Loudonville's Corri Vermilya reaches 2,000 career points in win over Clear Fork
Bellville, Ohio – Corri Vermilya stood and looked at Loudonville head coach Tyler Bates. The senior couldn’t understand why her coach was calling a timeout after she scored a basket in the third quarter of a 64-40 win over Clear Fork on Tuesday.
But Bates had a reason - the floater that Vermilya had just made put her at 2,000 points in her career.
“I didn't know this was coming," Vermilya said. "I was really excited. I'm just very grateful. I mean, obviously it's a big milestone for me and I'm just really grateful. I don't really have a lot of words to explain it, I'm speechless."
Bates didn’t want to tell his star guard how close she was to the milestone – she needed just 26 points coming into the game against Clear Fork and finished with 32 - because he knows the senior is focused on winning more than individual achievements.
"I know that she wants to just win the game and that's what she's focused on," Bates said. "And I knew she'd probably be mad if she knew and she didn't get it just because she wants to get it over. So we weren't going to do anything until we knew she got it and we have the game kind of in hand."
In fact, only a select few even knew close the Ashland recruit was to hitting 2,000 career points. Bates had been calculating the moment for several weeks and knew teams might try to defend the 2023 Division III Player of the Year differently had the information become public. So he told just Vermilya’s parents and one member of the media.
But it was not tough to keep the secret from the player.
"I just found out about a week ago," said Cathy Vermilya, Corri's mother. "It wasn't hard (to keep) it from her because she does not focus on that. I knew, but I also knew winning was more important to her."
The moment came in the third quarter when Vermilya – wearing her black jersey with “Redbirds” script written across the chest in red – dribbled the ball up the court, went behind her back one time about 30 feet from the basket, drove to the right against her defender and raised up as another defender came to help with a double team, tossing the ball over both of them and into the hoop.
That's when Bates called a timeout and finally let Corri know what she had just accomplished.
"I was excited when he told me I got it," Vermilya said. "And he (told me he is) proud of me. Getting the memo that I got my 2,000th was really exciting for me."
Photo of Loudonville's Corri Vermilya by Jeff Harwell, SBLive Sports
Jeff Harwell, SBLive Sports
Because the Redbirds were ahead comfortably in the game, it allowed Vermilya to make her way across the court to embrace her parents after hugs and high fives with her coaches and teammates.
"It was good that it was further along in the game and not within two or three possessions," Vermilya said. "If so, I probably wouldn't have run over to my parents and hugged them. Honestly, I would have just stayed at the bench and been like, let's get this over with like, let's get playing. But it was nice that we were ahead so then I could kind of like say thank you to my parents and thank you to my family."
That was a hug her mom won't soon forget.
"She is the most genuine person, just so well-rounded," Cathy Vermilya said. "It just means the world to me."
Vermilya scored the first seven points of the game and had 10 of Loudonville’s 13 points in the first quarter. Her first two baskets came from her defense, as she forced two turnovers and turned those into layups to help the Redbirds jump out to a 10-0 lead.
"It was really, really good for our team to get out in the beginning," Vermilya said. "We've been wanting to jump on them from the start so I was happy that I could get some steals and then get out and get some easy buckets in transition for our team to really kickstart that and then everybody else just jumped right in on the train."
Mixed in that 10-0 run was her third make of the game - a 3-pointer from about 28 feet. But later, she let another pair of deep 3-pointers fly that missed everything, something she could laugh about after the game.
"When you're feeling it, you just want to keep shooting," Vermilya said. "I probably shouldn't have shot the two that I airballed. But we won the game so it doesn't matter that much."
Despite those shots that she second-guessed, her coach was impressed with how Vermilya played within herself and within the offense Tuesday night, even with constant double teams and zone defenses designed to keep the ball out of her hands.
"I can honestly say tonight, I thought maybe she might have taken one bad shot in the whole game," Bates said. "When you see that kind of defensive attention and you are that efficient, that's that's all you can ask for as a coach."
It was a microcosm of the last three-plus years for Vermilya, who has done anything she has been asked to do by Bates and the coaches. And she backs up her play with a motor that doesn't stop.
"When you watch Corri play, you just see relentless effort," Bates said. "She's getting out in the passing lane, she's getting offensive rebounds, she shoots the three, she plays in the post, she goes off the dribble. It's a wide range of skills inside of a girl that plays as hard as she can the whole game. And it's a great example for anyone out there that wants to be a good basketball player. Work hard and then play hard."
For the player, she deflects credit when it comes to what she has accomplished on the basketball court.
"I'm just super grateful for the people that I have in my life to help me get here," Vermilya said. "And I know that God has a plan for everyone's life. And he had this plan for me for a while now. And I'm just grateful for the people he's put in my life and the resources to come and get this. You know, I've been through a lot and I'm just excited that I can have fun with this tonight."
-- Ryan Isley | ryan@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveoh
