Although the Berkshire Badgers girls’ basketball team is a younger squad this year, they are being put to the test with a grueling non-conference schedule. The Badgers learned about what it takes to have the make-up of a state contender when they were soundly defeated 59-33 by Norwayne last Saturday afternoon in Burton.
“One of the things we wanted to do is to try and see where are by playing against some of the best and seeing where we need to work on stuff,” said Coach Dave Albert. “They are a very physical team and there are there some things we have to work on.”
On Saturday, the Badgers (1-1, 0-0) faced a stiff test by taking on the reigning Ohio High School Athletic Association Division V state runner-up Norwayne.
While the game demonstrated a sizeable gap between Berkshire and the Bobcats, junior guard Ivy Martin noted that it was a good measuring stick for the Badgers to gauge just exactly where they stood.
“I think it was a good test to see where we were at the beginning of the season,” said the Badgers’ junior who scored seven points, grabbed two rebounds, and dished out three assists. “Obviously it did not go our way, but it showed a lot about what we need to improve upon and how we can get better.”
In the first quarter, the Bobcats’ defense stifled Berkshire by allowing only one field goal while senior guard/forward Ava Maibach sparked Norwayne to a quick start by scoring the first seven points of the game.
In addition to facing a physical defense, Albert acknowledged that the Bobcats also did a good job at turning away Berkshire shooters from their first or second looks at the basket.
“We did pass up a lot of looks,” the second-year coach acknowledged. “Those are some things we have to work on which is rotating better positions and being able to recognize a few of those things earlier rather than later.”
Norwayne raced out to a 12-3 advantage at the end of the first period and gained momentum in the second period as they consistently attacked the paint to get easy looks at the basket.
The Bobcats used their physical style and size to their advantage, going on a 9-4 run to take a commanding 15-point advantage in the second quarter.
Although Berkshire’s offense awakened in the second frame, the Bobcats sped up the pace, catching the Badgers out of rhythm by forcing 11 turnovers, sparking an offensive eruption on the fast break.
“If we stopped a few of those turnovers and a made a few buckets, it is a 10-point game,” said Albert. “That is where they created a lot of turnovers. In the first quarter we were still hanging in but in the second quarter they turned it up another notch.”
Norwayne carried a 32-13 lead into the half and continued scoring with a dominant interior game, using another big run by scoring 11 unanswered points to increase the lead to 30 points in the third quarter.
“I feel like we kept our heads up,” Martin noted. “It was hard. They had more size on us, but we kept our heads up and we kept competing.”
The Bobcats’ defense remained stout and Norwayne won the third quarter by an 18-8 margin, holding a 50-21 lead at the beginning of the fourth period to hand the Badgers their first loss of the young season.
After graduating seven seniors from last year’s program and only returning two starters in Martin and sophomore forward Stella Bateman, Berkshire faces one of its most challenging non-conference schedules in recent memory, and Albert said that it will be a good test for his squad to figure out its identity.
“It challenges us well because I see a lot of talent on this team,” he said. “I want to try to let them exploit the talent that they have. With the systems that we run, I see a lot of talent on the team and that is why I try to schedule that tough non-conference schedule.”
Martin and Bateman are joined by junior forward Whitney Davis, junior guard Blythe Bors and senior guard Julia Young in the starting five.
Although Berkshire only boasts two seniors on the team, Albert said that playing a difficult non-conference slate of games not only prepares the team for upcoming Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division play but also can help fortify the building blocks for the coming years.
After a crossover league duel against Geauga County rival Hawken on Tuesday evening, Berkshire will open CVC Valley Division play by hosting league foe Kirtland in Burton on Friday evening at 7 p.m.
