JOHNSTOWN ― Granville’s guard play has often stood out during what has been another stellar season. On Jan. 21, however, in a clash of Licking County League girls division leaders, the Blue Aces’ 6-foot-1 post players showed how assertive they can be.
Senior Sophia Hall and junior Elle Mortimer scored 14 points each and the Buckeye Division leaders used aggressiveness on both ends of the floor to score an impressive 53-27 road win against Cardinal Division frontrunner Johnstown.
Granville (13-2, 10-0) was coming off losses in back-to-back showcases to defending Division V state champion Portsmouth (60-33) and Division I Huber Heights Wayne (52-41).
“It was a big adjustment, playing two aggressive teams like we did last weekend,” Mortimer said, “so we knew we had to turn it up a notch once we got back into our league.”
Coach Kellon Thomas praised his team’s trapping defense that forced the Johnnies (11-3, 9-1) into six first-quarter turnovers, setting the tone for the rest of the game. That and post play were crucial to ending the host team’s eight-game winning streak.
“It was part of our plan to go inside, and we wanted to take advantage of it,” Thomas said. “When they get going, it helps our guards get into the flow of the game. They have some good players over there, especially [sophomore Caylin Cox]. We wanted to be connected on defense and play collectively as a unit.”
The Blue Aces held Cox without a point in the first half. Cox had 6 in the third quarter before departing with an ankle injury.
Hall actually stepped outside to hit two early 3-pointers as Granville bolted ahead 8-0 and never looked back. Camryn Goss made another 3, Mortimer scored with the left hand inside and Delaney Varrasso attacked the baseline for a layup and 17-6 lead.
“[The 3-point baskets] got us the momentum, and we got going as a team,” Hall said. “We’ve been stressing playing as a team, and we did on defense, too. On a couple of those turnovers, they weren’t ready, and we were there to help with the traps.”
The Blue Aces then blitzed Johnstown 13-3 in the second quarter, taking a commanding 30-9 halftime lead as they held the Johnnies without a field goal. Hall scored on a driving scoop, Mortimer had a reverse layup and two rebound baskets, freshman Brooklyn Londot had a rebound and three-point play, and Varrasso had another driving layup.
“Elle saw a lot of defense over the weekend and could have been the best post player on the floor if she were just a little more aggressive,” Thomas said. “There’s been a big focus on being aggressive all the time. Sophia is a really good player and has done a nice job playing her role. You never know who is going to be scoring, and tonight she was able to do it while still playing her role.”
Added Mortimer: “We have diverse options, and we don’t rely on a sole person. That gets us hyped.”
Mortimer showed she is among those options.
“She stood up and was showing some strong moves down low,” Hall said.
Davynn Miller, Hall and Goss added 3-pointers in the third and Miller drove for a basket as the Blue Aces led by as much as 29 before the Johnnies battled back. Lone senior Lauren Baughman worked her way inside for 9 of her 13 points as Johnstown whittled the margin down to 45-27 with 5:17 to play, before Lillian Rosendahl and Londot added two more of Granville’s eight from beyond the arc.
“We’re proud of our defense, but we’ve talked about working on offense,” Mortimer said. “We took a step forward tonight and want to take it to teams.”
They definitely took it to a very good Johnstown team looking to defend league and district championships.
“They jumped on us early, and I don’t think we responded very well,” said coach Scott Helmke. “We just wanted to make it to halftime, and it got worse and worse. We forced some shots, rushed some shots and they had a lot to do with it. “
Added Helmke: “They shot the ball really well and we didn’t, and we didn’t guard them very well. They were faster and more aggressive. We played better and harder in the second half, but since last Wednesday, we had talked about the things we needed to do, to stay in it and win the game, and we didn’t do them. Again, all the credit to them.”
Granville is looking to win its sixth consecutive league and district titles (it has a pair of regional runner-up finishes, including last season). It will use last weekend as a learning experience, as league foe Licking Heights (9-4, 7-3) and Division I Dublin Coffman (12-4) await.
“The biggest message we took from MLK weekend was, we saw some of the best teams in Ohio who will be playing at the end of the year, and we’re not quite there yet,” Thomas said.
Even though they lost, Hall said they know they can compete with those teams.
“Last year, we really didn’t get the opportunity to play those hard teams, until we got to the district or regional,” Mortimer said. “So it was good to see early on what we need to work on.”
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Aggressive Granville takes it to Johnstown in LCL girls showdown
Reporting by Dave Weidig, Newark Advocate / Newark Advocate
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