Girls golf: Ellie Gonzalez-Ribble content with 1-under-par 71 at Medina Invitational

MONTVILLE TWP. — Brunswick girls golf ace Ellie Gonzalez-Ribble proved Thursday that even when she doesn't have her "A" game, the junior is crafty enough to remain tough to beat. Gonzalez-Ribble fired a 1-under-par 71 at the Medina Invitational to tie for fifth with Revere's Amrita Deo and lead the Blue Devils (323) to fourth out of 18 teams at Fox Meadow Country Club. Gonzalez-Ribble was mostly pleased with her round, though memories of shooting 65 at the same event last season had her hoping for more. "I feel like I had a little bit higher expectations," she said. "I felt like this was a course that I could attack, but I had a bit of trouble reading the greens. I didn't make many putts, but overall I'm not upset about it. "You can never be upset with a 1 under." Magnificat won with a 4-under 284, led by Calli Reed's 65. Highland (371) finished 12th after losing a fifth-player tiebreaker with Strongsville but shot a season low and saw all four scorers break 100 for the first time this season. Anna Coleman, whose round was highlighted by six pars, led Highland with an 89, followed by Charlotte Chester (91), Eliana McDaniel (92) and Adriana Fazio (99). Cloverleaf (386) was 14th behind Quinn Malarkey (81) and MacLaine Bell (88). Malarkey battled the highs and the lows of the sport with four birdies and three double bogeys. She finished with only four pars. "It was a really up-and-down day," she said. "I was not playing great. I had lots of bogeys and doubles, but I had four birdies that helped out. It was really a rollercoaster of a day. It's not how I normally play." Medina's Honor Hlavna also shot an 81, her best score of the season. Hlavna, who has shot three of her four best scores of the year in the past week, parred her final four holes to give her 10 overall. "I feel really good (about my game)," she said. "Obviously, we're getting ready for sectionals in a few weeks. It felt really nice to see all the hard work I've put in pay off." Natalie Maybaum added a 99 for the Bees (428), who placed 16th. Gonzalez-Ribble, who started with a bogey on the 331-yard 10th hole, birdied the 416-yard, par-5 15th, 229-yard 17th, 239-yard first and 389-yard, par-5 fourth. Her birdies on the first and fourth brought her to 2 under, but her third bogey of the day — on the 90-yard, par-3 seventh — brought her back to 1 under. "My driver was pretty good," she said. "I didn't go into any hazards or anything like that. On this course, those can really come into play. I hit nine fairways. That's pretty decent for me." Rylee Roth and Emma Gonzalez-Ribble shot 79s to bolster Brunswick's score. Roth birdied the 81-yard, par-3 13th and No. 17 to highlight her round, while Emma-Gonzalez-Ribble recorded her only birdie on the 276-yard 12th and was 1 over at the turn but had a bogey, double bogey and triple bogey on the front nine, her second nine. "I think I did pretty good," Emma Gonzalez-Ribble said. "(Wednesday at the Rocky River Invitational) I kind of struggled, but (Thursday) I kind of came back. I think I did everything pretty good, but I had a couple of bad holes." Autumn Muslusky rounded out the Blue Devils' scoring with a 94. She was only 3 over through her first eight holes. Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com. Results Standings: 1. Magnificat 284, 2. Revere 308, 3. Walsh Jesuit 309, 4. Brunswick 323, 5. Riverside 340, 6. GlenOak 342, 7. Massillon Jackson 346, 8. Solon 347, 9. Brecksville 362, 10. Green 368, 11. Strongsville 371, 12. Highland 371, 13. Archbishop Hoban 376, 14. Cloverleaf 386, 15. Stow 408, 16. Medina 428, 17. Olmsted Falls 463, 18. St. Vincent-St. Mary 473. Brunswick (323) — Ellie Gonzalez-Ribble 71, Emma Gonzalez-Ribble 79, Rylee Roth 79, Autumn Muslusky 94, Ella Mullaly 112. Highland (371) — Anna Coleman 89, Charlotte Chester 91, Eliana McDaniel 92, Adriana Fazio 99, Adriana Rooks 116. Cloverleaf (386) — Quinn Malarkey 81, MacLaine Bell 88, Kora Klinect 105, Jaelynn Holmes 112, Kayla Schempp 112. Medina (428) — Honor Hlavna 81, Natalie Maybaum 99, Norah Shumar 111, Emma Cain 137.