Ellet girls basketball learns lessons in opening night loss

'There's no doubt that we're a better team now than we were 24 hours ago'

AKRON, Ohio – Wednesday night was bittersweet for Ellet girls basketball coach Nick Harris.

Despite a 62-59 loss at Wadsworth, Harris was still able to smile following the game because he saw glimpses of just what his team could be this season.

The reason Harris was so optimistic about his team even though they had just dropped their season opener?

It’s because not all losses are built the same.

Ellet trailed by 15 points in the fourth quarter and the Orangemen were able to get the lead down to one and then trailed by three heading into the final possession of the game, one that ended in a 3-pointer from the hands of Caitlyn Holmes. The ball was on target but hit the back of the rim and bounced away.

“I trust her 120 percent,” Harris said of his junior standout guard.

While it was the same result as last season’s opener against Wadsworth, the process was much different. Last year, Ellet was never competitive in a 56-20 loss at home. This season, the Orangemen led for the better part of the first half and then when they fell behind, they did not give up.

“I couldn’t be more proud of my girls,” Harris said. “Last year, this Wadsworth team with the same lineup pretty much, came to us and rolled over us. The second half (last year) we wilted, we weren’t able to answer the bell, we just weren’t there yet mentally, physically, emotionally. This year they showed they are a completely different team.”

Getting the first game under their belts was important for a team as young as Ellet, who has just one senior on the roster and plenty of players who are still getting their feet wet at the varsity level.

“I think the girls are a little more prepared now,” Harris said. “It's nice to finally go compete and see what we have because we have a bunch of young ladies that have never lettered before and have never played significant varsity minutes that played big minutes tonight and made big plays.”

One of those players was junior Dacai Singletary, who started on Wednesday night and had a bigger role than she had at any point last season.

“Dacai Singletary was a JV player last year,” Harris said. “I asked her to carry a big load. I'm asking them to execute and implement things at the end of the game. And I was really proud of them for how they were able to just listen and be coachable.”

A player that has been added to this season’s team is Sanaiiya Gray, a transfer from St. Vincent-St. Mary. In her first game for the Orangemen, she put up a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds and the 5-foot-11 junior was a presence in the paint defensively.

Even with as well as she played, Harris knows she is just getting started for Ellet.

“I think Sanaiiya right now isn't going to be Sanaiiya in two months,” Harris said. “Sanaiiya is the type that every time she plays a varsity game and gets these reps, she's going to take real leaps. Everybody better get it in now because she's only going to be better and tougher.

“And I'm lucky to have somebody like that. As she keeps making growth and keeps getting experience, she's going to get better. She's a grinder, she's athletic, she's smart, she's everything you could ever ask for as a coach.”

Ellet girls basketball coach Nick Harris yells out instructions during a game against Loudonville on February 7, 2023. Photo credit: Jeff Harwell

Jeff Harwell, SBLive Sports

And then of course there was Holmes, who will be the best player on the floor most nights when the Orangemen play, no matter who the opponent is.

The junior scored a game-high 35 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter as Ellet was making its comeback. Even when she went down with a cramp late in the game, she was able to fight through it and scored a basket on the next possession.

“You start running out of compliments,” Harris said. “It is something else to cramp up, get it loosened and then make the play to dive on the floor (and then score).”

Harris’ trust of his All-Ohio guard doesn’t just apply to taking the last shot of the game, but it extends to letting her navigate the offense based off what she is seeing in the moment.

“The game slowed down for her,” Harris said. "She's learned so much over the past couple of years that now when she makes a decision, I'm riding with it because I think it's probably the best decision out there.”

The coach and player also share a lot of the same thoughts during a game, and even can have a laugh with one another during the most stressful part of the game.

“My favorite thing about her is her composure,” Harris said. “We're sharing a smile with a minute left. (She said) ‘I didn't see the high screen, coach.’ I said ‘see everything’ with a laugh and she turns and laughs with me because it's fun to compete.”

Even if the Orangemen started the season with a loss, their head coach had a positive message for them after the game.

“I told the girls days like today are fun, win or lose,” Harris said. “You learn about yourself. You sweat and you grow against girls who have the same expectations. And that's what this is about. Days like today are the dream.”

And if the adage of you can learn more in a loss than you can in a win, Wednesday was a good night for Ellet, who is looking to make a deeper run in the postseason after winning a playoff game last year following a perfect record in conference play in the Akron City Series.

“We talk every day about us being better than we were yesterday,” Harris said. “And that's what I think we are. There's no doubt that we're a better team now than we were 24 hours ago. And as we know, it's a long season. Nobody's going to measure us by November. It's about February, and we're a little bit more prepared for February now.”