Streetsboro Rockets girls’ basketball Coach Carl Singer knew his team would be tested by a difficult non-conference schedule. The Rockets continued to learn they have a few more hurdles to overcome to get to the next level when they lost 54-36 to Massillon Jackson last Saturday afternoon at Streetsboro High School.
“We knew they were a good team coming in and knew we were going to have show up and play,” said the nine-year coach. “We thought we did a really good job of following the game plan and doing what we were supposed to do in the first half but in the second half, we just had some turnovers and let that effect everything else.”
Against non-conference opponents like Copley, St. Vincent-St. Mary and Massillon Jackson, the Rockets (11-4, 9-1) have learned why those squads are constantly contending for Ohio High School Athletic Association district banners. Singer acknowledged those teams have shown his squad what it really takes to win a district title.
“They are really good teams and that is why we want to play them,” he added.
Streetsboro was sparked by its outside shooting in the first half to take a 23-19 lead, but the Polar Bears stayed within striking distance by scoring nine points from beyond the arc.
The Rockets’ struggled with their ball control in the second half, committing six turnovers in the third period and surrendered a 13-5 run, going from up four points to trailing 32-26 in the middle of the quarter.
According to Singer, the shots the Rockets knocked down in the first half were suddenly no longer falling and Massillon Jackson could not miss, making 10-of-12 shots including shooting three-of-five 3-pointers to dominate the third period. The Polar Bears outscored Streetsboro by a 24-5 margin to go ahead 43-28.
Despite the Rockets having a distinct size advantage, the Polar Bears spaced the floor with sharpshooters and constantly moved the ball.
“We knew they were a good shooting team and knew they would play hard,” Singer noted. “I think us just being a little carless with the ball bit us too many times.”
Singer said that the Rockets took some passes for granted on several possessions and rushed their offense, resulting in too many costly errors.
The Polar Bears were sparked by the duo of senior guard Megan Campbell, who scored seven points, and senior guard Ashley Lahmers, who tallied eight points, in the third quarter to seize control.
Streetsboro staged a modest 4-1 run in the beginning of the fourth quarter but could not consistently hit shots, going five-of-22 from the floor and making zero 3-point baskets in the second half. Its ball-handling woes continued, committing five more turnovers in the fourth period and the Polar Bears heated up, shooting four-of-seven from beyond the arc to send Streetsboro to its third loss in its last four games and its first home loss of the season.
“We followed the scouting report in the first half, closed out hard, took away their shots and made their shots difficult,” Singer said. “In the second half, for whatever reason we were too far off, and they got easy looks and they knocked them down.”
During this latest stretch, the Rockets have also lost their grip on the Metro Athletic Conference, losing a road game against Norton on Jan. 16, dropping them to second place in the conference.
“We just want to be able to play our game consistently through 32 minutes,” said Singer. “I think that is the main message right now. If we play our game for 32 minutes, there are not very many teams that can beat us.”
The Rockets spoiled a promising start in the opening quarter when they took a 13-10 advantage.
Junior center Naomi Benson and sophomore guard/forward Carlee Bedford each contributed five points in the first quarter, with the 6-foot-0 Bedford knocking down a 3-pointer to give the Rockets an early lead.
“Carlee is a really good player too,’ Singer said. “We have several girls that can really spread the ball. They packed it in to make us shoot from the outside and Carlee is one of our better shooters. She stepped up and made some big shots.”
After showing some range from beyond the arc in the first quarter, the Rockets made Massillon Jackson defenders step out of the paint to defend the outside shot, sparking its interior game and outscored the Polar Bears by a 10-9 margin.
In the second quarter, the Rockets’ defense dominated Massillon Jackson by holding them to shooting only four-of-13 shots and allowing just one 3-pointer.
Following a home game against MAC rival Woodridge on Tuesday night and a road game against conference foe Springfield on Wednesday evening, the Rockets will return home to host Chagrin Falls on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.
