Girls Basketball: Avon Lake falls to Olmsted Falls in battle of top teams in SWC

AVON LAKE — When Avon Lake hit its fourth 3-pointer of Wednesday's 54-42 loss to Olmsted Falls to tie the game at 16 early in the second quarter, it looked like the battle between the final two unbeatens in the Southwestern Conference was going to be a thriller. The Shoregals and Bulldogs had traded blows in the first, combining to knock down five threes on the way to a 16-13 Bulldogs lead. After Avon Lake tied the game in the opening minute of the second, however, it scored just five points the rest of the quarter as Olmsted Falls took a 10-point lead into the break. "It was just little loose balls here and there," said Avon Lake coach Paul Appel. "They do a good job of turning you over and getting out and running. We just missed some little opportunities, and they resulted in big buckets for them." After halftime, the free throw line came into play in a big way, as Molly Milligan picked up two quick fouls for the Shoregals, giving her three for the game, then picked up a fourth just seconds after coming in following a spell on the bench. "It makes things hard," Appel said. "We try to play through Molly, that's a big part of what we were trying to do tonight. Losing her makes everything tough, but we didn't do the best things to put her in a position not to foul." Olmsted Falls shot 10 free throws in the third, making eight and extending its lead to 16 heading into the fourth. By contrast, Avon Lake didn't shoot a free throw all night, and the 18 made free throws from Olmsted Falls more than accounted for the difference in the score. "We just have to do a better job of attacking through pressure," Appel said. "And we have to play without fouling defensively. It's not on the referees, it's on us, we've got to find a way to do a better job." Defense has been a hallmark of Appel's teams at Avon Lake, and the 54 points were the second-most it has allowed all season. The offensive woes were a much bigger problem for the Shoregals, however, as they scored just 15 points in the second and third quarters combined as the game got away from them. After hitting three threes in the first quarter, Avon Lake continued to fire away from deep, but with diminishing returns as the game went on. "They force you to shoot a lot of threes with the way they defend," Appel said. "And I thought a couple of times in the third quarter we probably could have driven by people, so we'll keep working on it and evaluating." The biggest bright spot for the Shoregals was certainly the play of sophomore Riley Koury, who finished second on the team in scoring with 11 points and knocked down three triples. "Riley is somebody who's been improving all season," Appel said. "She's worked really hard out there, and she's shooting the ball well from the outside. She probably plays the hardest of anybody out there, and that's why the ball goes in for her." The loss was Avon Lake's first in conference play and third in a row overall, and the schedule doesn't let up with a tough SWC matchup on the road against North Ridgeville this weekend. Contact Will Cunningham at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Olmsted Falls 54, Avon Lake 42 Olmsted Falls (54): Avery DeLisio 4-2-12, Reese Timura 0-0-0, Lily Krall 0-0-0, Jesse Simon 6-5-18, Kayleigh Schaefer 1-0-3, Emma Schaefer 2-5-9, Grace Largent 1-6-9, Carli Nagy 1-0-3. Totals 15-18-54. Avon Lake (42): Riley Koury 4-0-11, Bri Droke 0-0-0, Frankie Persia 1-0-3, Mariela DiTullio 1-0-3, Olivia Miller 5-0-13, Evelyn Ritt 2-0-5, Rachel Besaw 0-0-0, Erin Dean 0-0-0, Molly Milligan 3-0-7. Totals 16-0-42. Olmsted Falls&emsp;16&emsp;15&emsp;13&emsp;10&emsp;—&emsp;54 Avon Lake&emsp;13&emsp;8&emsp;7&emsp;14&emsp;—&emsp;42 Three-point goals: Olmsted Falls (DeLisio 2, Simon, K. Schaefer, Largent, Nagy), Avon Lake (Koury 3, Miller 3, Persia, DiTullio, Ritt, Milligan). Field goals: Olmsted Falls 15-45 (33.3 percent), Avon Lake 16-43 (37.2 percent). Free throws: Olmsted Falls 18-23 (78.3 percent), Avon Lake 0-0. Rebounds: Olmsted Falls 29, Avon Lake 19. Turnovers: Olmsted Falls 10, Avon Lake 14. Team fouls: Olmsted Falls 7, Avon Lake 17. Junior varsity: Olmsted Falls, 45-19.