Scoring droughts result in girls basketball loss to Lakewood
Two long scoring droughts were too much to overcome Monday as Avon’s girls basketball team fell to host Lakewood in a non-conference matchup, 59-50. With the loss, the Eagles fell to 5-9 overall.
Early in the game the teams traded baskets, and the score was tied at 5 just 1 minute, 22 seconds into the contest. However, Avon didn’t score for the remainder of the first quarter while turning the ball over seven times, resulting in a 14-0 run for the Rangers, who opened a 19-5 lead after the opening 8 minutes.
“I wish I had an answer for the slow start,” said coach Adam Castrilla. “It’s not like we didn’t get decent shots. They just didn’t go in, and you have to give Lakewood some credit. We knew coming in that they were good. You know, sometimes, even though you watch it on film, it takes a minute to adjust to a team.”
The lead got as big as 16, 23-7, before Avon starting clawing its way back into the game. With Abby Owens scoring eight of her game-high 23 points, the Eagles cut the margin to six, 27-21, on a 3-pointer from Emma Fitch with 1:22 left in the second quarter.
The halftime score was 29-21, and the comeback continued in the third quarter as an 11-5 run cut the deficit to just two points, 34-32, on a layup by Sophia Sharp off a feed from Ava Mitchell midway through the period.
But after spending all that time and effort to get back into the game, the Eagles found themselves in another scoreless drought, as they were outscored, 12-0, over the next 3 minutes to fall behind, 46-32. The final margin was the closest Avon got for the remainder of the game.
“We got it down to two in the third quarter, and a couple of mistakes here and there, and next thing you know, boom, it’s right back up there,” Castrilla said. “So, credit to them. They didn’t fold when we got it back down to that point.”
The Eagles struggled with the scoring depth of Lakewood, which had four players reach double figures. Post player Ari Hueter led the way with 19 points, followed by point guard Charleigh Doxley and freshman Chloe Carroll with 15 each and Olivia Andregg with 10.
The Eagles struggled to keep up with the speed of Doxley, and they were very aware of defending Hueter in the post, which sometimes resulted in Carroll and Andregg being left alone.
“Much of it was we were trying to guard the big kid in the post,” Castrilla said. “Once in a while, we tried to front the post. But then you need to help more in the paint, and we gave too much help. Credit to those two. They knocked them down. That’s exactly what you need and that’s what good teams have, that supporting cast to kind of make those plays. Credit to them. They’re a good team and they’re going to be a tough out in the tournament.”
Owens, who hit five 3-pointers, was the only Avon player to reach double figures. She was backed by Sharp with nine points and Alaina Pagan with eight, including a shot from halfcourt that swished at the final buzzer.
Avon employed a full court man-to-man defense, which is the style that Castrilla wants to play. The pressure helped the Eagles battle back into the game from the early deficit, but it also resulted in some easy baskets for the Rangers as Avon continues to learn its new style of play.
“We’re playing some kids that are playing a way that they probably haven’t been asked to play before,” Castrilla said. “But we’ll get there. Our goal is to be ready towards the end of the year and win a few games in the tournament, and this is one way to do it. We’ve got to play this way, and the only way to get better is by continuing to do it. It might not be pretty all of the time, but we’ve just got to keep playing that way. Our kids played really hard. It’s not the result we wanted, but the effort is what we wanted.”
Next up for Avon is a trip Wednesday to face archrival Avon Lake in a return to Southwestern Conference play.
