MADISON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — It may have been a loss, but first-year Lexington coach Brian Thompson can live with it.
Lady Lex gave highly-regarded Norwalk all it could handle for the better part of three quarters before falling 60-45 in the Richland Source NOL-OCC Challenge at Madison Middle School on Saturday.
Norwalk’s victory, coupled with Ontario’s win over Madison in Saturday’s nightcap, gave the Northern Ohio League a 4-0 record against the Ohio Cardinal Conference.
“Our girls played really hard tonight. They gave everything they had,” Thompson said. “We told the girls that we are right at the top of the hill and ready to go the right direction. If we play like that, we’re going to have the opportunity to be successful.”
Replay: The Truckers (7-1), who scored 21 straight points to open Friday’s win over Madison, raced out to an 11-0 lead against Lexington (2-5). Lady Lex responded by closing the quarter on a 12-7 run and trailed 18-12 after the first period.
“I thought that maybe it would be similar when we jumped out to an 11-0 lead, but for whatever reason we relaxed a little bit when we got up,” Norwalk coach Brock Manlet said. “In high school girls basketball when you relax and let a team … get confidence, it is hard to shake them.
“Lexington played really hard and shot the ball well.”
Game On: Lady Lex trailed 27-21 at the half and 29-21 early in the third quarter before making an unlikely comeback. Abigail Adams cut Norwalk’s lead to 31-29 with a 3-pointer with 4:58 to play in the third quarter and tied it on a layup with 4:08 remaining. Lexington took its only lead of the night about a minute later when Courtney Gouge split a pair of free throws for a 32-31 lead.
“We moved the ball around and we had some girls step up,” Thompson said. “We played well offensively, which is what I’m excited about. Lexington has struggled offensively the last couple of years.”
Norwalk closed the third quarter on a 13-4 run and took a 44-36 lead to the fourth quarter.
“We weren’t on top of our game tonight, but we found a way to win,” Manlet said. “There was a four- or five-minute stretch where the girls we had on the floor turned a one-point deficit into a double-figure lead.
“It’s a growth experience. Maybe if we are in that situation last year, we might not pull it out.”
Unstoppable: Norwalk’s Jiselle Thomas was a one-player wrecking crew. The junior scored 33 points on 11 of 20 shooting and grabbed six rebounds.
“That is pretty much what we expect from her,” Manlet said, “and we needed every point tonight.”
Thomas scored 14 of Norwalk’s 18 first-quarter points, but was limited to two points in the second quarter. Lady Lex went to a box-and-one to slow down the Division I prospect.
“We put a lot of girls on her to try to slow her down,” Thompson said. “She’s a really good player.”
Thomas was the only Norwalk player to reach double figures. Adrianny Rodriguez was next with six points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Lex Leaders: Gouge led Lady Lex with 18 points and eight rebounds. Adams added 14 points, while Olivia Kearns had eight rebounds and five assists.
