Basketball is a game of runs, and on Tuesday, the Mayfield Wildcats and Chagrin Falls Tigers traded blows all night long.
Chagrin Falls, trailing 39-35 early in the fourth, rallied late to claim a 47-44 home victory.
“We were able to keep our composure, but we had our moments where we got going too fast. But, I think our experience in our opener (62-36 loss at Madison) really opened our eyes,” said Chagrin Falls head coach Brittany Laseak. “In practice yesterday and pre-game, we talked about how you could see the game slowing down for the girls and beginning to know where the next best pass is going to be. It’s a big learning curve, but I’m really proud of the way we played.”
The Tigers and Wildcats traded baskets early.
Olivia Kruse’s inside-hand finish and Avery Russell’s 3-pointer gave Chagrin Falls a 13-11 lead after one, but Mayfield answered with a Sydney Montgomery triple to take a 14-13 advantage. Russell responded from downtown, sparking a 7-0 Chagrin run that put her team up 20-14.
Mayfield fought back. After a timeout, Montgomery hit back-to-back 3-pointers, followed by a Liz Vazquez mid-range jumper, finishing a 10-1 run that gave the Wildcats a 24-21 halftime lead.
In the third, Russell opened with a backdoor cut score, Kruse added consecutive buckets, and Ila Cottrill converted an Abby Kay assist to give Chagrin Falls a 32-26 lead.
“We just needed to have that little bit of momentum to build confidence, which was something else we’ve talked about. We had to be tougher tonight, and needed to have confidence and faith in ourselves,” Laseak said. “Even if there was a mistake made or if Mayfield made a run, we needed to be confident because we can play defense and we’re capable of scoring on the offensive end.”
The fourth quarter set up a thrilling finish.
Montgomery’s 3-pointer gave Mayfield a 39-35 lead, but Russell took over. She assisted Daisy Adelman, then scored on a give-and-go, and finished that stretch with a clutch and-one to put the Tigers up 46-44 with a minute remaining, sealing the win.
“She has gone from being a spot-up shooter her freshman year to being a multi-dimensional player, and her growth has been tremendous,” Laseak said of her All-Ohio junior. “She’s much stronger on the drive; her speed is outstanding in transition. She and Abby Kay have this fantastic connection where (Abby) can just find her, and we were able to get a lot of good opportunities in transition. Avery’s taking her bumps and bruises here and there, but she’s able to play through and help us come out on top.”
Russell led all scorers with 29 points on 12-of-20 shooting, adding five steals. Kruse finished with an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Kay contributed six points, five assists, six boards, and three steals.
Mayfield coach Cullen Harris praised his young squad despite the loss.
“Every quarter was a one-possession quarter, and we knew it would be like that. We tell our girls that one-possession games are coin-flips, and some of those bounces you can’t control, but we can control our energy and effort,” Harris said. “We played with a purpose, we played together. We had five coin flips tonight, and we lost three of them; that’s life. But, we did those little things right, I like where we’re at and where we’re going.”
He added, “We have a great group of kids who have great effort, attitude, and energy, and I know they’re going to come to practice Friday ready to get better, and as long as we keep putting that foot forward every day, we’ll be successful. I’m really excited with what we saw, and I’m equally as excited for where we’ll be able to go as a team if we keep working hard and working together.”
Montgomery led Mayfield with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including six 3-pointers, while Alexa Januszewski added 13 points, four rebounds, and a blocked shot.
Chagrin Falls (1-1) visits Chardon on Nov. 29, while Mayfield (0-1) hosts Maple Heights for their home opener the same day.
