Girls basketball: Highland beats Berea-Midpark, becomes first county team to go 21-0 in regular season

GRANGER TWP. — Highland girls basketball starters Kennedy Morgan, Madi Morgan, Aleena VanKirk, Grace Madison and Grace Shondel were the Fabulous Five on Monday night in an impressive 71-50 non-league win over Berea-Midpark. Coming off a Suburban League American Conference-clinching victory Saturday over Copley that was frequently hard on the eyes, the Hornets played beautiful basketball against the Titans (12-7) while becoming the first Medina County team to start a regular season 21-0 since the Ohio High School Athletic Association began allowing a 22-game schedule in 2012-13. The Hornets will try to cap a 22-0 regular season when they play Twinsburg (13-5) at 6:45 p.m. Saturday at Barberton, and if they get the kind of production they received against Berea-Midpark, they'll have a great chance of doing just that. Highland's five starters combined for 65 points, 32 rebounds and 14 assists, with everyone but floor general Shondel, who only took five shots, scoring in double figures. Madison led the way with a season-high 16 points, three boards and four assists, followed by Kennedy Morgan (15, 6, 2), Madi Morgan (14, 8, 0), VanKirk (12, 9, 1) and Shondel (8, 6, 7). "It just shows our starting five is so dynamic," said Kennedy Morgan, who had 13 of her points and all three of her 3-pointers in the first half as the Hornets raced to a 40-29 lead in an NBA-style shootout. "If one of us is down, the rest step up. Teams have to guard all five of us." In one stretch from late in the first quarter until early in the second, Highland made five straight 3-point shots, with Madison nailing two of her four and Kennedy Morgan getting the other three. That was part of a 19-5 run that turned a 14-10 deficit into a 29-19 lead. "That first half we saw our shots go in," Kennedy Morgan said. "That was good for us. We just needed to get our groove back because the last game wasn't very good." The Hornets were 6-for-13 from deep in the first half before going just 1-for-4 in the second, largely because they had the lead and were wisely attacking the hoop. The starters scored the team's first 57 points before Emeri Gausman (4 points, 6 rebounds) hit a layup off Shondel's seventh and final assist with 6:47 remaining in the game. "We just got the ball to our shooters and did a great job shooting the ball," Madison said. "We had a great shooting night. "I wanted to redeem myself for the last game. I wanted to go out there and show I could still play well. I got to my open spots and as soon as I saw a few feet of open space, I let it rip." Highland's defense also was extremely good in the middle quarters. After giving up 19 points in the opening period — they still led by four thanks to a 23-point quarter — the Hornets held Berea-Midpark, which is heavily reliant on the 3-pointer, to 17 points over the second and third periods. The Titans, who got 16 points and four 3-pointers from Emma Arnold and 14 points on 6-for-20 shooting from Regan Braaten, were 12-for-36 from the floor over the final three periods, when they also committed 15 of their 17 turnovers. "Getting stops allows us to go down and score," Kennedy Morgan said. "Our defense definitely translates to offense." The Hornets, who were 18-for-19 at the line and finished with a 42-26 edge on the boards in a game they led by as many as 25 points, will now try to finish the regular season 22-0 when they take on Twinsburg, which is noted for its sticky, aggressive defense. "It would mean a lot," Madison said. "We've had people sacrifice a lot, so it would mean everything to go 22-0." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on X. Highland 71, Berea-Midpark 50 BEREA-MIDPARK 19 10 7 14 — 50 HIGHLAND 23 17 15 16 — 71 Berea-Midpark — Emma Arnold 6-0-16, Avery James 1-0-2, Rylee Szojka 3-0-6, Casey Friel 1-2-5, Regan Braaten 6-2-14, Emily Orcutt 0-0-0, Miya Walker 1-0-3, Presley Frathauer 0-0-0, Bella Miller 1-0-3, Gianna Colona 0-0-0, Sade Delavaga 0-0-0, Marissa Szojka 0-0-0, Lexi Hall 0-1-1. TOTALS: 19-5-50. Highland — Kennedy Morgan 5-2-15, Madi Morgan 5-4-14, Aleena VanKirk 4-4-12, Grace Madison 5-2-16, Grace Shondel 2-4-8, Emeri Gausman 1-2-4, Bianca Pallante 1-0-2, Grace Weber 0-0-0, Kennedy Lawson 0-0-0, Bridget Cope 0-0-0. TOTALS: 23-18-71. 3-point goals — Arnold 4, Friel, Walker, Miller, Madison 4, K. Morgan 3. Rebounds — Berea-Midpark 26 (James 6), Highland 42 (VanKirk 9). Assists — Berea-Midpark 9 (Braaten, R. Szojka 3), Highland 16 (Shondel 7). Records — Berea-Midpark (12-7), Highland (21-0). Junnior varsity — Berea-Midpark 45, Highland 44 (H: Sophia Madison 11, Jordyn Caples 11, Cope 10).