Losing on their home court is just not something the Crestwood Red Devils girls’ basketball team considers an option. The Red Devils opened up postseason play by triumphing 71-43 against Chagrin Valley Conference rival West Geauga in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Northeast 2 Division IV sectional championship last Saturday evening at Mantua.
“I think for the girls it is a big step for what they have been working towards all year and all season. They set themselves up to really have a good option to play at home and give us some home court advantage,” said Coach T.J Henderson. “They came out on Saturday night and did a great job.”
If Crestwood (17-6, 8-0) beats Cloverleaf in the district semifinal on Tuesday night, they will advance to the district title game and face either Canfield or Lakeview on Saturday afternoon at Lordstown High School in Warren at 4 p.m.
In the first two seasons since Henderson took over, the Red Devils’ struggled to defend home court by going just 6-25. Last year saw Crestwood start to embrace home court advantage by recording an 8-4 record but this year, the Red Devils have been almost unbeatable at home, with last Saturday’s victory pushing their home record to 10-2.
“For them it is sort of kudos to us having a really good student section,” the fourth-year coach added. “We have had a lot of really good support from the community, and I think the girls in the past, when we had big student sections, sort of like, it was weird and embarrassing to them because they did not want to lose in front of their peers. This year was different, there was some sort of this confidence that we are going to win, and we want you to come watch and cheer us on. It has helped us in a lot of ways.”
Crestwood’s dominance on their home floor was also a key factor in dominating the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division en route to clinching their first league title since joining the CVC Valley Division in the 2020-21 season.
Henderson said that the Red Devils took control in the first quarter last Saturday fueled by a 12-0 run, sparked by some aggressive defense that led to several fast break points.
Junior guard Becca Brady keyed Crestwood’s fast start by scoring 12 points in the first period. Like several other games this season, Henderson noted that the Wolverines threw a ton of defensive pressure at senior guard Hannah Ward, the team’s leading scorer.
Rather than force the issue, Henderson said that the 5-foot-10 John Carroll University commit went to her teammates to spark the squad and the 5-foot-6 Brady responded with an impressive start. Brady finished the game with 16 points.
“I think they loved seeing it,” Henderson said. “I think the girls have gotten to a point now where it is who has the hot hand, we are going to support them and rally around them. In the past we have had it where oh my gosh, this person, and historically it has been Hannah, and if Hannah didn’t score, we are not going to win.”
According to Henderson, although Ward has been the go-to player for the Red Devils’ this year, the team has become much more balanced in scoring thanks to the efforts of Brady and several other players, like senior forward Maddie Dustman and sophomore guard Liv Martini. In addition to having more confidence, he said the team has developed more trust in each other, which has allowed them to find ways to score even when their best scorer is not dominating.
After taking a 23-12 advantage in the first period, the Red Devils’ defense dialed in during the second period, holding West Geauga to only eight points and took a commanding 38-20 lead into the half.
Although the defense was stout in the first period, Henderson said that Crestwood allowed the Wolverines too many scoring opportunities by sending to them to the line six times.
“It really was us sort of hurting ourselves and trying to slap at a basketball when a girl is shooting instead of just staying straight up and letting them shoot,” he noted. “We try to tell the girls, listen, if they make a shot, it is a good shot by them.”
The Red Devils’ defense settled in and allowed only 31 points in the final three periods and forced 33 turnovers, including 27 steals and was supported by a balanced offensive attack to propel them to the district semifinal for the second straight season, with three players scoring in double figures.
