North and host Madison both found success from outside the arc but it was the visiting Rangers that made the key plays down the stretch in a 51-46 Western Reserve Conference win.
The Rangers and Blue Streaks each connected on eight 3-pointers but North hit its free throws down the stretch to seal their 14th win of the season.
“We got what we expected from Madison,” said North coach Paul Force. “They’re always well prepared and physical and just a hard-nosed team. Coach (Tedd) Wagner does a good job with them. They’ve been shooting the ball well lately and that continued tonight. It’s tough to get road wins in our league and I’m really pleased with our focus and attention to detail over the last couple of days. We for sure had our share of lapses on both offense and defense, but the girls stuck together and found a way.”
North spread the wealth in building a 13-12 lead after the first quarter.
Six different Rangers scored in the period while on the other side, Riley Montagner scored seven of her game-high 18 to keep the Blue Streaks within reach.
North’s Mya Latham broke the game open in the second quarter as she drained three 3-pointers on the way to a 13-point game.
Cece Hamilton and Dori Siekaniec also hit from long range in the second quarter as the Rangers pushed their lead to 32-23 at the break.
A low-scoring third quarter was followed by a free for all in the fourth.
Chloe Bancroft hit two 3-pointers in the final eight minutes and Elizabeth Bottar added one to keep Madison in the game down the stretch.
“They’ve got a lot of seniors and experience so we knew they weren’t going to go away,” Force said. “Hopefully, this is the kind of game we can talk about tomorrow, learn from, and grow from.”
North made 5-of-6 free throws in the fourth quarter and was 7-of-8 on the night to seal the win.
Hamilton and Siekaniec both finished the game with nine points and Robbie Sevegen scored six. Kailey Minch and Sydney Helm both contributed to the win with five points, and Alyssa McPeek and Sidney Colby added two each.
Montagner and Bancroft, who finished with 12 points on four 3-pointers, paced the Madison offense. Bottar pitched in with eight points, Payton Lewanski added four, and Claire Wakim and Kearsten Woleben scored three and one points, respectively.
Madison shot 27 free throws in a loss to Chardon on Wednesday but got to the line just four times against the Rangers.
“North played not quite a box-and-one but the effect was the same on Montagner,” Wagner said. “When you have four people playing a zone for probably two-thirds of the game, that obviously takes away a little bit of penetration.”
With the win, North improved to 14-2 overall and 8-1 in league play. The Rangers, who travel to Andrews-Osborne on Friday for a third game in as many days, can win a share of the league title with one more win and a Kenston loss or two more wins.
Madison dropped to 7-9. The Blue Streaks host Mayfield on Saturday and then travel to Aurora on Monday.
