INDEPENDENCE — High school sports start with belief.
After finishing the regular season with a 9-13 record, Mogadore could’ve doubted itself heading into a strange new environment.
The Wildcats could’ve been swept away by a series of powerful Emily Gibbons drives to the basket as the Independence senior tallied 16 points in the first half alone.
Instead, No. 21 Mogadore responded by applying plenty of its own pressure en route to a 61-42 victory over No. 20 Independence in their Division VI first-round clash.
“The confidence has built and they can see that they can compete,” Wildcats coach Jen Ritch said. “We played a grueling schedule, and we literally got punched by Division III, Division IV and Division V schools much bigger and better than us, so hopefully it prepared us for games like this where we have to go battle.”
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Mogadore bounces back from tough start
Not much went right for the Wildcats in the opening minutes. Twice, Gibbons, who finished with 22 points, bowled right into her defender for layups en route to a 6-2 lead.
Mogadore maintained its belief.
Ritch, in particular, maintained her belief in her team’s defensive ability, sticking with a full-court press that flustered the Blue Devils for much of the night. That press helped Mogadore bounce back. Down 6-2, the press forced a bad pass that sophomore Jessica Holler picked off. Holler then sent a quick pass to Wildcats junior Kasey Bolyard, who found senior Rylee Clark for a bank shot.
After scoring six points in the opening 2:25, the Blue Devils scored just seven over the remainder of the quarter. Nine first-quarter turnovers, fueled by that Mogadore press, were a major reason.
“I almost called a timeout,” Ritch said of the Wildcats’ shaky start. “And I was like, ‘Nah, they’ll figure it out.'”
The Wildcats’ belief also resulted in strong offensive results. Against an Independence team that looked to apply pressure via half-court traps, Mogadore moved the ball with poise. Indeed, beautiful ball movement resulted in the Wildcats’ first lead (13-10) as they reversed the ball to sophomore guard Ava Murphy for the go-ahead 3-pointer.
”She’s a great shooter when she gets her feet set,” Ritch said. “She’s a really good shooter.”
Shortly thereafter, Murphy found Clark for another 3-pointer. And in the closing minutes of the opening quarter, Murphy dished to Clark once again for a 3-pointer to take a 19-13 lead into the break.
“I feel like there was a lot of pressure, but good pressure in the air,” Clark said. “Everyone was screaming and everything, and it was just the right time to do it.”
Mogadore added distance with 10 straight points to start the second quarter, beginning with Bolyard faking a 3-point try, then coasting to the left elbow for a jumper.
The Wildcats’ budding ball movement shone through a possession or two later when Bolyard passed to Clark. The senior sharpshooter had a good look at her third 3-pointer from the left wing. Instead, Clark selflessly sent the ball back to Bolyard, who was even more open in the corner and cashed in for a 24-13 lead.
“I trust Kasey with it,” Clark said. “If I was going to give up a shot, I know that I could trust my teammate with the ball, and I feel like I gave up a lot of shots this season, but most of the time they turn out well.”
Shortly thereafter, Clark passed to Murphy on the right wing. Belief kept ringing through as the senior yelled at the sophomore to shoot. The sophomore complied with another 3-point make for a 27-13 lead, then heaved a pass shortly thereafter to Bolyard for a fast-break bucket and a 16-point lead (31-15).
Mogadore’s strong ball movement led to five made 3-pointers in the first half, including two apiece from Clark and Murphy.
“They’ve been patient,” Ritch said. “They found the best shot, instead of just a shot, and when we do that, then it gives Kasey and Jess and Hayli [Clester] the ability to drive when we hit from the outside.”
Bolyard, in her first season as Mogadore’s primary ball-handler, showed tremendous poise and pace throughout the evening en route to a game-high 31 points.
Multiple times in the closing minutes, Bolyard wove her way around the court, calmly taking the ball out of harm’s way, then zigzagging to the hoop when the seas parted. And in one last dagger, Bolyard found senior Eden Cameron for a corner 3-pointer to go up 15 with 1:35 remaining.
“I was thinking I haven’t had a three yet this season,” Cameron said. “I had one freshman year and I really wanted it before the game and I saw an opportunity and I just kind of took it.”
The same could be said of Mogadore. With no league to play in, the 2025-2026 Wildcats searched far and wide for games and ended up playing a brutal schedule, including nearly half the Suburban League’s American Division. They took on that schedule while replacing the majority of the starting lineup from last year’s state-qualifying team.
At times, they struggled, but they won their last two regular-season games.
And then in Independence, the Wildcats saw their opportunity — and took it.
“I feel like it’s really meaningful because after going under .500, it felt very discouraging because we were working so hard to pull off less than .500,” Cameron said. “But now it’s rewarding, and I also feel like even the spot we’re put in gives us more drive to go far and do well.”
Up next
The Wildcats remain on the road as they travel to No. 9 Loudonville for a Feb. 19 sectional final.
Contact Jonah L. Rosenblum at jrosenblum@recordpub.com and follow him on Twitter at @JLRSports.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: ‘Confidence has built,’ Mogadore girls basketball upsets Independence
Reporting by Jonah Rosenblum, Ravenna Record-Courier / Record-Courier
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