Girls basketball: Medina's Kate Bobey beats Big Blue

MEDINA — The largest crowd of the girls basketball season in Medina County was treated to the signature performance of Kate Bobey's career. Bobey scored 15 of her game-high 19 points in the second half — single-handedly outscoring Brunswick's team by three — as Medina pulled away for a 52-36 victory over the Blue Devils to remain alive in the Greater Cleveland Conference race on Friday. The senior guard also had four rebounds, two assists, three steals and a blocked shot over the final two quarters, bringing the near-capacity crowd to its feet numerous times in the opener of a boys-girls doubleheader. "She's helped us win a lot of games in her career, but that's probably the best we've seen from Kate," Bees coach Karen Kase said. "We've played in front of big crowds before, but not like this. Kate rose to the occasion — and that was huge." Medina (10-7, 6-2) split its season series with Brunswick (15-4, 5-3), pulling it within one game of GCC-leading Solon with two to play. The Comets are 7-1 with contests against Mentor and lowly Euclid remaining. Most of Solon's players made the trip to the Bee Hive and were seated courtside in their letterwinners' jackets, which the Bees and Blue Devils couldn't help but notice. "It felt very good to beat Brunswick in front of them," a smiling Bobey said. "We've been underdogs this entire season and no one expected us to do anything, so this has been a really, really fun time." Bobey put Medina ahead for good at 28-26 with a 3-pointer early in the third, starting a 12-2 run that saw her either score or assist on every point. She finished the period with 10 points — two more than the Blue Devils — as the hosts seized a 41-32 lead. With Brunswick junior Journey Hildebrand and Medina sophomore Olivia Klanac essentially battling to a draw in their All-Ohio matchup, Bobey then delivered the dagger via another three with 2:45 remaining to put the Bees up 46-34. "I was just doing what we talked about in the pregame," said Bobey, who went 4-of-8 from the field and established career bests by going 9-of-12 from the foul line. "I had to step up because they were guarding Liv tightly, and Liv was shutting down Journey. We always have each other's backs on this team." Hildebrand was limited to 10 points and six rebounds while battling foul trouble, and Klanac had nine points, seven rebounds, three assists, four steals and eight turnovers. Bees freshman forward Addy Shook also shined with nine points off the bench, including back-to-back baskets during Bobey's third quarter blitz. Medina's reserves had 11 more points, five more boards and three more assists than their counterparts. "I've learned that confidence is key, along with using your teammates for support," Shook said. "Just don't overthink it. With the way our bench is playing, things are only going to go up from here." Northwood-bound center Lea Holmes continued her strong run with 13 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and four blocked shots for Brunswick. The rest of the squad made 8-of-37 field goal attempts as the Blue Devils matched their season low in points. Brunswick, which had won 11 of its previous 12 games, was eliminated from GCC title contention and fell to 3-1 against county opposition. "Medina made us uncomfortable, and they made us look very small and very weak tonight," Blue Devils coach Anthony Ocacio said. "In these games, someone has to step up and Bobey was the difference-maker. "Kate is a very physical player who enjoys contact and gets to the free throw line. I take my hat off to Medina because they beat us up." Guard Hailey Johnson had five of her six rebounds in the Bees' post-halftime surge and fellow junior Izzy Kurka totaled six points, four boards, two assists and two steals. Senior center Kayla Joyner added four points and seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Kennedi Neale had six points, four rebounds and three assists for Brunswick. Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com. Follow him @BrianDulik on Twitter. Medina 52, Brunswick 36 BRUNSWICK 9 15 8 4 — 36 MEDINA 12 11 18 11 — 52 Brunswick — Lexie Bertemes 1-0-2, Journey Hildebrand 4-1-10, Lea Holmes 6-1-13, Faith Vlcek 0-0-0, Kennedi Neale 1-3-6, Kennedy Reynolds 0-0-0, Ashlyn Dyson 1-0-3, Audrey Parker 0-0-0, Rose Frasure 1-0-2. TOTALS: 14-5-36. Medina — Olivia Klanac 4-0-9, Mylie Roberts 0-2-2, Kayla Joyner 2-0-4, Kate Bobey 4-9-19, Hailey Johnson 1-0-2, Addy Shook 4-1-9, Izzy Kurka 2-2-6, Kylie O'Cull 0-0-0, Sylvie Hipp 0-0-0, Jenna White 0-0-0, Joy Hilvert 0-0-0, Marissa Sladky 0-0-0, Ashley Kollar 0-0-0, Ella Silvis 0-0-0, Autumn Brickley 0-1-1. TOTALS: 17-15-52. 3-point goals — Hildebrand, Neale, Dyson, Bobey 2, Klanac. Rebounds — Brunswick 28 (Holmes 10), Medina 36 (Klanac, Joyner 7). Assists — Brunswick 8 (Neale 3), Medina 10 (Klanac, Bobey 3). Records — Brunswick (15-4, 5-3), Medina (10-7, 6-2).