Four Mansfield Christian players score in double figures in win over Lucas

Mansfield Christian coach Megan Young challenges her team before every game.

The challenge? Have three or more players score in double figures.

In a 58-39 win over Mid-Buckeye Conference foe Lucas on Saturday afternoon, the Flames did just that as four players reached 10-plus points to help them earn their first league win of the season.

"Our goal is to have three or more in double figures every game, so it was great to see the team come out and do that against a very good opponent," Young said. "The main thing was Abby Little got a ton of confidence today, and that is only going to help us down the road."

Alexis Rippel led the way with 16 points while Aubrynn Maiyer scored 12 and Little and Raegan Standridge added 10 apiece. The Flames (2-0) expect that out of Rippel and Maiyer, but Young admitted it was huge for Little and Standridge to contribute the way they did.

Standridge ended up with a double-double with 10 rebounds while Anna Sparks cleaned up the glass with 11 boards.

"We have so many unselfish players," Young said. "They have all played together since junior high and they know each other and know how to work together on the court. They all put in a lot of work in the offseason this summer. Abby came to everything and Anna (Sparks) didn't miss a day. To see them grow and change as players is fun."

Rippel, who drained three 3-pointers, also added five assists to ignite an offense that didn't score for the first four minutes of the game.

"It makes us a great team," Rippel said. "Last year, we had Elle (Schmitz) and she was a great player while we were still young, so our team needed her to do a lot for us offensively. But this year we have multiple players who can score, and when we get four players in double figures, the other team cannot just mark one player. It is great for this team."

The Flames trailed 7-0 early as their offensive game planwasn't working out so well. After a timeout, Young called for a change in defense, putting the Flames into a full-court press , and that turned defense into offense and helped them take an 11-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

"Sometimes, we just start slower than other games," Young said. "I don't know if they were just timid or the fact they know Lucas is an aggressive team, but when we went full-court press they found their intensity and it worked."

Rippel said when she and her teammates heard the order to change up defenses it was as if the lights came on.

"That is what we are good at and that is what we know," Rippel said. "As soon as we pick up full court, that is when we start to change our intensity and it is almost like it is finally game time and time to go."

Mayier was at the head of the defensive pressure and reaped the rewards with four steals. She also made two 3s while scoring eight of her 12 points in the second quarter.

After the Cubs turned their focus to Maiyer, Rippel found openings in the defense to attack. She scored 11 of her 16 points in the second half and made five of six free throws down the stretch.

"I just know Aubrynn was hitting her shots and we needed to get her the ball," Rippel said. "Then when they focused on her, it opened us up to drive to the basket. We have some great athletes, and we knew if we could get to the rim we could finish or draw a foul. We are a good foul-shooting team, so that played right into our hands."

The Flames gradually pulled away, outscoring Lucas 20-9 in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

It wasn't the only goal the Flames achieved in the game. Sensational Lucas junior Shelby Grover came in averaging 20-plus points and they wanted to keep her below 20. They did, narrowly, as Grover was the game-high scorer with 19.

"We wanted to keep Shelby Grover below 20, and we held her to 19 so we got there," Young said. "She is phenomenal, and for them to set the goal and achieve it is great to see."

Grover scored 15 of her points in the second half after ditching a passive mindset in the first half. But the Cubs' 17 turnovers killed any momentum, and 5-of-13 shooting from the free-throw line sealed their fate.

"We need to make sure that when we make a bad pass, we don't make the same mistake over and over again," Lucas coach Kathy Grover said. "We didn't do that tonight, and that is why we ended up on the losing end."

The Cubs (1-6) lost their fourth game in a row, but Kathy Grover could do nothing but tip her hat to the Flames.

"She has a lot of talent in that junior class with a couple of seniors to provide leadership," Grover said of Young. "Abby Little impressed me a lot tonight. She is a great soccer player and improved so much as a basketball player. She was the difference."

The Flames travel to Black River on Saturday while Lucas travels to East Knox on Monday. But after that the Cubs have a break in the schedule and the focus will be back on the basics as they look to stop the bleeding.

"After Monday, we get a nice break," Grover said. "We have played seven games already in 15 days, so after our game Monday against East Knox we can finally take a step back and get to looking at some X's and O's. We will play two games in 14 days after that so it just gives us some time to regroup.

"We need to watch film and see what we are doing and see how it looks so we can get into a practice routine of cleaning things up."

jfurr@gannett.com

740-244-9934

Twitter: @JakeFurr11

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Abby Little Anna Sparks Aurbrynn Maiyer Raegan Standridge Alexis Rippel Mansfield Christian Flames Lucas Cubs Shelby Grover