CRESTON TWP. — Elliott Smallfield and her teammates knew when their final game was last season.
That’s one perk of making the state championship game. For the first time in Rootstown — and Portage County — history, a basketball team took the floor knowing that, win or lose, that was their season finale.
Alas, that’s rare, and this time the end came far sooner than Rootstown hoped, with a 43-38 loss to Smithville in a Division VI district title game at Norwayne Feb. 28.
“When I was in the locker room, I definitely thought of [how] I didn’t get this feeling last year because I knew my last game was our last game, no matter if it was a win or [a] loss,” Smallfield said. “It definitely hurt, and it made me think last year, like I wish it could have happened again this year, but it was such a special year and you really need to take it in.”
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Saturday was a reminder of how cruel high-stakes basketball can be. The Rovers have recorded three consecutive 20-plus win seasons. In 2023-2024, a very good Rootstown team lost a second-half lead to Keystone in a district semifinal. In 2025-2026, a very good Rovers team just couldn’t find its shot against the Smithies. And, of course, in between Rootstown went on a run unlike any other in Portage County history, fueled by incredibly close wins over LaBrae, Smithville and Fort Frye.
That’s high-stakes basketball.
The Rovers broke a lot of hearts last year. On Saturday, the Smithies got them back.
“I just told [them] that they have nothing to be ashamed about and we’re proud of them,” Rovers coach Joe Leonard said. “They represent the community, they’re good sports, so it’s an honor for me to coach.”
Elliott Smallfield surges, helps Rootstown overcome slow start
The night before the Rovers faced the Smithies, Smallfield and senior Cloe Bengtson went to a boys basketball sectional final at Streetsboro. They watched the Rockets record a single field goal in the third quarter. And then they found themselves in a very similar game, right down to the identical 20-19 halftime score.
Rootstown went nearly five minutes without scoring to open the game, falling behind 8-0. The Rovers finished the first quarter just 1 of 13 from the field.
“The scoring was pretty low for a little bit,” Smallfield said. “So definitely it was a lot like the Streetsboro game.”
Maybe Smallfield was inspired by watching the Rockets work their way out of a third-quarter rut to win their sectional final, because she erupted for a game-high 18 points against the Smithies. After missing all four of her first-quarter shots, Smallfield made 4 of 6 in the second to help the Rovers surge into the lead.
“She definitely has put in the work,” Leonard said. “She’s getting better, so we’re super excited about her taking that next step and leading this group next year.”
Although Rootstown overcame its tough start, it never could get much distance against Smithville.
And unfortunately for the Rovers, Smithies star Leah Keib overcame her slow-scoring start, scoring all eight of her points in the fourth quarter. Keib’s heroics included a game-tying 3-pointer 20 seconds into the fourth quarter and a go-ahead 3-point play two minutes later as she made a layup while driving into Bengtson to draw the Rootstown senior’s fifth foul. Rebekah Keib, who had a team-high 16 points, added a go-ahead putback midway through the fourth.
Meanwhile, the Rovers’ turnovers mounted and their fourth-quarter foul trouble limited their ability to defend as aggressively as they did early on, when they held the Smithies to single-digit points in the middle quarters.
”It’s tough because obviously we want to advance as far as we can,” Leonard said. “There’ll be people that’ll look at it and think that maybe this team underachieved for whatever reason, and that’s just not the truth.”
Rootstown graduates just two players — Colbie Curall and Bengtson. They are two of the Rovers’ top three in most statistical categories, but the team’s future remains bright. It helps that Leonard consistently played a deep rotation, including in the 2025-2026 finale, preparing his younger players for the spotlight. Indeed, junior Mia Damicone and sophomore Olivia O’Neill both knocked down 3-pointers against Smithville. They’re two of eight players to make at least six 3-pointers for Rootstown this season, and both are set to play even bigger roles next year.
“This is not the end of Rootstown,” Leonard said. “Some people may say we’ll struggle again next year, but this group always plays with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder and the style that we play is unique, and so we’re going to continue to work at it and we’ll be back next year.”
The Rovers will — Leonard is absolutely right — but Bengtson and Curall will surely be missed.
“I definitely think that losing them is going to be a huge difference,” Smallfield said. “We have the people who can take their roles, but it’ll never be the same as playing with those seniors.”
Contact Jonah L. Rosenblum at jrosenblum@recordpub.com and follow him on Twitter at @JLRSports.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Another proud season but an earlier end for Rootstown girls basketball
Reporting by Jonah Rosenblum, Ravenna Record-Courier / Record-Courier
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