Girls basketball: Buckeye snaps skid with win over Springfield

YORK TWP. — The Buckeye girls basketball team overcame a fourth-quarter deficit against Springfield and snapped a five-game losing skid Wednesday with a 44-38 non-league win. The Bucks (3-5) entered the final period trailing 34-30 and got things rolling behind seniors Ruby Hudak and Kwynn Czerwony and huge plays from freshmen Carlie Gunkleman and Ava Wolf. Hudak (17 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals) struck first with a pair of free throw makes to pull her team to 34-32. "We knew we had to play really hard and come in like we didn't know the records," she said. "We were 0-0 and just had to play our hearts out and put everything we could on the floor." Czerwony (5 points, 4 blocks) then tied the game at 34 with a putback. Scoring off a rebound was fitting for the Bucks post, as she set a career high with 18 boards, including eight on the offensive end. "Rebounding and putbacks I think encourage the team," Czerwony said. "Without rebounding, I don't think we would have won a game so far." The Bucks were dominant on the glass, holding a 42-25 edge, including 19-9 offensively. Every Buckeye player that checked in had at least one rebound and seven of the eight had at least three. The Spartans (1-6) briefly regained the lead on a score from Kendall Wilderman (22 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals), who was directly involved in 14 of her team's 16 made shots. "Obviously she was their main scorer," Czerwony said. "Our whole goal was to just play our best defense and make sure they didn't get any shots up." Wilderman scored 10 of her team's first 12 points and had 15 of Springfield's 21 in the first half. Gunkleman (6 points, 5 rebounds) responded for Buckeye, scoring a pair of buckets sandwiched around a big shot from Wolf (9 points), to give the Bucks a 40-36 lead with three minutes left. Wilderman's shot was the only make from the floor for the Spartans, as the Bucks clamped down when it mattered most. Buckeye allowed just four points in the game-deciding final quarter, holding Springfield to 1-for-7 shooting and six turnovers. "We've been really focusing on defense," Hudak said. "Coach (Ron Clady) has made that a major point this season to have really aggressive defense and have good defense. I think we really locked down on that, and we're really working on that a lot to stop people and get our offense going." The Spartans didn't help themselves much in the fourth, making just 2-of-6 free throws to finish 4-of-14 for the game. The Bucks made just 8-of-16 from the charity stripe but got big makes from Hudak and Czerwony down the stretch to hold on. Buckeye trailed through most of the second quarter but closed on a 6-0 run, with Hudak scoring the final four to take a 23-21 lead at the break. The Spartans went on a 7-0 run early in the third to jump back in front 28-25, but struggles from the free throw line kept them from growing the margin as they made just 2-of-8 in the third. Contact Chad Grant at sports@medina-gazette.com. Buckeye 44, Springfield 38 SPRINGFIELD&emsp;12 9 13 4 — 38 BUCKEYE&emsp;11 12 7 14 5 — 44 Springfield — Kayla Gaspar 1-0-2, Taylor Holmes 4-1-9, JoElle Carter 1-1-3, Kendall Wilderman 9-2-22, Victoria Akers 1-0-2, Briana Curry 0-0-0, Maddalyn Lewis 0-0-0, Evie Kunkler 0-0-0. TOTALS: 16-4-38. Buckeye — Macey Greer 0-1-1, Ruby Hudak 6-4-17, Ava Wolf 4-0-9, Juliana Melillo 1-0-2, Ava Piovarchy 2-0-4, Kwynn Czerwony 1-3-5, Carlie Gunkleman 3-0-6, Kaylee Cash 0-0-0. TOTALS: 17-8-44. 3-point goals — Wilderman 2, Hudak, Wolf. Rebounds — Springfield 25 (Wilderman 8), Buckeye 42 (Czerwony 18). Assists — Springfield 8 (Wilderman 5), Buckeye 7 (Hudak 3). Records — Springfield (1-6), Buckeye (3-5). Junior varsity — North Olmsted 62, Buckeye 17 (B: Kash, Ellen Steppenbacker, Rose Weckesser 4).