Balanced Edison holds off Sandusky, 66-62

A balanced, energetic scoring output from Edison put the Chargers into the win column on opening night. Five different players scored at least nine points for Edison at home on Wednesday in a 66-62 victory over Sandusky. "We made it a little interesting, but you know what? We've got a young team, so to show that fight and resiliency, I was very pleased, very happy," Edison coach Chelsey Meagrow said via phone after the game. "Starting out 1-0 is never bad thing." Ivy Kluding was the leading scorer for Edison with 16 points. Audrey Linder and Jorja Byington each had 12 points, with Byington adding 12 rebounds. Stella Brown finished with 11 points, and Taylor Moore had nine. "My goodness, I'll take that all year, man," Meagrow said. "We talk to them all the time about everybody having the opportunity to score. We've worked a lot on scoring off of one-on-one and looking to score, and I think that's helped us tremendously. I'll take that all year round with that many girls scoring and making their presence felt." Edison, wanting to play fast this season, did just that out of the gate. The Chargers put up 26 points in the first quarter, then 21 more in the second, to take a commanding 47-25 lead into the intermission. "That first half we just came out with all the energy in the world, just really super excited to get this season underway," Meagrow said. "Since we started in late October, we've had some great practices, some good scrimmages, and we were ready. That energy just really sparked us a ton." Things turned in the third, which Sandusky controlled 17-2 to pull within seven. "The biggest thing was we didn't handle the pressure very well," Meagrow said. "We didn't execute offensively very well." Edison responded in the fourth, finding a way to hold onto its lead. Linder, a senior, drilled a big 3-pointer midway through the period to help stem Sandusky's surge. "The momentum was swinging their way, and that was big," Meagrow said. "I'm happy for her. I coached her when she was a freshman on JV. She's a great kid and a super athlete. To see her get out there with the confidence to pull the trigger and take a shot when the momentum is going the other way, that makes me super happy." Wednesday night marked Meagrow's debut as head coach at her alma mater, and it ended in a win. "It's awesome," she said. "I was quite emotional beforehand during the national anthem. It's something that has been a goal of mine since I played. Not only to get to coach at my alma mater but to coach so many girls I've known since they were in elementary school, we really are like a family. It's just absolutely wonderful to be able to come back and for them to buy in to what we're doing so early." Mae Rameau led Sandusky with 28 points, splitting it evenly with 14 in the first half and 14 in the second half. "She's a great player," Meagrow said. Niyanna Larkins was also in double figures for the Blue Streaks with 12. Sandusky is back in action at home Tuesday night against Huron. The Chargers won't get much time to rest, bridging the Thanksgiving holiday with another home game. They host Eastwood on Friday night. That'll be the season opener for the Eagles, who went 11-12 last season and are members of the Northern Buckeye Conference. Eastwood beat Edison in Pemberville last season, 49-38. SANDUSKY (0-1) Cassidy Stovall 2 0-0 5, Mae Rameau 11 4-6 28, Amari Prentice 1 0-0 3, Shauntha Wilson 1 0-0 2, Denasia Coy 1 2-2 4, Khiya Rameau 3 2-2 8, Niyanna Larkins 6 0-1 12. TOTALS 25 8-11 62 EDISON (1-0) Taylor Moore 3 3-4 9, Ivy Kluding 5 6-8 16, Audrey Linder 5 0-0 12, Jorja Byington 4 4-5 12, Ella Booth 1 2-2 4, Stella Brown 3 4-6 11, Gracie Rang 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 22 19-25 66 Sandusky 17 8 17 20 — 62Edison 26 21 2 17 — 66 3-point goals — Sandusky 4 (M. Rameau 2, Stovall 1, Prentice 1); Edison 3 (Linder 2, Brown 1)