One of the toughest challenges for a young team is learning how to win — and Crestwood passed that test with authority.
The youthful Red Devils secured their first victory of the season Monday with a dominant 46–8 performance over visiting Jefferson.
“I was out of town, and my staff ran practice all week, and it was one of those things where it was nice to talk to them about two things: effort and heart,” said Crestwood head coach TJ Henderson. “In our loss to Mogadore, the girls gave great heart and effort, but against LaBrae, I didn’t think so much. But today, we saw it. They came out, played hard, and got after it to show what we can do. There’s still so much room to grow, which is great to see.”
Jefferson’s Morgan Van Gieson briefly tied the game at 3–3, but a 12–0 Crestwood run to close the first quarter set the tone for the night.
Ava Lincoln and Maddie Grace Gonczy each buried a 3-pointer, and Reese Harper beat the buzzer to give the Red Devils a 15–3 lead after one.
Ava Macik came off the bench late in the second quarter and scored five quick points before Lincoln found Liv Martini for a bucket, extending the halftime lead to 27–5.
Martini scored twice on drives to the rim in the third, and Macik converted a steal-and-score to make it 36–5 heading into the fourth.
Macik added four more points in the final period, while Harper and Lincoln each chipped in another basket to seal the 46–8 win.
Six different Red Devils scored at least four points, a balanced effort that highlighted the team’s unselfish play.
“It was about looking for the open pass and making a good pass,” Lincoln said. “I feel like we moved and shared the ball well, and we all knew we could score, and we used that (confidence) when it was the right time to drive or shoot.”
Henderson described the performance as both an “overperformance” and an example of the standard his team is capable of reaching.
“We’re going to have days like this where we overperform, and days where we underperform. Those overperformances aren’t a surprise; it’s almost expected. We just have to try and put them together more often,” he said.
For a young roster, stringing together those kinds of outings will be critical as the season progresses.
“In this program over the last four years, where we had a lot of seniors, then we were young again, and we had those days (a few years ago) where we’re playing and competing with these really good teams, and then it started leveling out from there,” Henderson said. “This team is going through the dip of being young again, and now we’ve got to work our way sort of back up, and that comes from experience and playing together.”
Macik led all scorers with 11 points. Lincoln added nine points, eight rebounds, and three blocks. Martini posted eight points and eight steals, Harper added eight points, and Piper Siebold finished with six.
Dani Furman led Jefferson with six points.
Both teams open conference play on Dec. 5. Crestwood hosts Chagrin Falls, while Jefferson welcomes Edgewood.
