Streetsboro takes district crown over Norton in tightly officiated contest
PARMA, Ohio - Streetsboro and Norton met in a girls basketball game for the third time this season on Saturday night at Normandy High School, as the Metro Athletic Conference co-champions faced off for an OHSAA Division II district title.
And while both teams could claim the MAC trophy, it was Streetsboro coming out on top to lift the district championship hardware with a 49-36 win, claiming the program's first district crown.
"(It feels) pretty good," Streetsboro head coach Carl Singer said. "I would say pretty good, it feels great, it's awesome."
In a game marred by constant whistles, Streetsboro couldn't take advantage in the first half, as the Rockets shot just 6-of-16 from the free throw line and led 19-9 at halftime.
But in the second half, Streetsboro got it figured out from the charity stripe and hit all nine attempts in the third quarter and 12 of the first 13 they shot in the second half.
"We couldn't buy one (in the first half)," Singer said. "We talked about that at halftime and we said this is going to come down to free throws the way this game is being called and I'm just super proud of the kids for stepping up and hitting shots in the second half."
The game was officiated tight both ways, with 28 fouls called in the first half and another 15 in the third quarter. The game finished with 52 total personal fouls (three of those taken on purpose by Norton near the end of the game) and two technical fouls, one on Norton guard Dakota Graham and one on Norton head coach Brian Miller. Combined, the teams shot 63 free throws.
Streetsboro tried to not let the officiating bother them, despite the game lacking flow for the duration of the entire 32 minutes.
"We talked about it before the game that we can't be surprised whether we're getting calls or not getting calls," Singer said. "You know, it's five-on-five, it's not five-on-eight. And so we just had to keep that mindset the whole time."
But that's easier said than done when your best player is in early foul trouble, as Streetsboro's 6-foot-3 junior Naomi Benson was. Benson picked up her third foul in the second quarter and then her fourth with 6:41 left in the third quarter, which forced her to sit the rest of the period, save for about 15 seconds late.
Benson finished the game with seven points and 10 rebounds, not the numbers one would expect to see in a Streetsboro win. But the Rockets gave her plenty of help as she was stuck watching.
"(I would have felt) a little less sure about winning (knowing Benson would have those numbers)," Singer said. "But while she is a great player 100 percent, we've got kids that step up and have done it all year, so I can't say I'm surprised that we were able to pull this one out even with her."
With Benson on the bench in the third quarter, one of the players to step up was senior Ella Kassan. The 6-foot forward scored seven of her team-high 15 points, with five of those from the free throw line.
Carlee Bedford added 12 for the Rockets, Olivia Johnson-Wilson scored five, Cara Tiller and Sydney Abbhul score three each and Maddy Hajec had two.
In the second and third quarters combined, the Rockets scored 20 points despite making just one field goal in each quarter. When asked how many times in his career he has won a game with a quarter in which his team made just one field goal, Streetsboro's head coach pondered for a second.
"I don't know the number but it can't be very many," Singer said. "So we'll just say probably not many. It was an ugly game. Sometimes you got to win ugly."
Streetsboro celebrates winning district championship with win over Norton on March 2, 2024
Ryan Isley, SBLive Sports
Benson wasn't the only Rocket in foul trouble, as Abbuhl fouled out with 5:07 remaining in the game and Johnson-Wilson fouled out with 1:47 left. Norton had two players foul out as well, with Andie Osolin done with 3:38 left and Graham finished with 2:12 left and a game-high 17 points.
"It was absolutely ridiculous what they were doing to both teams," Miller said. "Putting marquee players on the bench, that's what turned it into a slugfest and a mud match. We need better than that. I have my best players on the bench with four or five fouls, he's got his top players on the bench. It's not even a game."
But Miller was quick to make sure it wasn't being misinterpreted that he thought the officiating cost Norton the game.
"Credit to Streetsboro, they deserved to win tonight," Miller said. "They made the plays."
For the Rockets, they expected this moment this season. And cutting down the nets for the third time after doing so for winning the conference and then for winning the sectional, getting to do it after winning the district just hit different.
"This is the most special to be honest," Singer said. "Winning the league for the first time in school history was an amazing thing. But we we had this as an expectations and we knew that we were capable of doing it. To do it on this stage against that team, it's special."
-- Ryan Isley | ryan@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveoh
