Although winning the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division title outright is no longer in the cards for the Berkshire Badgers girls’ basketball team, finishing the season strong is still their biggest goal as they pulled away in the second half from CVC rival Geneva 48-29 last Saturday afternoon in Burton.
“It was good to comeback, we knew that we needed a win to try and get some confidence and momentum,” said Coach Dave Albert. “We started off a little slow with some missed shots and that stuff, but we just kept on shooting the ball and continued with it and the buckets started falling for us.”
Having led the CVC Valley Division for most of the season, the Badgers’ (12-6, 6-3) conference championship hopes were dashed when they lost a home duel against league rival Rootstown on Jan. 21. That dropped them to third place in the standings but they are still mathematically alive to clinch a three-way tie for the league title with the Rovers and Crestwood if Berkshire wins their final league games and Rootstown and the Red Devils lose at least one more conference game.
Nonetheless, while being outright champions is no longer feasible, the Badger girls still have their focus on what is important, which is finishing the last few weeks of the season strong to get a favorable seed in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division V postseason.
“I think winning the CVC in a three-way tie is definitely a big motivation along with the tournament,” said junior guard Blythe Bors. “It encourages us to work harder as a team during practices.”
On Saturday, the Badgers experienced another slow start in the first quarter and were limited in transition opportunities as Geneva slowed the tempo, forcing Berkshire into a halfcourt style of play.
Despite its slow start, the Badgers went on an 8-0 run at the beginning of the second period and led 20-10 at the half.
The second-year coach acknowledged that several turnovers prevented the Badgers from seizing full control.
“There were swings,” he added. “We could have got lay-ups and they ended up getting lay-ups at the other end so that gave them a little bit of momentum coming in at halftime and we wanted to go out and score the first couple of buckets in the third quarter to regain some of that momentum.”
The Badgers pushed the pace in the third quarter, capitalizing on fast break opportunities off turnovers and defensive rebounds, as Bors and junior guard Ivy Martin fueled Berkshire’s offense by each scoring six points in the third period, as the Badgers rode a 14-5 wave to take a 19-point lead.
“I think our defense was really on point in this game,” said Bors, who scored eight points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out three assists. “That helped us a lot and we got a bunch of steals and fast breaks. Obviously, our whole team has chemistry, and we are able to push the ball and get those fast break lay-ups.”
According to Martin, once the Badgers pushed the pace, good things tend to trend in Berkshire’s direction.
“I feel like it gets us positive and gives us energy,” noted the Berkshire junior who tallied eight points, brought down two rebounds and recorded three assists. “On defense, we can use that to keep getting those fast breaks.”
The Eagles responded with a 6-2 run at the end of the third quarter and carried it into the final period, as senior guard Lex Wegmiller knocked down a 3-point basket, cutting the lead to 36-24 but Badgers sharpshooting senior guard Julia Young responded in kind by burying a pair of 3-point shots in the quarter to key a n 8-2 run, extending the lead to 44-26, and the Badgers to bounced back with a victory in crossover league play.
In addition to overcoming a slow start, Berkshire’s defense was stout, as Geneva scored in double-digits in just one of the four periods.
“There were three scorers that were outside shooters, and we knew that we had to be aware of where they were at,” said Albert. “The defense did a great job of talking and rotating and holding a good Geneva squad to only 29 points.”
After a road duel against CVC Valley Division rivals Crestwood on Wednesday evening, Berkshire will hit the road to take on Riverside in a non-conference game on Feb. 2 at 7 p.m.
