NEW WASHINGTON — Mohawk needed a win to shake off a couple of tough league losses. The Lady Warriors came here in a Monday night Northern 10 Athletic Conference make-up game and took home a 39-24 win over Buckeye Central.
“We were trying some new things on defense, at a little over halfway through the season,” Mohawk (8-5, 5-4) head coach Natasha Mullholand said following the win that broke a two-game losing streak.
Mia Miller led the way with a double double. The 5-10 senior post scored 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting and added a game-high 12 rebounds, which is right at her average. Miller added 2 blocks and a pair of steals.
“Mia was finishing really well tonight. We knew especially when they had their post player out, the mismatch that we had a couple of plays that we were going straight to Mia,” Mullholand said.
“We talked about her finishing strong around the basket and she proved that she could do that tonight.”
Josie Granata added 9 points on a trio of three-point shots, along with 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal.
After an upset win over Wynford 9 days prior, Buckeye Central slips to 4-10 overall, 1-8 in the league.
Poor shooting hurt the hosts.
“The big thing is we can’t shoot like that. We had 24% from 2, 14% from 3. There’s not a game in our league that you’re going to win by shooting like that,” Buckettes head coach Phil Loy said.
“I thought we had some good looks, some open threes. Going inside is tough when they have a big presence in there. Mia Miller is pretty good, and they’ve got some length and missing free throws like that,” he said.
Buckeye Central hit 6-of-11 from the line.
Nevaeh Metzger had 9 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Teammate Macy Deppen grabbed 6 rebounds and Grace Collene had 6 points and 5 boards.
“We wanted to attack them a little bit and get to the line more than what we did. They’re extending their stuff out and it’s hard for us to get into our offense. We are a little unsure of ourselves attacking a gap and getting a kick,” Loy said.
The Buckettes were down 27-21 before Miller got the Lady Warriors on a run with a basket, pushing the lead to 29-21 after three quarters.
“We had opportunities. We were down and missed a 3 with plenty of time on the clock. And a lot of threes go in and out; they were good looks. Our turnovers (15) were decent,” Loy said. “Our rebounding wasn’t horrible.”
Loy praised Miller’s inside play.
“She does a good job boxing you out whether she’s on offense or defense,” he said. “She positions herself really well and is strong with the ball. They did some nice things offensively we hadn’t seen on film. We tried to keep her out of the paint. She sits down low in their high-low stuff, their cross screens, and it’s hard to defend.”
Mohawk outscored Buckeye Central 12-4 in the second quarter after trailing 10-9 after the first. A 10-2 run, sparked by Granata and Gracie Clouse scoring baskets, paved the way.
After a 25-point loss to Carey, the Lady Warriors needed to bounce back, Mulholland said.
“That’s one thing we were trying to bounce back from that ugly looking Carey game, and this was something that was nice.”
She also acknowledged the parity in the N10 this season.
“It’s anyone’s league. It’s anyone’s title. It’s up for grabs,” Mulholland said. “It’s an unusual year in the league. There’s not one strong team that stands out. It depends on what team shows up on what night. It’s a fun year.”
The layoff might have been a factor in both teams’ play.
“We were all geared up to play Friday and nope and then Saturday, nope. That kind of screws with them, but I thought maybe it would be an advantage. They’re itchin’ and wanted to play,” Loy said.
Buckeye hosts Seneca East Saturday. Mohawk travels to Norwalk Tuesday.
Box score
Mohawk 9 12 8 10 — 39
Buckeye Central 10 4 7 3 — 24
Mohawk (8-5, 5-4 N10): Shots 15-43; 3-pt. shots 3-9 (Josie Granata 3); Free throws 6-10; Rebounds 30 (Mia Miller 12); Turnovers 16. Scoring: Josie Granata 3 0 9, Allison Russell 0 4 4, Gracie Clouse 1 2 4, Aubrie Gottfried 2 0 4, Mia Miller 8 0 16, Katie Woodland 1 0 2.
Buckeye Central (4-10, 1-8 N10): Shots 8-47; 3-pt. shots 2-15 (Grace Collene 2); Free throws 6-11; Rebounds 35 (Macy Deppen 6, Grace Collene 5); Turnovers 15. Scoring: Grace Collene 2 0 6, Ella Evak 0 1 1, Nevaeh Metzger 4 1 9, Ella Collene 1 0 2, Aleyse Siefert 0 4 4, Macy Deppen 1 0 2.