Girls basketball: Sidney Butera's late shooting lifts Strongsville over Medina

STRONGSVILLE — A compelling comeback by Addy Shook and the Medina girls basketball team was spoiled by the leading scorer in Northeast Ohio. Junior guard Sidney Butera buried the go-ahead 3-pointer with 26 seconds remaining, then tacked on two free throws with 10 ticks on the clock as Strongsville edged the Bees 52-48 in Greater Cleveland Conference action Saturday. Shook had rallied Medina from a 13-point deficit in the second half, giving it the lead three times in the final five minutes — and scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter — before Butera broke the Bees' hearts. "Sometimes, you just have to say, 'Good job,' and congratulate the other team after a game like this," Medina coach Karen Kase said. "I can't say enough about our effort and our game plan. Strongsville just found a way to pull through at the end." Crunch time featured a one-on-one duel between Butera and senior forward Shook, who scored the Bees' final six points after junior teammate Molly Gilbert made a 3-pointer to tie at 42 with 6:03 left. Shook, who collected 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists, gave Medina its final lead at 48-47 by sinking two free throws with 45 seconds left. She previously put the Bees in front 46-45 by scoring off an inbounds pass under the basket from Abby Dress. "It's a good feeling to be put in that position, so you've got to embrace it, especially today, because I didn't really have an opportunity to contribute in the first half because of foul trouble," Shook said. "I appreciate the faith my coaches and teammates have in me." Butera finished with 30 points, eight rebounds and three assists but made just 10-of-31 field goal attempts as the Bees hounded her from start to finish. Vivian Kelps, Gillian Kurka, Emma Carlson and Shook traded off the assignment on the road. Kelps absorbed much of Butera's physicality, which included a pair of football-like hits that left her icing down several body parts after the final buzzer. The senior also had one point, four rebounds and a game-high five assists. "Unfortunately, it's very common," a smiling Kelps said about her postgame bruises. "The willingness to win is something we're very proud of as a group. We really played as a team in the second half and got after Strongsville." The Mustangs (14-4, 10-1), who are one game behind Mentor in the league, received seven points from sophomore Rosalynda Jordan and five points and eight rebounds from freshman Parker Zwick. Freshman Kinley Miller scored 10 of her career-high 12 points after intermission and grabbed six rebounds for the Bees (8-9, 6-5). Gilbert had 10 points and six boards, and senior Dress scored five and led all players with nine rebounds. "At halftime I told Kinley, 'You are a strong lady and you need to attack the rim,'" said Kase, whose message was reinforced by Kelps. The Bees fell behind 29-16 two minutes into the third on a layup by Zwick before Shook shifted to running the offense. The move was a strategic gem as she immediately fed Miller for back-to-back baskets. Shook scored four points on the opening possession of the fourth, pulling Medina within 40-37. It began her head-to-head skills exhibition with Butera, whose go-ahead 3-pointer came from deep and was basically indefensible, giving the Mustangs a 50-48 advantage. Following a Bees turnover, Strongsville was on the verge of a five-second violation when Butera pushed off to free herself from Kelps in front of the visiting bench. Kelps went flying backward to the floor and Butera received the pass, subsequently icing the win with her two makes from the line. "We talked about how important of a game this was and we played with that intensity," Shook said. "Now our goal is to win out while taking the rest of our season one game at a time." Contact Brian Dulik at sports@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @BrianDulik on X. Strongsville 52, Medina 48 MEDINA&emsp;10 3 19 15 — 48 STRONGSVILLE&emsp;15 10 15 12 — 52 Medina — Gillian Kurka 0-1-1, Addy Shook 5-5-17, Abby Dress 2-1-5, Vivian Kelps 0-1-1, Molly Gilbert 3-3-10, Emma Carlson 1-0-2, Kinley Miller 6-0-12, Emily Fischer 0-0-0, Bri Kudley 0-0-0, Olivia Miller 0-0-0, Sydney Novak 0-0-0. TOTALS: 17-11-48. Strongsville — Lyla Krenek 1-0-2, Stacey Mraz 0-0-0, Emmy Brian 0-0-0, Kira Ezhilan 0-0-0, Sidney Butera 10-4-30, Rosalynda Jordan 2-2-7, Maddie Klinzing 0-0-0, Parker Zwick 2-1-5, Chloey Ghantous Bou 3-0-6, Elle Lasley 0-2-2. TOTALS: 18-9-52. 3-point goals — Shook 2, Gilbert, Butera 6, Jordan. Rebounds — Medina 41 (Dress 9), Strongsville 36 (Butera, Zwick 8). Assists — Medina 15 (Kelps 5), Strongsville 7 (Butera 3). Records — Medina (8-9, 6-5), Strongsville (14-4. 10-1). Junior varsity — Medina 37, Strongsville 34 (M: O. Miller 10).