Berea-Midpark Girls Hoops Finds Their Groove, Tops Avon After Slow Start 67-35

By Don DiFrancesco – @MayorNEOPrep‘

BEREA, OHIO – Often, the most effective thing a coach can do is simply to communicate. Berea-Midpark coach Kevin Braaten made sure that the Lady Titans didn’t miss his message on Wednesday evening.

Early in the second quarter the defending district champions were ahead by only two points when the Titans coach called timeout to deliver an important bulletin.

After mentioning a few instructions regarding specific details, he calmly but firmly told his team something about Avon’s Lady Eagles: “They want to beat you!”

Apparently that was the right button to push. The Titans forged ahead to a 31-17 halftime lead, and then continued the intensity to establish a 53-22 advantage by the end of the third quarter on their way to a 67-35 victory.

Strong defense by Berea-Midpark forced Avon into 22 turnovers; the Titans also had a rebounding advantage in each of the first three quarters.

Super sophomore Halle Davis came off the bench to lead Berea-Midpark in scoring, nailing a “three” in each of the four quarters and adding a couple of layups to finish with 16.

Seniors Jada Marone (14) and Lexie Scarton (10) also reached double figures for the Titans. For Avon, 6’2” senior Amari Davidson was the leading rebounder, and the high scorer with 11 points.