Girls basketball: Medina Christian can't shake off rust in loss to Rittman

MONTVILLE TWP. — Needing to shake off the rust was understandable for the Medina Christian girls basketball team, but the Knights were powerless once the avalanche began to roll. While Medina Christian lost to rebuilding Rittman 47-30 in non-league play after being idle for 24 days, there were positives. The Knights were relatively efficient when they held onto the ball, rebounded well and got a noteworthy performance from Anna Gibson in her second game back from ACL reconstruction surgery. The seven-player roster is already looking toward Friday night against Brooklyn in a matchup of winless teams. "It's the little things," coach Dan Tousley said. "When you play a game like that and you don't grow from it, you miss an opportunity. "It's been a while since we played a game (Dec. 19), so we told them before the game that everything is going to seem fast when we get in there, and it did. There are a lot of things we had been focusing on that we didn't execute." The Knights (0-5) finished with 43 turnovers compared to only 35 field goal attempts, negating a 39-26 rebounding edge and a solid six assists on nine buckets. They were competitive while falling behind 28-21 at halftime against the Indians (3-11) but fell apart once the margin grew past double digits and failed to score from the field in the fourth quarter. Do-everything Grace Workman, who often weaved her way through multiple defenders, again carried the load with seven points, a game-high 13 rebounds, three assists and four steals. Leah Stroup scored six points by standing on the backside block in the second quarter, while Ann Sems posted five points and nine boards. Gibson, however, shined brightest despite a minutes restriction that is scheduled to be lifted soon. The forward who plays taller than 5-foot-7 due to her hard-charging playstyle and leaping ability led Medina Christian with eight points, seven boards and two rejections. "I was iffy about it, but I ended up playing because we needed more girls," the bubbly Gibson said. "I need it for the exercise just to keep myself in shape because I really haven't been doing anything for the last nine months. "I think I played pretty well considering this was my second game back and all the restrictions I still have." Rittman, which entered play averaging 20.8 points but has to deal with regional contenders Norwayne, Chippewa, Dalton and Waynedale in the elite Wayne County Athletic League, made just 20-of-67 shots (.299) but counteracted poor quality with massive quantity by committing only 19 turnovers. Forward Carly Frame led all players with 16 points, Ryver Ramsier added 11 and plucky guard Chavalah Baltzly was a defensive menace with six points, four assists and six steals. The Indians began the night sitting in a traditional half-court zone but changed the complexion of the game with a press. The rusty Knights fell into the common mental trap of playing too fast and often committed unforced errors or floated passes that were picked off. The mistakes are correctable, however, and that has kept Medina Christian upbeat. "The ball movement (was good in the first half)," Gibson said. "I feel like we were more in the game and ready, but when we saw the score (become more lopsided), we put our heads down." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com. Rittman 47, Medina Christian 30 RITTMAN &emsp;&emsp;12 16 10 9 — 47 MEDINA CHRISTIAN &emsp;&emsp;10 11 5 4 — 30 Rittman — Ryver Ramsier 5-0-11, Carly Frame 7-1-16, Lillian Halliwell 1-0-2, Chavalah Baltzly 2-1-6, Lillian Kindel 1-0-2, Olivia Rufener 1-0-3, Kelsie Halliwell 2-0-4, Emily Zullo 0-0-0, Gian Maimone 0-0-0, Kierston Reinhardt 0-0-0, Karlie Savage 1-0-3. TOTALS: 20-2-47. Medina Christian — Deanna Pace 0-1-1, Ann Sems 1-3-5, Leah Stroup 4-0-8, Grace Workman 2-3-7, Aaliyah Rauckhorst 0-1-1, Anna Gibson 2-3-8, Ansley Wood 0-0-0. TOTALS: 9-11-30. 3-point goals — Ramiser, Frame, Baltzly, Rufener, Savage, Gibson. Rebounds — Rittman 26 (K. Halliwell 7), Medina Christian 39 (Workman 13). Assists — Rittman 13 (Baltzly, Ramsier 4), Medina Christian 6 (Workman 3). Records — Rittman (3-11), Medina Christian (0-5).