredith Bors and an Ivy Martin 3-pointer, for a 20-17 lead at the break.
“One of the big contributors in the second quarter was we started closing out and boxing out better,” said Berkshire head coach Dave Albert. “Our rotations were quicker, which helped with the turnaround.”
Crestwood was able to flip the script in its favor in the third quarter with four points from Abby Guyette and three more from Martini to take a 29-28 lead into the fourth.
Ward took over in the fourth, scoring nine points in the frame with a pair of timely 3-pointers for the Red Devils.
Although Ward hit some big shots, Martini paved the way defensively in the second half with her game-high 10 steals, pitching in 10 points for a double-double.
“Liv’s always huge for us; she brings defensive energy like no one else,” Ward said of her teammate. “She’s quick on her feet and can pick up full court. It’s like she never runs out of energy; it’s crazy. She really helps us out a lot on the defensive end.”
Coach Henderson added, “She’s naturally gifted with speed. Her biggest attribute is when she rotates and goes to guard the ball; not many people got at it as hard as does, so it really pays off for her.”
With the win, Crestwood, the defending Valley Division champion, improved to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in league play.
“We have to play like there’s a target on our back because there is,” Henderson said. “Everyone knows we have a ton of talent and experience. We’re the team to beat. We just have to handle that pressure, go out, and win.”
Bearing the brunt of that type of pressure may take a lot of work, but the Red Devils may have found the spark needed in the fourth quarter.
“Sometimes I think we get down on ourselves, but when we truly have confidence in ourselves, we’re going to be a much better team,” Henderson said. “The fourth quarter was when I saw that spark of like, ‘We are a good team, we’re going to execute and win a game.’ If we take that and keep running with it, we’re going to have a lot of fun.”
Ward led all scorers with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, Martini finished with 10 points and 10 steals, while Brady pitched in with six points.
Berkshire fell to 3-3 with a turnover-riddled second half.
“Turnovers have been killing us,” Albert said. “We have to learn how to keep our composure and be patient. That’s one thing we talk about. Sometimes, we don’t have that patience and try to do everything all at once. I preach, ‘One possession at a time. Value the possession.’”
Martin led the Badgers with 12 points and Bors pitched in with 10.
Berkshire visits Kirtland on December 13, while Crestwood hosts Kenston on the same day.
