Girls basketball: Nordonia's Madison Cluse too much for Wadsworth

MACEDONIA — Madison Cluse did a bit of everything and a lot of some things Thursday night as the Nordonia girls basketball team beat Wadsworth 45-39 in overtime in a key Suburban League National Conference game. Playing point guard, center and everywhere in between, the Miami (Ohio) recruit finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, one assist — she would have had a lot more if her teammates had put the ball in the basket — five steals and three blocks. The 5-foot-11 was 11-for-19 from the field, while her teammates were 5-for-29. "We've had a lot of good players in our league in the 16 years I've been here, and she's right near the top, if not at the top," Grizzlies coach Andrew Booth said. "We haven't seen a kid with that size and that kind of skill." As good as Cluse was — she had 17 of Nordonia's 23 points in the first half — the Grizzlies (6-6, 2-1) had a chance to beat the Knights (11-4, 5-1) after trailing by 11 late in the second period and nine at halftime. For that, Wadsworth can thank shooting guard Maggie Long, who scored 12 of her team-high 18 points after intermission and grabbed four rebounds. "She's one of the hardest-working kids I've had, and that says something because we've had a bunch of them," Booth said. "She had been in a little bit of a funk the last few games, but shooters keep shooting. She's a senior, and she led the way." The defeat leaves Wadsworth a game behind Stow and tied with the Knights in the loss column in the SL National, which will count one game against each of seven conference opponents in the league standings. If the Grizzlies can beat the Bulldogs and also win the rest of their conference games, it's quite possible Wadsworth, Stow and Nordonia would finish in a three-way tie for first. "I'm never happy when we don't come out on the right end of the score," Booth said. "I am happy our effort showed some pulse tonight after a few games where it wasn't there." The resolute Grizzlies took a 34-31 lead with 2:54 remaining in regulation when Long rebounded her own miss and twisted a shot around Cluse, then got the ball back still up three. Cluse, however, got a steal in the open court, starting a stretch where Wadsworth committed turnovers on four straight possessions to fall behind 37-34. "The thing I'm not happy about is we've got a pretty veteran team," Booth said. "We weren't able to take care of the basketball down the stretch." Just when the Grizzlies looked dead, Ciena Matheny took a pass from Ky'Sonna Won and buried a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to tie the game with 18 seconds left in regulation. Nordonia managed only an air-balled 3-point attempt on its ensuing possession, and Long's last-second heave from midcourt bounced off the backboard. Turnovers continued to plague Wadsworth in OT, as did missing the front end of two one-and-one opportunities. That allowed the Knights, who scored the first four points of the extra session, to ice the game by going 4-for-6 at the line over the final 30.9 seconds. "The effort was there," Booth said. "The execution down the stretch certainly was not." Long also was happy with the Grizzlies' work rate, though a win would have made the night much better. "We knew we had to stop Cluse and (Wisconsin-Milwaukee recruit Hallie) Marjoros (4 points, 1-for-12 shooting) and keep putting good effort in," she said. "I think we did that tonight. Everyone played their hardest." Center Regan Simpson had six points and six boards off the bench for the Grizzlies and fellow reserve Matheny had six points on a pair of threes. Center Steph Andrews had five rebounds, while point guard Won had three assists and combined with Brooke Baughman and Macie Roberts (4 points, 3 rebounds) to hold Cluse to 10 points after intermission, including none in a third period Wadsworth won 11-5 to get back into the game. Long, who was perfect on seven free throws and hit a number of shots that built momentum for Wadsworth or stopped a Nordonia spurt, led the way offensively. "In big games, I try to take that leadership position," she said. "It doesn't have to be scoring, but I try to step up." Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, Cluse did likewise for the Knights. "She's the real deal," Long said. "I respect her. She worked hard for what she got." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4061 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on Twitter. Nordonia 45, Wadsworth 39 (OT) WADSWORTH 7 7 11 12 2 — 39 NORDONIA 7 16 5 9 8 — 45 Wadsworth — Brooke Baughman 1-0-3, Macie Roberts 2-0-4, Steph Andrews 0-0-0, Maggie Long 5-7-18, Ky'Sonna Won 1-0-2, Regan Simpson 3-0-6, Emily Rhoades 0-0-0, Ciena Matheny 2-0-6, Celia Lambert 0-0-0. TOTALS: 14-7-39. Nordonia — Hallie Majoros 1-1-4, Kennedy Syllaba 1-3-6, Madison Cluse 11-2-27, Ella Gorta 1-0-3, Taylor Root 1-1-3, Madison McMillan 0-0-0, Marybella Dunlap 0-0-0, Jensen Stehlik 1-0-2, Carmella Hack 0-0-0. TOTALS: 16-7-45. 3-point goals — Matheny 2, Long, Baughman, Cluse 3, Majoros, Gorta, Syllaba. Rebounds — Wadsworth 27 (Simpson 6), Nordonia 28 (Cluse 12). Assists — Wadsworth 6 (Won 3), Nordonia 5 (Cluse, Majoros, McMillan, Syllaba, Root). Records — Wadsworth (6-6, 2-1), Nordonia (11-4, 5-1). Junior varsity — Wadsworth 25, Nordonia 22.