Like any team with a new coach and system, there are always kinks to work out. The Berkshire Badgers girls’ basketball struggled to find their footing in a 45-34 loss against Nordonia in the West Geauga Showcase last Saturday afternoon at The Wolvarena in Chester.
“We talked about the key which was coming out and being patient,” said Coach Dave Albert. “I think a lot of the times the girls were a little too nervous and trying to rush things and try to do too much at once. We need to work on our patience and allow things to happen.”
On Saturday, the Badgers (0-1, 0-0) struggled to find consistency on the offensive end during the game. Trailing 29-21 in the fourth quarter, the Badgers found some life and went on an 11-6 run, cutting Nordonia’s lead to 35-32 at the halfway point of the final period.
Despite struggling to score in the paint, Berkshire knocked down some jump shots and was in striking distance after sophomore guard/forward Ivy Martin buried a 3-point shot off an assist from freshman forward Steila Bateman, which was just the Badgers’ second 3-point make in the game, cutting the Knights’ lead to just three points.
“We always come with 100% effort and we always try and do our best and we definitely gave all of our effort trying to come back and win the game,” Martin said.
Nordonia responded with a 10-0 run, with four different players scoring, to create a 13-point cushion to extinguish the Badgers’ rally.
Despite making it a one-possession game, Berkshire could not match the Knights’ offensive production and its troubles were compounded by committing 26 turnovers.
“Our goal coming into the season was to commit 12 turnovers a game,” acknowledged the first-year coach. “That means they extra opportunities to score and we had less opportunities to score and we did not create as many turnovers as they had created. It was the first game of the season and hopefully as we progress, we will slow down a little bit and understand where we need to be in order to cut back on those turnovers.”
According to Martin, who scored 14 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out two assists, it was all about timing and passing.
“I think a lot of it is being strong with the ball and also being confident in ourselves,” she noted.
The Badgers struggled to find their rhythm in the first quarter, when they were outscored by an 11-6 margin. Those problems continued in the second period when, Berkshire only scored 4 points and trailed 17-10 at the half.
In addition to being sloppy with the basketball, Berkshire also struggled to attack the basket as the Knights’ players held a size advantage against most of the Badgers.
“We were a little shy on that because they were big and we tried to force some shots,” said Albert. “It is one of the things we try to work on in practice and it is just a matter of trying to get different tools for the toolbox so the kids can work on different things and different situations.”
Albert added that it was not only about attacking the paint but understanding how to get Knight defenders in the air and then move around them with some nifty footwork or making the extra pass.
Despite outscoring Nordonia by a 9-8 margin in the third quarter, Berkshire struggled to keep pace with the Knights as Nordonia sparked its offense through some fast break opportunities. In addition to getting beat down the court, the Knights also held a commanding edge through its outside shooting as they outscored Berkshire 15-6 from beyond the arc.
Despite the loss, it was only step one in a season where Berkshire is setting some lofty goals off the heels of a successful 2023-24 season when they recorded two victories in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II playoffs.
The Badgers’ quest for another strong season is aided by having four members of the starting five return in senior guard Jenna Hornak, Martin, senior guard Meredith Bors and senior forward Olivia Masink.
Albert said that while the starting five is experienced, there is a lot of youth on the team as despite having seven seniors, only Hornak, Bors and Masink recorded significant varsity experience last year.
Berkshire’s record improved to 1-1 (0-0) when it defeated Pymntuning Valley 44-43 in a road game on Monday night.
After hosting Chagrin Valley Conference for Madison in a crossover game in its home opener Wednesday, the Badgers will return to the court after Thanksgiving and host CVC rival Hawken in another crossover game on Dec. 3 beginning at 6 p.m. in Burton.
