Size will be Bees’ strength
Girls basketball squad features a lot of length
Medina’s girls basketball team has good size this year but needs to find some answers on the perimeter. Photo by DAVID SICKELS
Medina’s girls basketball team is expecting big things this season. Or, perhaps better put, the Bees are big things.
With their biggest roster in recent memory, the Bees should not get pushed around inside. If they can find a complementary perimeter game, things could get interesting.
“We are tall and need to use that to our advantage,” said Bees coach Karen Kase, whose roster includes six players 5-foot-10 or taller.
Despite an 11-15 overall record and 5-9 mark in the Greater Cleveland Conference, Medina headed into the season with some momentum. The Bees played their way to the Parma Division I District final before finally falling.
They lost four players, three of them starters, from that team. They lost one, guard Delaney Cullen, late in the season to an injury and made the tourney run without her. She was the biggest loss among the graduates. Versatile forward Amanda Holzman is now playing as a freshman at Hiram.
The Bees return a pair of starters in 5-foot-11 forward Emma Bobey and 5-8 guard Madison Luthy. Bobey has evolved into one of Northeast Ohio’s most productive post players. Luthy gives Medina a leader in the backcourt.
Also back is 6-3 sophomore center Lindsey Linard, who played starter’s minutes much of last season. Linard, who has battled ankle problems early, returns with 5-10 junior guard Abby McMullen and 5-5 junior guard Alexa Nau.
“We have some freshmen who are making a major impact already,” Kase said. “And if Lindsey can get back and stay healthy, she should have a very good season.”
Quickly working her way into the starting lineup is freshman Sarah McKee, a 5-10 forward. Her classmate, 5-6 Aly Dwyer, will see plenty of playing time.
The Bees got a nice, albeit temporary, addition in 5-10 junior forward Klara Bergholtz, an exchange student from Sweden. Senior Olivia Gordon, a 5-5 guard, returns after a season off and has been in the rotation in the early going.
The Bees opened with a 50-30 thumping of Ashland. Bobey had 15 points and eight rebounds to kick that off. McKee, in her first high school game, added 10 points and seven boards.
Medina then dropped its first two GCC games, first 57-36 to what looks like it’s going to be a very good Strongsville team, then 65-54 at Shaker Heights. Bobey tossed in a career-best 23 points against Shaker.
Kase hinted that her team might have been susceptible to the slow start, given its experience level. That said, she believes the Bees will accelerate along the learning curve and make big strides before the calendar switches.
“Players are capable, coachable, get along and wanting to get better,” Kase said. “Many newcomers haven’t been coached much yet, so they are learning a ton, quickly. But we are able to run fast-break, play multiple positions and switch team defenses better than last year. Rebounding, defense, balance, athleticism are expected to be strengths.”
With their biggest roster in recent memory, the Bees should not get pushed around inside. If they can find a complementary perimeter game, things could get interesting.
“We are tall and need to use that to our advantage,” said Bees coach Karen Kase, whose roster includes six players 5-foot-10 or taller.
Despite an 11-15 overall record and 5-9 mark in the Greater Cleveland Conference, Medina headed into the season with some momentum. The Bees played their way to the Parma Division I District final before finally falling.
They lost four players, three of them starters, from that team. They lost one, guard Delaney Cullen, late in the season to an injury and made the tourney run without her. She was the biggest loss among the graduates. Versatile forward Amanda Holzman is now playing as a freshman at Hiram.
The Bees return a pair of starters in 5-foot-11 forward Emma Bobey and 5-8 guard Madison Luthy. Bobey has evolved into one of Northeast Ohio’s most productive post players. Luthy gives Medina a leader in the backcourt.
Also back is 6-3 sophomore center Lindsey Linard, who played starter’s minutes much of last season. Linard, who has battled ankle problems early, returns with 5-10 junior guard Abby McMullen and 5-5 junior guard Alexa Nau.
“We have some freshmen who are making a major impact already,” Kase said. “And if Lindsey can get back and stay healthy, she should have a very good season.”
Quickly working her way into the starting lineup is freshman Sarah McKee, a 5-10 forward. Her classmate, 5-6 Aly Dwyer, will see plenty of playing time.
The Bees got a nice, albeit temporary, addition in 5-10 junior forward Klara Bergholtz, an exchange student from Sweden. Senior Olivia Gordon, a 5-5 guard, returns after a season off and has been in the rotation in the early going.
The Bees opened with a 50-30 thumping of Ashland. Bobey had 15 points and eight rebounds to kick that off. McKee, in her first high school game, added 10 points and seven boards.
Medina then dropped its first two GCC games, first 57-36 to what looks like it’s going to be a very good Strongsville team, then 65-54 at Shaker Heights. Bobey tossed in a career-best 23 points against Shaker.
Kase hinted that her team might have been susceptible to the slow start, given its experience level. That said, she believes the Bees will accelerate along the learning curve and make big strides before the calendar switches.
“Players are capable, coachable, get along and wanting to get better,” Kase said. “Many newcomers haven’t been coached much yet, so they are learning a ton, quickly. But we are able to run fast-break, play multiple positions and switch team defenses better than last year. Rebounding, defense, balance, athleticism are expected to be strengths.”
