Girls state basketball: Leah Blake shines on defense for Wadsworth

DAYTON — In the biggest game of the season, the Wadsworth girls basketball team called on one of its smallest players to have one of her most impactful performances. Despite an eventual 53-43 loss to Princeton in the Division I state semifinals at UD Arena on Thursday, junior Leah Blake answered. The 5-foot-6 backup guard did not dazzle in the box score — she didn't score and had one rebound with two assists — but she made her presence felt over 19 minutes. Blake harassed Vikings ball handlers, picking up three steals and forcing several other turnovers, including a drawn charge in the paint on 5-foot-9 Kiara Harris with 4:21 left in the game and the Grizzlies trailing only 45-41. "It was really exciting," Blake said. "We talked about how we could take charges on them, because we know that they're going to pound it inside. Once she hit me, I kind of just went down." When Blake popped back up, sophomore Julia Maddox was there with a bear hug, picking her teammate up off her feet and spinning her around — the kind of thing the Grizzlies have done all season. "It's really important to stay together," Blake said. "We were down, so it was nice that we still have that connection. And that kind of brings juice when we do that, so I love them." It was also a show of the fire that Blake and her teammates displayed during a season that saw them finish 24-3, win the Suburban League National Conference and reach the state semifinals for the first time since 2018. "I think we all have the fierceness in us," Blake said. "I know (coach Andrew Booth) really likes when we're pumped up and stuff. So when we pump each other up, it all helps us build it up." Blake taking that charge was no surprise to Booth, who spoke glowingly about the junior in the postgame press conference as senior Lauren Decker and sophomore Julia Maddox nodded their heads in agreement of every word. "What you saw tonight out of Leah is what we've seen since she stepped into this program," he said. "She really epitomizes what we're about and that's full effort all the time, tenacious, just a battler." That tenaciousness was out in full force, as there were plenty of times when Blake guarded someone bigger, something she has grown used to in her career. Her faith in help defense allows her to play aggressively on the perimeter and make life difficult for ball handlers. "I always say in front of them, so I rely on my teammates to get help, and I trust them a lot," Blake said. "When I am guarding them, I know that my teammates have my back." Blake was called on early when the Grizzlies led in the first half and then again when Princeton made a 19-0 run to start the third quarter, turning what had been a 27-20 Wadsworth lead into a 39-27 Vikings lead. The latter was a much more difficult task than the former, as Natalie Maddox was sent to the bench with four fouls with 2:32 left in the period. "At the beginning, I know we had the lead, and we just said we had to keep constant pressure on them," Blake said. "And once they started getting the lead, we just said that we needed to get steals again. So (Booth) put me in to get steals, but it was hard." With the size disadvantage against Princeton, Blake was a little surprised to get as many minutes as she did. She knew that if the Vikings took her to the paint, it would be a long night. "They are all taller than me, so I know that if they do post me up, I was kind of screwed," a laughing Blake said. "But (coach) has trusted me, so I'm very grateful for that." "We're just really happy that Leah has got another year to come back and be that leader that she is," Booth said. Contact Ryan Isley at sports@medina-gazette.com.