MANSFIELD, Ohio — The girls basketball season is only two weeks old, but crosstown rivals Madison and Mansfield Senior already have experienced a year’s worth of adversity.
The Rams lost coach Brian Carr to suspension. The Tygers lost sophomore standout and Division I college prospect Erica Johnson to a season-ending knee injury.
The besieged programs met Thursday in the Ohio Cardinal Conference opener and Madison escaped Pete Henry Gym with a 49-44 win.
“Overall I think the girls have responded very well,” Madison coach Brian Davis said. “The effort on the court shows it. The girls are working hard.”
Leading 32-29 after three quarters, the Rams (2-2, 1-0) opened the fourth with an 8-2 run to take a 40-31 advantage midway through the quarter. The Tygers (3-2, 0-1) responded with a 13-6 run capped by a Jeryn Reese layup, cutting Madison’s lead to 46-44 with 22 seconds to play.
“We would make a run, but we could never quite get over the top,” Senior High coach Todd Krill said. “We would commit a foul and Madison would regain the momentum.”
The Tygers fouled Alexis Smith out of a timeout and and the senior guard connected on both free throws with 15.7 seconds remaining to ice it.
“I thought our girls showed good composure at the end of the game,” Davis said. “We were able to get the ball into the hands of one of our better free throw shooters and she made them when they mattered.”
Sidelined: Johnson’s knee swelled after Senior High’s win over Shelby last week.
“It was the size of a softball, but there was no pain,” her father, Eric, said. “We saw the doctor and he said she needed to stop playing immediately.”
The Tygers were 3-0 before Johnson was sidelined, but have dropped back-to-back games in her absence. She was averaging about 18 points, six rebounds and six assists a game.
“That was a big blow,” Krill said. “We still have girls trying to pick up the slack.”
Reese led the Tygers with 14 points. Dezeon Brooks added 11, while Raven Bond had nine.
Spreading the Wealth: Mekaila Grose led Madison’s balanced scoring attack with 14 points. Smith and Mackenzie Mullins each had 10, while Kendall Bertoch had eight and Regina Zehner added seven.
“We are tough to defend when we have so many girls contributing,” Davis said. “We want everyone to get involved.”
Junior Varsity: Mansfield Senior won the junior varsity game 35-25.
