Reynoldsburg girls stave off Newark’s comeback bid for OCC victory.
NEWARK ― Coach Jack Eifert said his Newark girls team’s challenging schedule is built to teach lessons.
On Friday night against visiting Reynoldsburg, the defending Division I state champion, the Wildcats learned a painful one, but also discovered some newfound promise.
Unable to solve an active zone defense put up by the athletic, quick Raiders for three quarters, Newark suddenly sprang to life, coming all the way back from a 15-point deficit before falling 42-38 in the Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division.
“We have to realize the concept of an entire game. With the law of averages, things can even out and you can come back,” Eifert said after the Wildcats (2-4, 1-2) trailed 34-19, only to put together a 17-2 run and forge a 36-36 tie. “It’s execution, possession by possession, and it was toughness from our kids,” he said. “We had to grind on the other end and get stops.”
“Even though we didn’t get off to a good start, we still had a chance, and we responded really well,” senior Jenna Shackleford said. “We just kept going, kept playing. We had a good game plan coming in, but we didn’t execute it from the start. But we changed up our defense, and that really helped.”
Newark switched from zone to man-to-man, and although Reynoldsburg (3-3, 2-1) hit 6-of-9 in the third quarter in taking its 15-point lead, the pressure finally started to take its toll. The Raiders had only one fourth-quarter field goal, and senior Ally Carr’s 3 at the end of the third touched off the 17-2 burst. The Wildcats had baskets from five different players, including a 3 off the bench from junior Riley Gingerich and two quick inside scores from the versatile 6-0 Shackleford, and Carr’s 3-pointer from the left corner suddenly tied things at 36-36 with 40 seconds left.
However, Newark simply ran out of time. Simone Holifield dropped in both ends of a one-and-one with 33 seconds, and after the Wildcats missed what would have been a go-ahead 3, Aubree Price added two more free throws at :17.2. Senior Brie Gingras sank a pair with five seconds, slicing it to 40-38, but Price finished things off with two clinching foul shots.
Reynoldsburg graduated its top players from the state title team. But it still has size, talent and eight returning lettermen. The Wildcats couldn’t connect from the outside against the zone, missing their first six shots of the first quarter and first five of the second while making just 2-of-18 from the field, both three-pointers. Gingras had six first-quarter points, on a 3 and three foul shots after being fouled beyond the arc as Newark trailed 12-6. Then, the winners went on a 10-0 run and took a 22-11 halftime lead.
“We were a little shell-shocked,” Eifert admitted. “We had seen them play some zone, but Reynoldsburg normally likes to get out and pressure you. We were surprised by their length and speed. They beat us to 50-50 balls and offensive rebounds, and they had a lot of ‘want to.’ You’re going to get everyone’s best shot in this league. But we have to come out and shoot better. We had 16 misses in the first half, and I think all but two of them were good looks.”
Samara Savoy, a 5-11 senior guard-forward, led the Raiders with 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Aubree Price, a sophomore guard-forward, added eight points and seven rebounds as Reynoldsburg controlled the backboards 28-23. Daniya McDonald, a 6-1 junior, came off the bench for seven points.
Reynoldsburg won despite hitting just 15-of-39 from the floor for 38 percent. But Newark was only 12-of-39 for 31 percent, although a much-improved 10-of-21 over the final two quarters.
Shackleford finished with nine points, four rebounds and four steals, while Gingras also scored nine to go with five rebounds. Senior Sophie Bidwell scrapped for five rebounds and four steals, while classmate Syncere Royster also had five rebounds. Carr handed out three assists.
“It’s still early, and we have a lot of growing to do,” Shackleford said. “By the end of the season, I think we’ll be ready for the tournament.”
740-704-7973
Twitter: @grover5675
Instagram: @dfweidig
Read More: Reynoldsburg girls stave off Newark’s comeback bid for OCC victory.