The Ravenna Ravens girls’ basketball team’s slow start in Metro Athletic Conference play continued when they were defeated by league foe Woodridge 56-17 last Friday evening at the James L. Coll Gymnasium in Ravenna.
“First, I give credit for Woodridge and their coach and their players, they played tough, they played hard, and they played their game, and they came to play,” said Coach DaVante McKinney. “When we were out there, they threw a punch, and we threw a punch back and they kept throwing their punches and we stopped throwing our punches.”
Dating back to last year, the loss against the Bulldogs marked the seventh consecutive conference loss for the Ravens (1-3, 0-2), who have not fared well offensively in their first two MAC games, combining to score only 30 points.
On Friday, it was a physical duel in the first quarter as the teams attacked the paint frequently. Both teams’ efforts at getting to the basket were rewarded with several free throws, as they combined to shoot 21 free throws in the first period with the Bulldogs shooting 14.
Senior guard Miriyha Sandifer sparked Ravenna by scoring four points, all coming from the free throw line as she shot four-of-five on free throws by having an aggressive mindset and getting to the rim in the opening period.
“Miriyha has the speed on any given night to be a mismatch for teams and that is what we are trying to beat in her head to use that ability to get to the rim,” noted the first-year coach. “Use that ability, don’t settle for outside shots, attack the hip, attack the outside foot of a player, and get to the rim and go downhill and make a play and she did that in the quarter.
According to McKinney, although the Ravens matched Woodridge’s energy at the beginning of the opening quarter, they could not sustain it and the Bulldogs pulled away at the end of the quarter to take a 19-7 lead.
McKinney added that the Bulldogs kept playing at a fast pace and Ravenna struggled to defend in transition.
“We really lost the game in transition and not knowing who we have, not hustling back,” he said. “We’d miss a shot, and they are running the floor and they are getting the ball out and going so kudos to the coach and kudos to those girls because they understood their team.”
The Ravens’ struggles continued in the second quarter, as Woodridge outscored them by a 26-5 margin to take a 45-12 lead into the half, triggering the running clock in the second half by holding a lead of 30 points or more.
McKinney said that Ravenna’s offense was stalled with poor passing and communication, resulting in several turnovers, which played into Woodridge’s advantage.
After a promising offensive start to the season in the first two games where the Ravens scored 85 points to go 1-1, things have tailed off.
Although Ravenna returned five players from last year’s team, including Sandifer and senior forward Jalysia Thompson as members of the starting five, there are still several players who are starting from square one.
The Ravens’ depth is improved by returning multiple players who had previously played basketball several years ago but took time off and are just getting back into the swing of things as well as players who are still adjusting to the pace of varsity basketball.
“They once played and they stopped playing for their own personal reasons and now that they have come back, when you take so many years off, you still have that experience of being a player but when you have missed so much time, it is just like learning it all over again,” noted McKinney.
McKinney acknowledged that the biggest challenge that Ravenna is facing is trying to snap several of the bad habits developed over the last several years as the program has not recorded a winning record since the 2019-20 season. Although there are experienced players, those players are still haunted by the problems faced by several of the previous teams they have been on.
“I think first of all it is just trying to bring joy back to the sport,” he said. “They will compete but when you don’t have joy in what you are doing, then you don’t do it at a level that you care to do it. It is something that you just do. It starts with coaches, and it also ends with the players and them getting closer with each other.”
After a home game against MAC rival Cloverleaf, the Ravens will go on the road to face league foe Akron Springfield in Akron on Friday evening at 5:30 p.m.
