The Streetsboro Rockets girls’ basketball team has already achieved several milestones in a record-breaking season. They checked off a few more boxes when they dominated Niles McKinley 67-22 in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II Northeast 5 sectional semifinal last Saturday afternoon at Streetsboro High School.
It marked the Rockets’ (20-4, 13-1) 20th victory of the campaign, setting a new record for most wins in a season.
“Going into the locker room after the game, we talked about setting another record,” said Coach Carl Singer. “We talked about how we have done that the last two years and set a new wins’ record but the last two years after we have set that wins’ record, that is where our season ended.”
Should Streetsboro defeat Elyria Catholic in the district semifinal on Wednesday evening, it will advance to its first district title game in school history and face either Metro Athletic Conference rival Norton or Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy for a Sweet Sixteen berth on Saturday evening at Normandy High School.
Having not qualified for a district semifinal since the 1985-86 season, the Rockets have now advanced to the district semifinal for the third consecutive season.
“We got to the district semifinal in my freshman year and did the same thing last year,” noted junior center Naomi Benson. “It is the same thing this year and that was our end point so we want to make this year memorable and get over that hump of staying in the district semifinal and getting to the district championship.”
According to the nine-year coach, although the first few years since taking over the program went by quietly, he was optimistic for what the future could bring knowing what was developing in the Streetsboro youth pipeline. Singer’s belief in a brighter future has been rewarded after the Rockets overpowered another opponent in their second playoff game this year.
In the first quarter, the teams traded baskets but Singer acknowledged his squad was settling too much on offense and needed to attack the paint for better looks. The Rockets heeded his advice and went on a 16-2 run to end the quarter to take a commanding 19-6 advantage.
The Rockets’ offense continued humming and smothered Niles McKinley on defense, forcing 20 turnovers in the first half. After surrendering only three field goals in the first period, Streetsboro’s defense limited the Falcons to only two field goals in the second period and increased their lead to 42-13 entering the half.
“It is the thing we work on every day at practice,” said the 6-foot-3 junior. “Coach Singer is our biggest motivator on defense. Defense wins games. He tells us that every single time and that is why we are winning.”
Benson scored seven points to key a dominant second quarter when Streetsboro went on a 10-0 run near the end of the period to build a comfortable lead. A 9-0 surge by the Rockets at the beginning of the third period triggered the running clock and Streetsboro cruised to victory in its final home game of the season.
In the Rockets’ first two postseason contests, they have overwhelmed their opponents by outscoring them by a 167-29 margin.
Singer said he has seen his team shift into a different mindset since the playoffs started.
“All I can say is that we did our work throughout the season to get our high ranking,” he said. “With the playoff system being a little bit different this year, I feel like we got a pretty good draw and obviously these first two games lets us take care of business and make sure we are doing the things that we need to do to get better.”
Singer added that Streetsboro has shown depth in its first two postseason contests, as even when he has takes out his starting five the bench has filled in admirably and maintained the momentum. With only one senior in Streetsboro’s starting five, Singer said he believes the Rocket girls’ basketball program is positioned for success for the next several years even after this year’s core graduates.
“Even when we go to our last five players which are junior varsity players, our junior varsity team only lost three games this year”, he noted. “So there are a lot of players there that in any other year may be getting more varsity minutes.”
After two dominant postseason victories, the Rockets now seek to overcome their woes in the district semifinals and finally take that next step and prove they are real contenders by clinching a district title berth for the first time in school history.
“It’s going to be an amazing feeling once we get past it,” said Benson. “Then we can look forward to the regional and state tournament. We have more skill level and we just have to balance it out.”
