The door was wide open for the Crestwood Red Devils girls’ basketball team to make a make a big push for victory in their season-opener against Portage County rival Mogadore, but Crestwood succumbed to some late miscues, losing 42-41 last Saturday afternoon in Mantua.
“It was a great match-up,” said Coach T.J. Henderson. “I talked to the kids, I talked to them about the importance of free throws and turnovers. Some of the things that we did in the first half bit us late.”
Since leaving the Portage Trail Conference in 2020, the Red Devils (0-1, 0-0) have still faced Mogadore in non-conference duels each season and the Wildcats have reigned supreme, winning five of the last six meetings.
Entering the season-opener on Saturday, each team hoped to make a statement that it could carry on the success of last year, with Crestwood coming on the heels of being an Ohio High School Athletic Association Division IV district runner-up while the Wildcats had just been an OHSAA Division VII state semifinalist.
“I think we did set the tone,” said junior guard Liv Martini. “We really showed how fast and good we can play even though we are young.”
Although Mogadore held a lead throughout the game, the Red Devils chipped away and trailed 27-26 at the end of the third quarter.
The teams traded baskets, but Crestwood built a 35-32 advantage halfway through the fourth quarter thanks to some timely shooting, especially from junior guard Maddie Grace Gonczy, who scored six points to key the surge.
After the Red Devils shot only seven of 16 from the free throw line in the first three periods, they made each of their first six free throws in the fourth quarter to hold a lead in the final minutes of regulation.
“I think that was a part of them having just a little more experience,” said the fifth-year coach. “Having three quarters of basketball under their belt they felt a little bit more comfortable, and we talked about taking deep breaths and using our legs and shooting the shots.”
Mogadore rallied to tie the game at 37-37 in the final ninety secondsof play, and Wildcats’ junior guard Kasey Bolyard delivered a 5-0 run to take control of the game.
The junior intercepted a pass at midcourt and scored on a fastbreak lay-up, giving Mogadore a 39-37 lead, then earned a trip to the free throw line on the ensuing Wildcats’ possession after the Red Devils could not make the game-tying basket.
The 5-foot-5 Bolyard split the pair of free throws but delivered the decisive basket after Mogadore’s defense blocked a mid-range jump shot and Bolyard scored another basket in transition, pushing the lead to 42-37.
According to the 5-foot-6 Martini, Mogadore sped up the pace in the final minute and the Red Devils did not adjust accordingly.
“We were overthinking every situation,” she added. “We had to slow the game down and we were not able to do that in time. It is a long season to come, and it is our first game, and we have a young team.”
Although Crestwood’s 2025-26 squad is layered with multi-sport athletes who thrive in cross-country and track, Henderson said there was a distinct difference in competing at a fast pace in basketball than in the other two events.
According to him, it is not just about running the floor and making cuts but also making sure to change the pace especially when they are near the basket. Crestwood had a lot of good looks at the rim but did not convert, as on several attempts when players did not get their feet set.
The Red Devils’ eagerness to play fast showed in the first quarter, when they did not make a field goal as all three of their points came on free throws and the Wildcats built an 8-3 lead.
“I think we were sped up a little bit and we knew coming in that is what we were going to be because we lost so much experience,” he noted. “We are young, and we don’t have a lot of girls that have that experience on the floor. They are trying to figure it out. We are going to figure it out as the season goes on, they are going to start seeing it quicker and faster. We will be a little bit more comfortable with shots.”
After a road duel against LaBrae on Tuesday, the Red Devils will return to the court after the Thanksgiving holiday to host Chagrin Valley Conference foe Jefferson in a crossover conference duel on Dec. 1 at 6 p.m.
