The Elyria Catholic Panthers travel to Bay on Wednesday night, where the Rockets (10-2, 3-1) will look to move into first place in the conference.
Elyria Catholic (9-2, 4-0) began its season with seven straight wins, before losing two in a row to Walsh Jesuit (58-55) and Euclid (48-45).
The Panthers returned to their winning ways after those two close losses, defeating Rocky River and Columbia, but go into the building of one of the best teams in the region.
Bay started the 2016-17 season by losing two of its first three games, but quickly bounced back and enters Wednesday night riding a nine-game win-streak.
These two teams have a history of close games, especially in the last four years, since Brian Hill has been head coach at Bay.
“We’ve had a lot of good games,” said Elyria Catholic head coach Eric Rothgery.
“Two years ago we won one at the buzzer. Last year we had an overtime game. I’m sure Brian feels like he owes me a few, so I know he’s pumped up.”
Hill and the Rockets, despite those close games, are looking for their first win over Elyria Catholic in the last four seasons.
“Even with a few teams we’ve had in the past, like two years ago, we were 14-12 and we still hung with (Elyria Catholic) even though they were extremely good,” said Hill.
“The year before that, we were 6-17 and only lost to them by one. We’ve been very competitive with them over the years.”
Both coaches are well-aware of the implications of Wednesday night’s match, but had different thoughts on how to approach the game.
“We have decided that the way we’re going to play things is we’re not going to worry about what they’re going to do against us. It’s just about what we’re going to do to help ourselves,” said Hill.
“I’m honestly not trying to put too much of an emphasis on this game because in years passed, we’ve done that, and now we’re just trying to treat it like another game. We’re going to see them one more time in the regular season and then, potentially again in the playoffs.”
Hill’s team will not be at full-strength for Wednesday night’s match for a variety of reasons.
“We’re kind of short-handed right now. We have two seniors out. Our senior point guard Maddie Holmes has been out, as well, because she was an All-American soccer player and she’s out for two games this week because she’s going to the All-American Conference in Los Angeles.
“We know we have to win this game to be able to stay within one game of the conference, but our girls have been level-headed.”
Rothgery didn’t hesitate to call this match “a big game.”
“I’m never afraid to put something on it. If we go through the first run in the conference without a loss, we’re in a great position,” the coach stated.
“They’ve already got a conference loss from early in the season and if we could smack a second one them, we’re in a good position. But they need it badly, so there’s a lot to it. We’re in the same district together and this weighs into district seeding, so this is an important game.”
While Bay has not done much differently in its practices leading up to the game, the Panthers are preparing for the 1-3-1 zone defense, which is a big part of what has helped the Rockets get out to a 10-2 start.
When asked if Elyria Catholic would be spending a significant amount of time simulating Bay’s defense in practice, Rothgery put it bluntly: “If we didn’t do both, we’d be stupid.”
“If you’re not prepared for their 1-3-1, you’re gonna’ get eaten alive. We’ll be ready.”
Players To Watch
Bay Sophomore Guard Maddie Edgerly: Scored 19 or more points in four straight games.
“She’s been putting up 20-some a game recently, but if you look back, there were games where she was just missing shots,” said Hill.
“She was doing a great job getting to the rim early in the season, but had trouble finishing. She gets to the rim so well, we knew it was just a matter of time before she put everything together. The biggest change is she has put a really big emphasis on finishing in practice and if she doesn’t finish, she’s not happy with herself. She turned her mindset from it just being OK that she got to the rim, to now, it’s unacceptable for her to miss a shot.”
Elyria Catholic Sophomore Point Guard Faith Williams: Averaging 10.2 points, 4.5 assists per game
“Faith’s ready. She’s been in a lot of big games. She started on her team last year in Utah and they were in some big games,” said Rothgery.
“She was in a ton of big AAU games, but you know, that AAU is a little bit different than when your whole school’s depending upon you.”
Elyria Catholic Senior Forward Nora Hopkins: Averaging 12.5 points, 6.4 rebounds per game
Elyria Catholic Senior Guard Sam Filiaggi: Averaging 11.5 points, 3.3 steals per game
Bay Sophomore Guard Maeve Johnston: Scored 14 points in back-to-back games against Lutheran West and Lake Ridge.
“Maeve’s blossoming out there, she used to be a more of an inside player, now she’s knocking down threes,” said Rothgery.
“I think she may have shot one 3-pointer last year,” joked Hill.
“This year, she’s already hit 11 for us.”
The game tips off at 7:30 pm in what is sure to be an exciting atmosphere at Bay High School.
Follow @Medleyhoops on Twitter for updates.
Recent Comments