Mayfield senior Olivia Williams added an exclamation point to the Wildcat’s 48-41 come-from-behind victory at North on Saturday.
Williams entered the game needing 15 points to reach 1,000 for her career and finished with a game-high 22.
“It means a lot to me to hit 1,000 because I have worked hard my whole basketball career and I feel like this was a very rewarding goal to meet,” Williams said. “My team, coaches, and family made it very special for me, and I was proud of myself.”
Williams scored her 15th point of the game in the third quarter on a mid-range jumper.
“The guards were passing the ball around the perimeter, and I went in high post near the elbow,” she said. “Jenna (D’Angelo) passed me the ball inside after drawing a defender into her. I got the ball and shot a little jumper.”
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Williams went on to score seven points in the fourth quarter leading the Wildcats to a 17-2 run that flipped the game in Mayfield’s favor.
North had everything going its way in the first half.
The Rangers led 15-12 after the first quarter and 32-22 at the break.
“The first half was played really well by both teams,” said Mayfield coach Cullen Harris. “North was getting some quality looks and they were making shots, and I thought we were getting some quality shots, but we weren’t making them. I just kind of reminded the girls at halftime that basketball is one of those games where shots might not go in here or there, but you just believe in yourself, and some of the players got those same opportunities in the second half and made them.”
Mayfield outscored North in the third quarter, 9-7, and then dominated the fourth to seal their comeback.
Williams drained a 3-pointer that gave the Wildcats a 41-40 lead with 2:52 remaining in the contest and Mayfield never looked back.
She finished with a game-high 22 points and D’Angelo also scored in double figures with 12. Fatima Sardo-Longo contributed with eight points, and Sydney Montgomery and Briana Gati each scored three.
Kaitlin Dobida led North with 18 points, Mir Ashley scored eight, Maddie Ferrari pitched in with five, Gillian Forwick added four, and Ella Powalie and Alex Hamilton each finished with three.
Mayfield closed out the regular season with a 14-8 record overall and a 7-3 mark in the Western Reserve Conference. North dropped to 10-10, 5-5 with two regular-season games remaining.
The Wildcats open the postseason on Feb. 19 against Riverside while North hosts West Geauga and John Hay next week before traveling to Shaker Heights to open the postseason on Feb. 19.
“The goal always is to be playing our best basketball towards the second half of the season,” Harris said. “It took us a little bit with some injuries and some kids missing some time there in the middle of the season to kind of get our feet under us and understand our roles. The girls are really buying into it and holding one another accountable to being great teammates, and that’s great to see.”
