Girls basketball: Defense helps Avon Lake grind out SWC win against Midview

AVON LAKE — The faces may have changed, but the defense remains the same. Avon Lake has had a lot of turnover from its run to the Division III state final last year, but one thing that hasn't changed is its defense, which held Midview to 27 percent shooting and forced 21 turnovers during a 65-29 Southwestern Conference win Saturday afternoon. "We knew we had to come out strong and had to go out tough and not take any team lightly," said Avon Lake senior Olivia Miller, who scored a game-high 22 points to go with five rebounds, two steals and two blocks. "We tried the 1-2-2 press to see if it works, and it did, but our half-court man is really good, too. All we've worked on is our defense and making it really good." Avon Lake (3-1, 3-0 SWC) opened the game with eight unanswered points, and while Midview (2-4, 1-3) eventually tied the game at 10, it never took the lead. The Shoregals responded with five straight points to end the quarter, including three points by Miller. That run continued into the second quarter until Avon Lake led 25-12, sinking its first two 3-pointers of the game during that span with Miller adding another four points. "We realized we had to step it up," said Avon Lake junior Rachel Besaw, who scored 13 points, including a run of seven straight in the second quarter that pushed Avon Lake's lead to 32-15. "We really focused on ourselves as a team and how we could bring it in the second quarter. We worked together, made sure we had everyone covered and tried some new things while still making sure we played defense like we play defense." Avon Lake senior forward Molly Milligan, who hit a nice step-back 3-pointer during the second quarter run, may have only scored seven points, but she was a big reason the Shoregals outrebounded Midview 27-18. She grabbed a game-high eight rebounds and added eight steals. "Molly's had a great start to the season," Avon Lake coach Paul Appel said. "She's a huge player for us. She didn't score as many points today as she has previously because we were out in transition so much, but she did a really good job defensively in making life hard on some of their girls." Midview was led by Leah DiFranco's 11 points. Sophomore forward Leila Morgan helped the Middies get back into the game in the opening quarter, scoring six of her 10 points during a 10-2 run that produced the only tie of the afternoon. She also led Midview with seven rebounds. But ultimately Avon Lake's defense proved to be too much, limiting Midview to one point in the fourth quarter as they wrapped up the win. "We need to start focusing on the little things," Midview coach Brittney McNamara-Cole said. "We worked on a lot of rebounding and finishing through contact this week, but understanding the back side part of it and hitting the next pass to find that better shot instead of settling for a good shot. We need to figure out the little things we need to do better to help us get to where we know we can be." Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on X. Avon Lake 65, Midview 29 MIDVIEW (29): Leah DiFranco 5-1-11, Hunter Crum 1-0-3, Leila Morgan 4-2-10, Riley Frei 0-0-0, Maddie Babel 1-0-2, Audrey Gerber 0-0-0, Millie Volney 0-0-0, Harlee Crum 0-1-1, Hannah Bacskay 0-0-0, Molly Ockuly 0-1-1, Jacinta Miller 0-1-1, Bella Makowski 0-0-0, Ali Winslow 0-0-0. Totals 11-6-29. AVON LAKE (65): Frankie Persia 1-0-2, Olivia Miller 9-4-22 Evelyn Ritt 1-1-3, Rachel Besaw 6-0-13, Molly Milligan 3-0-7, Riley Koury 2-0-4, Mariela DiTullio 2-0-5, Bri Droke 2-0-4, Christina Marzavas 1-1-3, Claire Selby 1-0-2. Totals 28-6-65. Midview 10 7 11 1 — 29 Avon Lake 15 21 16 13 — 65 Three-point goals: Midview 1-12 (Hunter Crum), Avon Lake 3-7 (Besaw, DiTullio, Milligan). Field goals: Midview 11-41 (27 percent), Avon Lake 28-51 (55 percent). Free throws: Midview 6-11 (55 percent), Avon Lake 6-13 (46 percent). Rebounds: Midview 18 (Morgan 7), Avon Lake 27 (Milligan 8). Total fouls: Midview 11, Avon Lake 11. Turnovers: Midview 21, Avon Lake 15. Junior varsity: Avon Lake, 28-26.