Eagles end losing streak with victory over Midview

The past few weeks have been a challenge for the Avon girls basketball team.

Between injuries and illness and an upgraded schedule, the Eagles entered Wednesday’s Southwestern Conference matchup at Midview having lost six games in a row, with the last victory coming against North Ridgeville on December 13.

“We’ve been in a struggle,” said senior Abby Owens. “We’ve gone through a lot of adversity, through injuries, sickness, all of it. It was rough, but it’s just about pushing through and getting on the other end of it and winning again.”

That’s just what the Eagles did, as Owens scored all of her game-high 15 points in the second half—with 13 coming in the decisive third quarter—helping her team overcome an early deficit and eventually take a 49-38 decision. With the victory, Avon is now 4-8 overall and 3-3 in SWC action.

Clearly, this was a team that desperately needed a W.

When asked how badly his troops needed a victory, coach Adam Castrilla said, “I can’t even think of the word right now. I don’t know if there’s a word that’s strong enough. We’ve been preaching to them that we’re close. We’re playing so much better. Our schedule is pretty tough, but we continue to battle. But at some point, it’s like, ‘We’ve heard enough from you, coach.’ Not disrespectfully, but we know we’re close. I think a win is just what this group needed. My hope is now we can string a couple of these together.”

Two things remained constant during the losing streak—the Eagles played hard and they played solid defense.

“I wish I could say that I have a magic potion to get them to play hard,” said Castrilla. “But that’s just the makeup of the kids. They play so hard, and I’m so thankful for that.”

Defense was the key to the victory over Midview, which turned an early 6-5 deficit into a 16-6 lead midway through the second quarter. Avon started the game by playing a halfcourt man-to-man defense, but it wasn’t until Castrilla decided to turn up the pressure by extending to a full court defense that the game was decided.

The Eagles ended the second period on a 7-0 run, led by Janelle Antrum, who came off the bench to drain a 3-pointer and then added a fast break basket just 22 seconds later. The Middies had only four turnovers in the first quarter, but with the Eagles pressing and trapping all over the court, they committed eight in the second quarter and 10 each in the third and fourth quarters.

Suddenly, Midview’s extended 2-3 zone wasn’t as hard to solve, as the Eagles scored some fastbreak baskets before eventually getting hot from the outside. Avon opened the third quarter on a 15-5 run, and by the end of the period the margin was 36-27. The fourth quarter was more of the same, with Midview never getting closer than six the rest of the way.

“I think when we switched to picking them up in the full court, that opened things up tremendously,” said Castrilla. “We don’t see a lot of zone, to be honest with you. And so, when you don’t see that a lot, it does take some time to get some adjustments. But I think the turning point was switching our defense in the second quarter. Shame on me for not doing it earlier.”

The hottest hand in the second half belonged to Owens, who hit two 3-pointers and a handful of layups on her way to 13 points in the third period and 15 overall. She was backed by the freshman duo of Antrum and Chloe Collins with eight points each. Owens was noticeably frustrated by her shooting in the first half, but she more than made up for it after halftime.

“In the first half, I was missing my shots, and I was just getting into my head,” she said. “At halftime, I was able to settle down and get into the right head space and get things going in the second half.”

The victory not only ended a losing streak for Avon, but it also marked the return of junior Alaina Pagan to the rotation. The team’s leading scorer last year, Pagan missed the first 11 games of the season with an injury and saw limited action against Midview. She scored six points and immediately brought experienced leadership through when she stepped on the floor.

“She just gives us that presence, especially when we’re trying to close out a game,” Castrilla said. “I had a feeling this was going to be close, and we were trying to keep her to 3 minutes per quarter. So, we were leaving her to the end of the game where she just takes control of the ball. It’s big having her back.”

The Eagles return to the court Saturday when they host Amherst.