Girls Basketball: Avon Lake tops Amherst for fifth straight win

AMHERST — It had to overcome a sloppy second quarter, but Avon Lake has won five in a row after Friday's 48-34 Southwestern Conference victory over Amherst. Two weeks ago, the Shoregals fell 54-42 to Olmsted Falls, their third loss in a row. Since then they have been rolling. "We've tried to focus on getting the ball inside and playing to our strengths," Avon Lake coach Paul Appel said. "We've really tried to focus on those things the last couple weeks." Avon Lake (12-4, 9-1) certainly did a good job of getting the ball inside early Friday, resulting in 13 of its 20 first-quarter points coming from Molly Milligan, who finished with a team-high 16 to continue her excellent junior season. "We did a good job of getting it to her," Appel said. "She had a few really tough finishes in there, and I'm so proud of her for doing a good job scoring for us." She was held scoreless in the second, however, a quarter that Amherst (3-12, 1-10) won 11-4 and held Avon Lake without a point for nearly five minutes. The Shoregals also turned the ball over seven times in the quarter and shot just 2-for-10 from the field. "Our focus just wasn't where it needed to be tonight," Appel said. "We're going to take that as a lesson. (Amherst) played hard and they competed harder than us tonight. We can't let that happen again, and it's on us to improve." In the second half, Avon Lake was unable to shake its offensive malaise from the second quarter, but fortunately, it was able to fall back on the defense that has become the program's central building block under Appel to close out the game. Amherst kept the game within reach throughout the third quarter, but after Avon Lake started pressing in the fourth, it held Amherst without a point for more than half the final period. "We went to more of a defensive lineup," Appel said. "We asked them to pick up the intensity in the full court and turn them over a little bit. I thought we played a little bit harder in the fourth and some of the kids off the bench did a good job of that." Amherst has lost six straight, its second six-game losing streak of the season. But the result was a significant improvement from its first game against Avon Lake, a 65-21 loss. "Overall, it's confidence on both the defensive end and the offensive end," said Amherst coach Dave Zvara. "They started believing in themselves a little more, and not doubting themselves. It's nice to see, and you hope that the second time around, you play better basketball." The Comets defense was perhaps the most impressive part of their game, especially after the first quarter. After allowing 20 points in the first, they allowed just 28 the rest of the way. Avon Lake's 48 points tied for the third-fewest Amherst has allowed this season. "They handled the adversity," Zvara said. "They're maturing and they're getting good. They're still a young team, and I think the biggest key is believing in themselves. I believe in them, but they have to believe in themselves, practice hard and take it to the floor." Contact Will Cunningham at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Avon Lake 48, Amherst 34 Avon Lake (48): Riley Koury 1-0-2, Bri Droke 1-0-2, Frankie Persia 1-0-2, Mariela DiTullio 0-0-0, Olivia Miller 3-5-12, Evelyn Ritt 4-0-9, Rachel Besaw 0-0-0, Erin Dean 2-1-5, Molly Milligan 5-6-16. Totals 17-12-48. Amherst (34): Sarah Iliff 0-0-0, Amalee Caldera 4-2-11, Libby Vidovich 0-0-0, Grace Bender 2-0-5, Callie Beckler 0-0-0, Alaina Alflen 0-0-0, Abby Broaddus 2-0-4, Morgan Lymer 2-1-5, Sarai Hussein-Bey 3-2-8, Ashlyn Barry 0-0-0. Totals 13-5-33. Avon Lake &emsp;20&emsp;4&emsp;11&emsp;13&emsp;—&emsp;48 Amherst&emsp;7&emsp;11&emsp;9&emsp;7&emsp;—&emsp;34 Three-point goals: Avon Lake (Miller, Ritt), Amherst (Caldera, Bender). Field goals: Avon Lake 17-51 (33.3 percent), Amherst 13-40 (32.5 percent). Free throws: Avon Lake 12-17 (70.6 percent), Amherst 5-15 (33.3 percent). Rebounds: Avon Lake 31, Amherst 24. Turnovers: Avon Lake 11, Amherst 18. Team fouls: Avon Lake 13, Amherst 14.