Girls basketball: Highland emerges victorious in scrap with Medina

MEDINA — Christmas came early for the Highland girls basketball team in the form of a hard-earned win against a future Suburban League National Conference rival. While fight-till-the-end Medina certainly didn't hand out any presents Monday, a 10-minute stretch of brilliance was enough for the Hornets to ultimately hold on 47-44 in non-league play. Highland struggled to shoot for most of the first half and was awful at the foul line in the fourth quarter, but it also used a 20-0 run covering the second and third quarters to improve to 8-1. Not bad for a still relatively inexperienced team that lost four-year players Kennedy Morgan, Aleena VanKirk and Grace Madison to graduation from a squad that went 25-1 last season. "When it's Medina-Highland, it's always competitive," wing Rowan Kildoo said. "The vibe here (at Richard H. Clevidence Gymnasium), the atmosphere is amazing. Every time it feels like a bigger game. Every year it's really competitive." Highland trailed 24-16 late in the first half and had no answers from Medina center Abby Dress (game-high 22 points). A quick 6-0 run into recess proved to be a game-changer. Five players scored during the 20-0 run that was capped by Emeri Gausman free throws, turning an eight-point hole into a 36-24 lead. The advantage eventually reached 39-26 on a 3-pointer by Kildoo before the Hornets again went cold from the field and the Bees (3-4) fought back. Highland simply held on in the fourth quarter, using a spread offense effectively to get to the foul line. The Hornets made only 6-of-16 free throws in the period, including missing two with 3.9 seconds left, but Medina (3-4), whose four losses have been to teams with a combined 27-5 record, rushed a half-court shot that could have been 10 feet closer had the Bees not lost track of time. "There was a stretch there in the third quarter that doomed us again," Bees coach Karen Kase said. "One of the keys was play four quarters — every moment, every play, every minute of the game until the buzzer — and there was a stretch where we didn't." Kildoo exited with 3:47 left in the first quarter after she landed hard on her surgically reconstructed right knee but returned early in the second to finish with team highs of 17 points and nine rebounds. Much-improved center Gausman, whose range now extends to the 3-point line, added 12 points, six boards and three steals, while All-Gazette point guard Grace Shondel had her usual all-over-the-map line of 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and eight steals. Never shy about attacking offensively, Highland had another up-and-down night against a physical Medina defense. The Hornets committed seven turnovers in the first quarter and made only 11-of-35 field goals over the final three — not to mention the late free throw woes — but shored up their defense against Bees cutters and rebounded well overall, especially on the offensive end. Highland knew the game would be a dogfight and responded well to adversity. "Medina is a real physical team," coach James Madison said. "They're a good team and it's a game of runs, but our girls matched their intensity. What they brought in the first quarter, we matched that the rest of the game." Using improved quickness to get off catch-and-shoot 3-pointers and finishing with better balance around the rim, Dress was far and away Medina's best player en route to making 9-of-18 field goals, including 4-of-12 3-pointers, to go with five rebounds and a team-leading four assists. The Bees did an excellent job riding her hot had in the first half, when Dress scored 15 of the team's first 22 points, but not one else scored consistently until All-Gazette forward Addy Shook (12 points, 8 rebounds) came alive late. Medina did a lot of intelligent things such as feed Dress early, put Highland's switch-everything man defense in a bind with slip screens and attack foul-plagued Hornets standout Madi Morgan (6 points), but was still dominated at the free throw line. The Bees finished 1-for-5 from the stripe, with the only second-half attempt coming on a three-point play opportunity by Shook in the third quarter. "We need to review this, watch it and visually see what you should have done here, what you should have done there, what are the options here, rather than, 'Oh, it just didn't happen,"' Kase said. "We absolutely need to go through it and show them and teach them so that when we're in this position again, which we will be, we can make better decisions or be more physical or match their energy, whatever that may be." The Bees still had their chances, as Shook scored back-to-back buckets to cut an eight-point deficit to 40-36 with 4:32 remaining. The catch was the Bees put Highland into the five-foul bonus relatively early in the period, and the Hornets took care of the ball well enough to get to the line consistently. Medina cut to 46-41 with 38.6 seconds left, then to 47-44 on a 3-pointer by Molly Gilbert (7 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) that was hoisted before Highland, which was still shy of the bonus, could foul intentionally to stop the clock. The Hornets then missed two free throws sandwiched around a timeout before the half-court heave that failed to draw iron. "We had some shaky moments, but I'm really proud of my team," Kildoo said. "The coaches on the sideline, they were keeping our heads in it. The better team was going to win today." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com. Highland 47, Medina 44 HIGHLAND &emsp;&emsp;9 13 17 8 — 47 MEDINA &emsp;&emsp;8 16 6 14 — 44 Highland — Rowan Kildoo 6-2-17, Madi Morgan 3-0-6, Emeri Gausman 3-5-12, Jordyn Caples 1-0-2, Grace Shondel 2-6-10, Scarlet Gordon 0-0-0, Sophia Madison 0-0-0, Bridget Cope 0-0-0, Alaina Weingart 0-0-0. TOTALS: 15-13-47. Medina — Vivian Kelps 0-0-0, Addy Shook 6-0-12, Abby Dress 9-0-22, Gilian Kurka 0-1-1, Molly Gilbert 3-0-7, Kinley Miller 1-0-2, Emily Fischer 0-0-0, Bri Kudley 0-0-0, Haylie Perdue 0-0-0, Emma Carlson 0-0-0. TOTALS: 19-1-44. 3-point goals — Kildoo 3, Gausman, Dress 4, Gilbert. Rebounds — Highland 31 (Kildoo 9), Medina 27 (Shook 8). Assists — Highland 9 (Morgan, Gordon, Shondel 2), Medina 11 (Gilbert, Dress 4). Records — Highland (8-1), Medina (3-4). Junior varsity — Highland 36, Medina 31 (H: Weingart 9, M: Perdue 9).