Girls Basketball: North Ridgeville rallies to beat Nordonia

NORTH RIDGEVILLE — For most teams a fourth-quarter deficit leads to anxiety, pressure and losses. At North Ridgeville a fourth-quarter deficit means the Rangers have their opponent right where they want it. For the second time in three games this season, North Ridgeville rallied in the final four minutes to get a win on its homecourt, this time defeating Nordonia 58-54 in a non-league game at the North Ridgeville Academic Center. The Rangers (3-0) trailed 54-52 with 4:19 to play after a basket from Knights sophomore Savaya Woody. It turned out to be the final points Nordonia (0-3) would score as North Ridgeville picked up the defensive intensity down the stretch. "We had to make a lot of adjustments midgame based on how they were playing," North Ridgeville coach Amy Esser said. "I thought our girls did a very good job of making those adjustments." After giving back a nine-point first-quarter lead, the Rangers trailed by as many five, 36-31, before senior Reyna Balderas got hot from behind the 3-point line. Balderas made two 3-pointers to allow North Ridgeville to get back within a point, 46-45, at the end of the third quarter. Her fourth 3 of the day gave the Rangers a 55-54 lead with 2:16 to play. "It was surreal," Balderas said of her go-ahead jumper. "Over the last four years being on varsity I feel like I tend to hit these shots a lot. Once the game is on the line I feel like I lock in more and play more focused. "We knew they were bigger than us and we'd have to find other ways to score." Senior Haydn Paul scored 17 of her game-high 23 points for Nordonia in the second half. When the Rangers needed a score they had many girls they could turn to. Junior guard Lauren Bohannan scored 10 of her team-leading 18 points in the second half, and Maddie Kuhn and Brooke Schroeder also had big fourth-quarter contributions. Schroeder, who finished with 14 points, made two free throws with 3.5 second left to make it a two-possession game and seal the win. "We know we have to be a fourth-quarter team," said Schroeder. "We've prepared ourselves to be the more confident and better-prepared team." In three games this year North Ridgeville has outscored its opponents 45-28 in the fourth quarter. Balderas scored 12 points and Adri Spyres added seven, five of which came on back-to-back scores in the first quarter. Balderas shouted out Spyres, a sophomore, and Kuhn for their work guarding the Knights' top two scorers. "We got big minutes from Maddie Kuhn and Adri. They did an unbelievable job of face-guarding their big girl (Paul). I would have never been able to do that," Balderas said. "She had some buckets but our girls shut her down when it mattered." After three home wins, the Rangers will have their first road game and first Southwestern Conference matchup Wednesday at Amherst. "We've shown we can make good decisions and stay composed even when teams make runs," Esser said. "When we respond to runs it creates situations where we can take the air out of opposing teams. If we keep this up, I know we're ready for the Southwestern Conference." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. North Ridgeville 58, Nordonia 54 Nordonia (54): Taylor Morgan 5-2-13, Kambry Shirey 2-0-6, Savaya Woody 2-0-4, Chayanne Williams 2-0-6, Haydn Paul 7-9-23, Olive Wilson 1-0-2. Totals 19-11-54. North Ridgeville (58): Brooke Schroeder 5-3-14, Mary Strippy 1-0-2, Adri Spyres 2-2-7, Maddie Kuhn 1-0-3, Reyna Balderas 4-0-12, Lauryn Bohannan 7-4-18, Savannah Kreilach 1-0-2. Totals 21-9-58. Nordonia 10 15 21 8 —54 North Ridgeville 19 10 16 13 —58 Three-point goals: Nordonia (Shirley 2, Williams 2, Morgan), North Ridgeville (Balderas 4, Schroder, Spyres, Kuhn). Field goals: Nordonia 19-51 (37 percent), North Ridgeville 21-49 (43 percent). Free throws: Nordonia 11-13 (71 percent), North Ridgeville 9-14 (64 percent). Rebounds: Nordonia 36, North Ridgeville 28. Turnovers: Nordonia 17, North Ridgeville 14. Team Fouls: Nordonia 13, North Ridgeville 15. Junior varsity: Nordonia, 35-24.