Shooting issues continue to rob Falls girls basketball of victories
To the Cuyahoga Falls girls basketball team, the hoop seems like the size of a ring days.
The shots just aren’t falling.
Of the Black Tigers’ 43-32 loss at Woodridge Jan. 20, Cuyahoga Falls head coach Joe Nowak said, “I thought we played with energy and an understanding of what we needed to do to be successful. It just felt like there was a lid on the basket, especially in the second half.”
Of his team’s 45-27 defeat Jan. 22 at home to Suburban League American Conference rival Revere, Nowak said, “We had a number of good looks and I thought our shot selection was more than fine, but we could just not buy a basket.”
Of the Black Tigers’ 44-32 loss Jan. 26 at American Conference rival Aurora, the frustrated coach said, “We had another night struggling to shoot the ball effectively, but we also took more than 50 shots, so we’re giving ourselves chances to score.”
In Cuyahoga Falls’ loss to Woodridge, the Black Tigers were actually ahead 8-4 after one quarter. The score was tied 15-15 at halftime before the Bulldogs forged ahead 30-22 after three quarters.
“Woodridge did a really good job in the third quarter getting the ball inside and playing to their strengths,” Nowak said. “On the whole, they are having an excellent season.”
Leading the way for Cuyahoga Falls was junior forward Mackenzie Kramer, who scored 18 points and had seven rebounds. Guard/forward Ellie Brustoski, Kramer’s classmate, contributed four points and four rebounds.
In the Black Tigers’ defeat to Revere, the home team trailed 10-5 after the first quarter and 21-13 at the half. They pulled to within three points in the third quarter but wound up being down 35-21 entering the fourth period.
After hitting 12 three-pointers against Kent Roosevelt three days earlier, the home team made only a single shot beyond the arc.
Kramer scored 13 points, while sophomore guard Trista Lee had seven points. Kramer, Brustoski and sophomore forward Darlene Smith each pulled down five rebounds.
In Cuyahoga Falls’ loss to Aurora, the Black Tigers trailed 10-7 after one quarter, 21-12 at halftime and 33-22 after three quarters. The visitors slipped to 7-11 overall and 3-9 in the American Conference.
Kramer scored eight points and had six rebounds, while Smith had eight points and five boards. Brustoski and Lee both scored five points. Brustoski added seven rebounds.
“I continue to be proud of our effort, and the girls keep putting themselves in positions to do well,” said Nowak. “Those same shots we’ve been missing are going to start falling again.”
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Shooting issues continue to rob Falls girls basketball of victories
