Girls basketball: Avon rides fast start to easy win over Elyria

AVON — Abby Liber kick-started the Avon offense Monday against Elyria, scoring six of the Eagles' first 12 points. Her teammates took over from there. All 10 Avon players who took the court got in the scoring column as the Eagles soared to a 60-24 non-league win over Elyria in a rare weekday matinee. "It's important to get a quick basket from Abby to get her involved but the thing I was happiest about was the way the ball worked around," Eagles coach Meghan Larrick said. "Everyone contributed, everybody scored. That's something that's huge for us." After playing five Southwestern Conference games in 10 days following getting the go-ahead to begin their season Dec. 14, Monday was the first chance the Eagles (4-2) had to play outside of the league. "The grind and rigor of conference is so hard, it's a tough game every day," Larrick said. "So getting a game like this where we work on different things so we can continue to grow is really important." The Pioneers shot just 22 percent (9-for-41) from the floor as the Eagles held their third consecutive opponent to under 30 points. The Eagles led 16-3 after one quarter and extended their lead to 28-5 with 2:09 to play in the first half until Cora Sanders came off the bench to score two quick baskets, including a 3-pointer, for Elyria to make the score 30-10 at the half. Sanders and fellow senior Taylor Mehl led the Pioneers with 10 points each. Mehl was the only Elyria player to score a field goal until late in the second quarter. Mehl's first two field goals came after she stole Avon passes at half court and drove to the basket for uncontested layups. In the second half, Mehl hit a pair of 3-pointers. "Our defense has improved a lot," said Avon senior Alyssa Peganoff, who had nine points and seven rebounds. "The first few games we played we were fouling non-stop. Our zone defense and man-to-man full court is really doing us well right now. When we got off to the big lead it built our confidence but we could have gotten complacent and let them come back. But every third quarter we say we've got to push and push the opponent right out of the game." Liber was the game's leading scorer with 19 points. "We knew they would play a zone so we had our zone offenses ready," Liber said of the Pioneers. "We knew if we were able to move the ball and get everyone touching the ball we could score in different ways. It's really exciting to have a game where everyone is moving the ball and scoring. We all get really excited to see each other score." The Pioneers (0-5) had their best quarter in the third when they scored 13 points to keep pace with Avon. However, a Danah Ewing free throw was the only point Elyria managed in the fourth quarter. "What happened today is what's been continuing to happen for us" Elyria coach Anthony Brown said. "We're not scoring in the first half. We're getting open looks, we're just not capitalizing. We made some great defensive stops. We stopped (Avon) two or three times in a row before they scored." The Pioneers forced 15 turnovers. "We came out with energy and momentum in the third quarter and we played great, especially on the defensive end," Brown said. "We were able to pressure Avon and make them play faster but now the key for us is to be able to relax when we get the ball and take good shots." Contact Todd Shapiro at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Avon 60, Elyria 24 ELYRIA (24): Danah Ewing 0-1-1, Taylor Mehl 4-0-10, Emma Miller 0-1-1, Alayzia Jackson 1-0-2, Cora Sanders 4-0-10. Totals 9-2-24. AVON (60): Abby Liber 8-3-19, Anna Fitch 1-0-3, Ryann Clapham 2-2-6, Brooke Laub 3-0-8, Alyssa Peganoff 3-3-9, Grace Santee 1-0-2, Catie Geiger 1-0-2, Emily Falasco 1-0-2, Alyssa McLellon 3-0-7, Kiley Williams 1-0-2. Totals 24-8-60. Elyria &emsp;&emsp; 3 &emsp;&emsp;7 &emsp;&emsp;13 1 &emsp;&emsp;— 24Avon &emsp;&emsp;16 14 13 17 — 60 Three-point goals: Elyria (Mehl 2, Sanders 2), Avon (Laub 2, Fitch, McLellon). Field goals: Elyria 9-41 (22 percent), Avon 24-58 (41 percent). Free throws: Elyria 2-8 (25 percent), Avon 6-11 (55 percent). Rebounds: Elyria 26, Avon 43. Turnovers: Elyria 22, Avon 15. Total fouls: Elyria 11, Avon 12.