Mayfield bounced back from its first conference loss with a 51-31 win over visiting South on Saturday.
With the win, the Wildcats improved to 9-6 overall and 4-1 in the Western Reserve Conference. The Wildcats also improved to 5-2 at home with four straight wins on their home court.
“It’s always good to win league games and defend your home court,” said Mayfield coach Cullen Harris. “We were able to weather some early shot-making by the Rebels. Coach (Chris Taglieri) had them ready to play with a solid plan and we had to make some adjustments defensively.”
The Rebels hung with the Wildcats in the first half.
Mayfield took a 24-19 lead into the break then outscored South in the second half, 27-12.
Help Ohio Varsity Tell More Stories
Ohio Varsity is independently owned and provides local coverage of high school athletes, teams and communities throughout Northeast Ohio.
One-time and monthly donations available through PayPal.
Jenna D’Angelo led Mayfield with 14 points.
“Jenna has been coming on strong lately,” Harris said. “Coaches have been talking with her about being more aggressive looking for her shot and finishing in the lane. She had a great night earlier in the week against West Geauga, but things weren’t falling. We encouraged her noting those are the shots we want, and to keep being assertive, and she’s taken that to heart.”
D’Angelo scored six points in the first quarter to help the Wildcats establish an early lead.
“It was very important to bounce back with a win because it boosted our confidence and brought us another conference win,” D’Angelo said. “The key to my offensive success was being strong with the ball and having confidence in my shot. I also attacked off the dribble, which helped me get to the rim.”
Nav Buttar and Olivia Williams both contributed nine points to the win, Alex Januszewski and Sydney Montgomery both scored seven, Gabby Moore pitched in with four, and Maddie Williams added one.
“We got some nice contributions and quality minutes off the bench from Sydney Montgomery, Alexa Januszewski, and Maddie Williams,” Harris said. “Lex and Syd missed some time early in the year and are starting to get into form and picking up the pace, speed, and competitiveness of the varsity level.”
Caitlin Boruszkowski and Sydney Isabella scored in double figures for South with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Mayfield travels to Chardon on Wednesday.
