The Nordonia Lady Knights basketball team took their first lead of the game with less than 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter and held on for the exciting 49-46 victory over Suburban League foe Revere Minutemen. Senior guard Holly Groff’s 3-pointer gave the Lady Knights that first lead. Made free throws and great defense sealed the win for Nordonia (now 19-2, 12-2 in the conference). It was so exciting, nobody got up when it was announced midway through the last period that hot dogs at the concession stand were only $1.
Revere jumped out to a 9-2 lead. Head Coach Mike Griffen was right when he told the Lady Knights that they weren’t moving enough on offense and didn’t have enough energy. That all changed after the Minutemen called timeout with 1:13 left in the 1st quarter. Out of the timeout, Senior Julia Groff stopped Revere’s run with a nice jumper from the top of the key. After a Revere basket, Holly Groff hit a long three from the corner just before the buzzer. The Minutemen led 11-7 at the end of the first quarter but the Lady Knights had the energy they were looking for.
Nordonia Senior Katie Karalic didn’t have the start she wanted, missing several layups and short shots early. But that all changed when Karalic stole the ball from Revere Sophomore Salwa Najjar early in the 2nd quarter and went the length of the court for a layup and her first points of the game. It would not be her last. Revere led 26-19 at the half but it ended with another example of what makes this Nordonia team great this season. Miss Excitement Holly Groff collected a long rebound and raced down the court to hit a jumper with her foot on the 3-point line just before the clock read 0:00.
A great inbound play after the half got Nordonia Senior Autumn Richards a great look at the basket. She was fouled and made 1 of the 2 free throws. A minute later, Freshman Soliel Barnes hit a long three. This was the good start the Lady Knights were looking for. With 2:23 left in the period, Katie Karalic made her 2nd of 2 quick layups and Revere called timeout. One of the referees called Holly Groff for a technical foul for pushing a Revere player as the teams went to their benches. It was an example of the refs seeing the retaliation, not the initial act, and Revere’s Senior guard Camryn Brown made 1 of the 2 free throws. The teams traded baskets the rest of the 3rd quarter giving Revere (ranked #18 in Northeast Ohio by the Plain Dealer) a 38-33 lead.
This is when the near perfect 4th quarter earned Nordonia the win. After Holly Groff made 2 baskets and Soliel Barnes made a free throw, the game was tied with just over 4 minutes left in the game. Great defense and rebounding were the key. Revere’s Senior Alyssa Nicholas hit a free throw to break the tie, before Holly Groff hit the 3-pointer that gave the Lady Knights their first lead of the game at 41-39. Katie Karalic and Soliel Barnes made all 6 of their free throws to seal the victory. The Lady Knights (ranked #10 in Northeast Ohio by the Plain Dealer) scored 16 points in the quarter and only gave up 8. They were led by Holly Groff’s 19 points and Katie Karalic’s 12. Autumn Richards finished with 7 points, while Soliel Barnes netted 6 and Julia Groff had 5. Revere was led by Junior forward Viktoria Farian’s 19 points and Camryn Brown’s 14. Next up for Nordonia is their final game of the regular season against Wadsworth. It is at home in Macedonia on Wednesday February 10th at 7:30 PM.
The afternoon was kicked off by another exciting game. The Revere JV team controlled the game until the tide turned late in the 3rd quarter. The Lady Knights finished on a 14-2 run that turned a 32-22 deficit into a 36-34 victory at home in Macedonia. After going down by 10 in the third period, Nordonia scored 7 straight points including the 1st 5 points in the 4th quarter. Freshman Anna D’Amico stopped Revere’s scoring drought with a nice shot in the lane with under 3 minutes left in the final period. That was the only points the Minutemen scored in the 4th quarter.
Revere held onto a 34-32 lead with 1:05 left but the Lady Knights had the ball and the momentum. Head Coach Julie Buckler drew up an inbound play that was executed to perfection for a layup by Sophomore Alexi Maciejowski. The game was tied and the crowd roared its approval. Nordonia got the ball back and called timeout with 20.2 seconds left. Another great inbound play allowed Sophomore Sandra Spellman to get free for a layup and the lead.
The Minutemen called timeout with 12.7 seconds left. After inbounding the ball, they were never able to get a shot off. Sophomore Sandra Spellman led the Lady Knights with 13 points while Junior Jordan Zambach added 10 and Alexi Maciejowski finished with 9. Revere was led by Freshman Taylor Rinn’s 12 points.
