Defense carries Bears past Marion Pleasant

CASTALIA — Margaretta always can turn to its defense. The Polar Bears, missing two starters due to injuries, clamped down on Marion Pleasant in a 43-27 nonconference girls basketball win Monday. The Polar Bears were missing starters Raegan Heck and Dani Grunden (concussions) and were playing a program that last season dropped a three-point district semifinal to Harvest Prep (which Margaretta has defeated at the regional level two straight years). Margaretta forced nine turnovers in the first quarter, doubling the ball at every opportunity. That led to a 13-5 lead after one quarter and 26-12 halftime advantage. "Really nice bounce-back game from our girls," Margaretta coach Ray Neill said. "It was somewhat of a short turnover from our last game. We put some things in tonight pregame that we hadn't worked on in practice and they executed it to a T. "That's a good team. Year in and year out (Pleasant is) a solid program. It's a really good win coming off our first loss of the season to Shelby last week." The Polar Bears used an 11-0 run in the second quarter to build a big cushion. A 3-pointer from Ellyse Schaefer started the run. A scoop layup on a fast break and free throw from Kenadie Saylor and two Cassidy Lane free throws gave Margaretta a 24-9 lead. Lane led Margaretta (6-1) with 15 points and eight rebounds and was nine for 12 from the free throw line. Schaefer made three 3s against Pleasant's zone defense and finished with 10 points and five boards. "Good to see Ellyse Schaefer knock down some shots from the 3-point line and Cassidy Lane being a bear down on the blocks and going to the foul line 12 times and making nine," Neill said. Mary Aurigemma scored 17 of Pleasant's 27. The Spartans, from the Mid-Ohio Conference, fell to 5-3. Pleasant standout Avah Steele was held to two points. "We talked about limiting her touches and scoring and we held her to two points," Neill said. "Really good job. I appreciate the assistant coaches' input into tonight's game." The Bears' lead reached 18 points when Lane found Saylor for an open 3 from the right corner to give Margaretta a 35-17 lead with three minutes left in the third quarter. Margaretta's rotation included only seven players with junior Lillian Belak and sophomore Ashlyn Kingsborough coming off the bench to contribute a total of six points and solid defense in the first half. "They gave us really good minutes," Neill said. "They were really good on the defensive end. Understanding what your role is and doing things I don't even know you're on the floor will keep you on the floor longer. They both were really good on team defense and got some quality minutes." Margaretta will host Huron in an SBC Bay Division matchup Thursday. Heck could return for that game. Saturday, the Bears play perennial power Notre Dame Academy from Toledo in a showcase at Anthony Wayne High School. Neill said Margaretta will make the trip to Marion next year to play Pleasant. "We had an open date and we put something out there," he said. "I appreciate them willing to come here on a weeknight and play somebody that has been successful recently. We go there next year." PLEASANT (5-3) Mary Aurigemma 8 0-0 17, Avah Steele 1 0-0 2, Adyson Foster 0 1-2 1, Brooklin Davis 2 3-6 7, Madalyn Murphy 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 11 4-8 27 MARGARETTA (6-1) Grace Paseka 2 0-0 6, Cassidy Lane 3 9-1 15, Ellyse Schaefer 3 1-2 10, Kenadie Saylor 2 1-1 6, Lillian Belak 2 0-0 4, Ashlyn Kingsborough 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 13 11-15 43 Pleasant 5 7 9 6 — 27Margaretta 13 13 12 5 — 43 Three-point goals: Pleasant 1 (Aurigemma); Margaretta 6 (Schaefer 3, Paseka 2, Saylor 1)