Twinsburg girls basketball goes down swinging vs. Hathaway Brown

Remember their name: Sophie Adick, Abby Carroll, Genesis Carthen, Alexis Cellura, and Lauren Glessman. This cast of seniors set the foundation for the re-emerging Twinsburg’s girls’ basketball program this winter.

While Twinsburg has loads of potential with an influx of young talent, this five-pack of Tigers saw their careers come to close in Shaker Heights Saturday.

As the 29th seed in the Northeast 2 Massillon Perry sectional-district Division I tournament, Twinsburg fell 46-31 to fourth seed Hathaway Brown in first round sectional action.

Late in the game, first-year head coach Ryan Looman had all five seniors on the court at the same time and at the 1:10 mark, the mentor gave a curtain call to four of those seniors as he subbed in younger players and the Tiger fans erupted.

“This is one of the most genuine and caring group of seniors and young ladies that I have ever been around,” noted Looman, a veteran coach in northeast Ohio.

“They were all great teammates to each other and they helped build the foundation here, and they all have great traits, strong character, and leadership,” added Looman. “These young women will do great things in life.”

Moments after Looman gave Carthen, Glessman, Adick, and Carroll a curtain call, he made one more classy move – he subbed freshman Kayla Cellura in for her older sister, Alexis Cellura, the fifth and final senior, to the delight of the fans.

One of those moments and memories that will last a lifetime, the sisters didn’t allow emotions to overcome their workmanlike approach.

“I thought it was really important to do it that way because Alexis is a great four-year letter winner and Kayla will become a four-year starter,” pointed out Looman. “These seniors have really impacted the program and I thought it was an important moment.”

Hathaway Brown (17-6) came out fast and had a damaging 15-2 first quarter to set the tone.

Fueled by a 2-2-1 full court press and mixing half-court defense including a trapping zone set, the Blazers forced five turnovers in that opening period.

More importantly, it was the Blazers execution that made an impact and not Tiger miscues.

Twinsburg (9-14) rushed its offense once it cleared the full court pressure. For the most part, Twinsburg cleared the press to get to the forecourt, but that pressure increased the Tigers’ pace.

“I felt this was the most prepared we have been for a game this season, but it’s hard to replicate their pressure and traps in practice,” explained Looman.

“We were out of sync and rushed some things, and I think it was combination of their pressure and size,” stressed Looman.

The Blazers, who will host 23rd seeded Massillon (10-9) Thursday in a sectional final, rarely scored without the benefit of an assist. In all, the hosts posted 14 assists in a fairly low scoring game.

“Hathaway Brown is a strong team and they share the basketball very well,” said Looman, whose club held the hosts to just five field goals in the entire second half and forced 20 turnovers.

Freshman guard Taylor Dye netted a team-high eight points with a strong second half as like many other Tigers, she made her post season debut.

“Taylor is great,” said Looman. “She learned in terms of basketball focus that the post season is so much bigger and there is emphasis on each possession – she will learn like the other players.”

Also making her post season debut was Kayla Cellura.

As the Blazer’s leading scorer – guard Gia Piscitelli (16.6 points a game), was out with an eye injury, the defensive focus went to other threats.

Kayla Cellura had to defend do-it-all senior guard Lucy Castellanos. She also had to help on the glass and assist against the pressure. Cellura netted seven points and had six rebounds.

Besides Carthen, Adick, and Alexis Cellura, Kayla Cellura also had to help in the paint against skilled 6-foot-2 post Molly Castellanos, who hurt the Tigers with 13 first half points and ended with 17 points, six boards, three blocks and two 3-pointers.

“I thought we had a pretty good game plan against their big post (Castellanos had only one bucket in the second half),” noted Looman. “We just didn’t do it consistently for four quarters.”

Adick came off the bench and had four points and four rebounds while Carthen excelled on defense with six steals and a blocked shot. Alexis Cellura and Glessman also helped on defense and each added a hoop.

During the second half of the season Carroll has been more aggressive on the offensive end as the unselfish point guard looked to drive more to rim and take mid-range jumpers. While the scorebook didn’t reflect it, Carroll (four points, three assists) took big shots.

“Abby has really been stepping up lately and being more aggressive on offense,” Looman emphasized. “We have gone to more three-guard looks with (freshman Mackenzie Sweeney off the bench) and Abby is so important to us with her ball handling and great defense, we also needed her to score.”

Kar’Lynn Golphin drained two free throws late. Golphin and McKayla Hardwick are a pair of junior forwards who have extensive program experience and will help next year along with the exciting freshman class, athletes from the JV unit, plus a promising eight-grade group.

“I thought Kar’Lynn and McKayla always gave us energy in practice and in games,” noted Looman, whose freshman class also includes Tamia Andrews, Riley Velican, and Lola Young.

Sophomore guard Jada Gilmore and Young were on the post season roster.

Incredibly, Young became the sixth freshman player to score this season which has never happened in the history of Twinsburg and Chamberlin High basketball. A forward, Young sank a pair of free throws late.

“We are really excited about the next season, the freshman class, and all of the other players for next year,” said Looman.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Twinsurg girls basketball elimanted by Hathway Brown