KIRTLAND — Berkshire shook off a sluggish opening and turned a tight early game into a runaway, pulling away from host Kirtland for a 64-42 win Wednesday in a Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division showdown.
The Badgers missed their first eight shots and fell behind 7-0 before settling in, responding with ball movement and timely shooting to take control by the end of the first quarter and never looking back.
“The team held its composure and battled back in the first period to take the lead back,” said Berkshire coach Dave Albert. “The team moved the ball extremely well, finding the open person for a good shot selection.”
Berkshire led 12-8 after one quarter, then blew the game open with a 21-7 second period to build a commanding halftime advantage. The Badgers continued to stretch the lead after the break, outscoring Kirtland 15-4 in the third quarter and cruising home with a balanced attack.
“We held our composure when we got off to a slow start,” Albert said. “The team continued to move the ball well, finding the open player inside or outside. This is a very unselfish team that tries to find the open person to get a good shot selection.”
Kirtland relied heavily on the 3-point shot, draining 10 triples on the night, but struggled to score inside. Berkshire countered with efficiency in the paint, knocking down 16 two-point field goals while also connecting on nine 3-pointers.
Blythe Bors led the Badgers with 20 points, Ivy Martin added 13, Stella Bateman scored 11, Moira Wonders finished with eight, Julia Young contributed with six, and Savannah Smith, Hayden Tomsic, and Mallory Durosko scored two points each.
“With Kirtland focusing on Stella on the inside, it opened up opportunities for our outside game as Ivy, Blythe, and Julia all made baskets from the outside,” Albert said. “We kept on moving the ball around to the open person.”
Alivia Mason scored a team-high 15 points for Kirtland. Anna Dumstorff added nine, Karli DiFranco finished with seven points, Gabby D’Amato scored six, Siliva Ingram added four, and Lauren Palagyi finished with one point.
The win pushed Berkshire to 10-3 overall and 5-1 in conference play, giving the Badgers sole possession of first place in the Valley Division. Chagrin Falls, Crestwood, and Rootstown sit one game back at 4-2. Kirtland dropped to 5-7 overall and 1-5 in the league.
“This was a big win to start the second half of conference play,” Albert said. “Hopefully, this will get us started for the second half of the season.”
