Girls basketball: Grace Madison leads Highland over Aurora

AURORA — Grace Madison was raised one way and one way only by her father and coach, James: Excuses are for losers. The only thing that matters is winning. The senior guard has had a roller coaster career, going from a starring role as a freshman to losing confidence as a sophomore to missing her entire junior season with a torn ACL. When many would have withered, Grace Madison has never wavered, even when Pops told her coming off the bench was best for the Highland girls basketball team. Grace didn't care. She just wanted to win. Now back in the starting lineup due to a knee injury sustained by starter Rowan Kildoo, Madison provided the spark the Hornets needed to gain separation from pesky Aurora in a a 53-38 Suburban League American Conference victory that was largely even except for one seven-minute stretch. The Hornets (9-0, 6-0) have Madison to thank for that. "I'm feeling pretty good," she said. "At the beginning of the season, it was a little bit rough. I think I was just trying to get the hang of it. My shooting wasn't really there — I think I missed literally at least six shots a game — but finally I'm get back in my rhythm. "Being back on the court has been great when I'm with my teammates. I'm having fun." In a classic example of how box scores don't always paint the true picture, Madison finished with a modest six points, four rebounds, three assists, five steals an a block. Aleena VanKirk (20 points, 16 in second half, 8 rebound) and Kennedy Morgan (10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals) carried the scoring load, but no one was doing much of that as Highland fell behind 11-9 in the first quarter after missing eight of its first 12 shots. Aurora (4-6, 2-4), which raised eyebrows in a four-point loss to defending champion Copley on Dec. 4, inbounded near mid court with 7.4 seconds left in the period. Madison stole the pass, circled around two defenders and fired deep to Bianca Pallante, who was fouled while hoisting a squared-up 25-footer in front of the Greenmen bench and made 2-of-3 free throws to tie the game. The inspired Hornets then turned up their ball pressure and cruised into halftime up 29-19. They were never threatened seriously the rest of the day. "That was a great play with great skill. She made the right play and the right read," James Madison said. "Right now she's more of a facilitator within the offense, but she's knocked down some open shots for us, too. Hopefully she can get back to where she was before she hurt her knee, but she really only cares about helping the team win." The game-changing sequence was gratifying to Grace Madison, especially after all she's been through. As a freshman, the right-hander was a ball-dominant, shoot-first point guard who was the third-leading scorer (8.1 ppg) as the Hornets went 24-2 and reached the Division I regional semifinals. As a sophomore, Madison's scoring dropped to 7.6 due to her 3-point percentage plummeting from .331 to .235, then things got worse when she lost her junior year after tearing an ACL during the soccer postseason. The shoot-first mentality has morphed into a combo guard role. Now Madison only shoots when she's open, shares point guard duties with best friend Grace Shondel and focuses primarily on being a top-notch defender, a strong aspect of her game that Highland missed tremendously last season. Playing time is irrelevant to Madison, who also tries to set an example for younger sisters Sophia, Charlotte and Ava to follow. "I definitely think over the years I've played more of a point guard position, but now I'm transforming into kind of like a shooting guard — a second guard, basically," she said. "I don't really bring the ball up as much, and I think part of the reason is because I like to pass the ball. Anybody who's open, I'll pass it to them. "I never try to overdo my job. I want to get people their shots, and anything I can do to get them the ball, I'll do it." Highland could have easily blown out Aurora in the second half but labored through 4-for-19 shooting in the third quarter. The physical VanKirk came alive after a quiet first half, scoring eight points in the fourth when the Greenmen tried to make a frantic final push behind a half-court trap. Morgan also was fantastic, overcoming 5-for-18 shooting by contributing heavily with passing, rebounding and defense. Shondel (5 points, 3 assists, 4 steals) continued to shake off rust in her second game back from a broken nose, while Madison Morgan had six points in the pivotal second quarter. Highland again battled through offensive inconsistency, but the tenacity of the second quarter was a glimpse of its potential. That is what the Hornets will be looking to build upon Friday at Toledo Whitmer (4-5). "I liked that Aurora came at us and tested us," James Madison said. "We responded." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com. Highland 53, Aurora 38 HIGHLAND &emsp;&emsp;11 18 8 16 — 53 AURORA &emsp;&emsp;11 8 6 13 — 38 Highland — Madison Morgan 2-2-6, Emeri Gausman 1-0-2, Aleena VanKirk 8-4-20, Kennedy Morgan 5-0-10, Grace Madison 2-0-6, Grace Weber 1-0-2, Grace Shondel 2-0-5, Bianca Pallante 0-2-2, Kennedy Lawson 0-0-0, Jordyn Caples 0-0-0. TOTALS: 21-8-53. Aurora — Brooke Manav 6-0-13, Julia Miller 1-0-2, Jenna Zuelsch 0-0-0, Brooke Pierce 5-3-13, Caitlin Pierce 3-2-8, Charlotte Hart 1-0-2, Jillian Monastero 0-0-0, Reese Witting 0-0-0, Autumn Eichenhower 0-0-0. TOTALS: 16-5-38. 3-point goals — Madison 2, Shondel, Manav. Rebounds — Highland 33 (VanKirk 8), Aurora 22 (C. Pierce 5). Assists — Highland 13 (K. Morgan, Weber, Madison 3). Records — Highland (9-0, 6-0), Aurora (4-6, 2-4). Junior varsity — Highland 49, Aurora 30 (H. Sophia Maison 18).