Girls Basketball: Green Wave battle back to beat Fisher Catholic
Sunday, December 17, 2023
By Jarrod Ulrey
julrey@cbussports.com
Kylie Gibson of Newark Catholic shoots a layup against Fisher Catholic on Dec. 17 during the “Battle in the 614” at Ohio Dominican. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Newark Catholic girls basketball coach Rob Smith suggested that Fisher Catholic might be the best Division IV team in the Central District after their teams met Sunday in the Battle in the 614 at Ohio Dominican.
Throughout the second half of their matchup, the Green Wave made a clear statement that they should be in that same conversation.
A matchup of teams that entered unbeaten came down to how Newark Catholic defended 6-foot-1 senior post player Ellie Bruce after falling behind by double digits in the second quarter and whether it could get hot enough to get back in the game.
The Green Wave had trouble with Bruce all night as she finished with 28 points, but senior guard Kylie Gibson hit three 3-pointers in the third quarter and her team went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line during the final minute to come away with a 56-52 victory.
“We just needed to be more aggressive (in the second half),” Gibson said. “We were letting them get too many wide-open (looks) and not doubling down when we needed to. We just needed to focus. I just know when my team needs me, I’ve just got to make (shots).”
Newark Catholic’s Fini Kaiser blocks the shot of Fisher Catholic’s Sydney Ellis at the “Battle in the 614” on Dec. 17 at Ohio Dominican. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Fisher Catholic, which won the Central District title as the No. 2 seed last year, built a 21-10 lead early in the second quarter.
The Green Wave trailed 24-17 at the half but got 3-pointers from Gibson, senior Mayci Sayre and junior Sophie Peloquin to cut it to 29-27 before a basket by sophomore Natalie Harrington tied it.
Gibson’s fifth 3-pointer of the game cut the Irish’s lead to 44-41 with 7 minutes, 15 seconds remaining.
“We knew (Bruce) was going to be a (challenge),” Newark Catholic coach Rob Smith said. “We decided in the second half that we were going to make her touches difficult. I knew we were going to be able to shoot, and we exploited the top of the zone. We got Sophie to the high point, and of course Kylie got hot. The difference was (junior) Fini (Kaiser) and Natalie Harrington played amazing, and Mayci came out and hit a couple.”
Newark Catholic took a 51-50 lead with 1:47 remaining on a basket by Peloquin.
Harrington hit all four of her free-throw attempts during the final minute to seal it.
Newark Catholic’s (from left) Kylie Gibson, Mayci Sayre, Sophie Peloquin and Fini Kaiser celebrate near the end of their win over Fisher Catholic on Dec. 17 at Ohio Dominican. Photo: John Hulkenberg
“Those (free throws) were huge,” Gibson said. “Our team knows when to hit them when the score’s tight like that. It’s definitely been a good start and this was a good confidence booster.”
The win improved Newark Catholic’s record to 6-0 and dropped Fisher Catholic to 5-1.
Voni Bethel added 12 points for the Irish, who play Dec. 21 against Portsmouth Notre Dame in a rematch of a game they lost 46-44 in a regional semifinal last season.
“It’s still pretty early in the season, and there are things we’ve got to learn,” Irish coach Ben Bethel said. “(Newark Catholic) shot it really well from 3 in the second half. If they didn’t, it would be a different game and the outcome would be different. We’ve got to get a little tougher and execute a little better. We had some trouble today executing.
“(Bruce) played a really good game. She did a good job getting easy buckets and made a lot of good post moves. I’m super proud of her.”
Gibson, who averages 16 points, finished with 21 points and Peloquin added 13 for the Green Wave.
“Our league (the LCL) is brutal with us being the only Division IV team,” Smith said. “Fisher Catholic’s really good. That’s the only reason we came here to play. We knew this was going to be a tournament-type of atmosphere, and now we’ve got them on film.”