Girls basketball: Home is where the wins are as Brunswick beats Shaker Heights

BRUNSWICK — There is no place like home for the holidays, especially after starting the season with a pair of road losses. Juniors Aubrey Hayes and Adaya Collenette embraced the opportunity and powered the Brunswick girls basketball team to a dominant win on Friday. Power forward Hayes posted career highs of 18 points and four steals, while point guard Collenette had 16 points and four assists as the Blue Devils crushed Shaker Heights 64-17 in Greater Cleveland Conference action. "We were all excited to be at home, even though having a 9 a.m. shootaround the day after Thanksgiving was definitely tough," third-year starter Collenette said, laughing. "Actually, it wasn't that bad. We had a lot of fun together the whole day, especially in the game." Shooting guard Aaliyah Wilson scored seven points, center Amya Fluellen had six points and small forward Bri Sigmund netted four points, four rebounds and career bests of five assists and three steals for Brunswick (1-2, 1-1). All of those statistics could have been higher, but the Blue Devils' starters essentially played 1 1/2 quarters and the entire second half featured a running clock. They went up 40-5 in the second quarter on back-to-back hoops by Collenette. "Tonight was all about making sure we bounced back from two tough losses (at North Ridgeville and Mentor)," Brunswick coach Angela Fink said. "We wanted to control the game and prove we were on the upswing. I thought we did that from the start." No one more so than Hayes, who made three steals and scored seven points in the first four minutes. She buried her first eight shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, and finished with seven rebounds and four assists. Hayes also used her quick hands and sturdy defensive stance to hold the Raiders (0-3, 0-2) to one basket in the paint over the first three quarters. "We've just been waiting for our first home game, so we were ready and knew what coach wanted us to do," Hayes said. "Even though we lost to North Ridgeville (largely on a series of questionable late foul calls), it felt like a win because of how hard we fought, so we weren't discouraged. "Tonight was about getting our first win that counts." It also was about displaying their improved depth with an eight-girl rotation. Point guard Cam Sheets had four steals and two assists, defensive pest Olivia Moats added four points and a pair of thefts, and center Vanity Kersey had four points and five rebounds. All three earned significant playing time last season, giving Fink the luxury of bringing them off the bench as a group to sustain momentum. "We work very well together," junior Sheets said. "The three of us go out there and play strong with whoever we're on the court with." Sophomore Emerson Miller made two 3-pointers in the fourth to lead Shaker Heights with six points. Junior Shania Pritchett had five points and sophomore Oceanne Kabor had two points and six rebounds. The Raiders, who never led or tied the score, shot 6-of-34 from the field and committed 25 turnovers. Senior Eleanor Miller was ejected in the second period after picking up two technical fouls in a 5-minute, 25-second span. Blue Devils senior Ryleigh Zenda and freshman Ally Aljabi each scored their first varsity points in the fourth. Brunswick's largest advantage was 59-11 late in the third on an assist from Wilson to Sigmund. Contact Brian Dulik at sports@medina-gazette.com. Follow @BrianDulik on X. Brunswick 64, Shaker Heights 17 SHAKER HEIGHTS 4 4 3 6 17 BRUNSWICK 20 25 14 5 64 Shaker Heights — Emerson Miller 2-0-6, Eleanor Miller 0-1-1, Oceanne Kabor 1-0-2, Shuria Merritt 1-0-2, Aminah Taylor 0-1-1, DeArie Alford 0-0-0, Shania Pritchett 2-0-5. TOTALS: 6-2-17. Brunswick — Bri Sigmund 2-0-4, Aubrey Hayes 8-0-18, Amya Fluellen 2-2-6, Aaliyah Wilson 2-2-7, Adaya Collenette 4-6-16, Olivia Moats 1-1-4, Cam Sheets 0-0-0, Vanity Kersey 2-0-4, Ryleigh Zenda 1-0-2, Lillianna Midea 0-0-0, Ally Aljabi 1-0-3, Evie Avarello 0-0-0, Amanda Kamenar 0-0-0. TOTALS: 23-11-64. 3-point goals — Em. Miller 2, Pritchett, Hayes 2, Collenette 2, Wilson, Moats, Aljabi. Rebounds — Shaker Heights 21 (Kabor 6), Brunswick 32 (Hayes 7). Assists — Shaker Heights 5 (Em. Miller 2), Brunswick 20 (Sigmund 5). Records — Shaker Heights (0-3, 0-2), Brunswick (1-2, 1-1). Junior varsity — Brunswick 51, Shaker Heights 8 (B: Addison Dean, Lillianna Midea 9 points).