Tigers win defensive battle at Hudson

Chagrin Falls extended its winning streak to four games with a 38-36 nonconference win at Hudson on Saturday.

The Tigers made more plays down the stretch in a game where scoring was tough to come by.

“It was a defensive battle and physical game from start to finish,” Chagrin Falls coach Brittany Anderson said. “I’m so proud of our effort tonight and we did a great job of keeping our composure. We played shut down defense when we needed it the most.”

Hudson led 12-9 after the first quarter but the Tigers took a 21-20 lead into the break.

Not much changed in the third quarter as Chagrin Falls outscored the Explorers, 9-7.

Hudson rallied in the fourth but Carolyn Bencko’s fourth-quarter 3-pointer put the Tigers in the lead for good.

Bella Dalessandro led the Tigers with a game-high 18 points and Becnko finished with eight. Katie Kwasny contributed with seven points and Julia Santamaria finished with five.

“Everyone stepped up and played their role tonight,” Anderson said. “Julia Santamaria and Katie Kwasny covered a lot of ground for us on defense. We really needed them to play help side and rebound for us and they came through. Offensively, they were able to finish on big plays. Lily Karyo and Carolyn Bencko handled the pressure and traps so well and got us out of tight situations.”

Chagrin Falls improved to 15-6 overall. The Tigers close out the regular season at Lake Catholic on Wednesday.

Chagrin 38, Hudson 36

HUDSON: Hinkle 15, Menendez 10, Weaver 4, Loring 4, Albrecht 2, Lawler 1
CHAGRIN FALLS (15-6, 9-3): Dalessandro 18, Bencko 8, Kwasny 7, Santamaria 5

Hudson 12 8 7 9 – 36
Chagrin 9 12 9 8 – 38

Free throws: Hudson 5 of 10, Chagrin 5 of 11; 3-pointers: Hudson 3 (Menendez 2, Hinkle 1), Chagrin 5 (Dalessandro 3, Bencko 2)

Steve Hare
Steve Harehttp://www.ohiovarsity.com
Steve Hare is the Chagrin Valley Conference's Sports Information Director. He also created and publishes OhioVarsity.com, an online publication dedicated to providing hyperlocal coverage to area high school athletic programs. Hare began covering high school sports for the Lake County News Herald in 1997. Hare attended Willoughby South High School through the middle of his senior year, then graduated from Berkshire High School in Burton in 1986. He played football, wrestled and was an all-Geauga county baseball player (1986). He lives in Chardon with his wife Paulette and their children.

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