MANSFIELD, Ohio — Todd Krill’s 200th career coaching victory didn’t come easy.
Talayzha Catchings scored a game-high 27 points and short-handed Mansfield Senior held on for a 49-43 win over crosstown rival Madison in Ohio Cardinal Conference action Thursday at Pete Henry Gym.
The win was Krill’s 200th overall and 132nd in 10 seasons with the Senior High girls. The longtime coach was 68-70 in five seasons with the Lucas boys from 1997-2002.
“It wasn’t easy,” Krill said. “We’re down three starters. We only had eight girls dressed.”
The Tygers (10-8, 7-5) were without All-Ohio candidate Erica Johnson, Lynda Windham and Jordan Thompson. Johnson, who was averaging 20.3 points and 8.9 rebounds a game, aggravated her surgically-repaired left knee in a win over Clear Fork last week and is likely out for the remainder of the season. Windham is nursing an injured ankle while Thompson suffered a concussion in an automobile accident.
“We can’t do a lot in practice because we don’t want anybody else to get banged up,” Krill said. “We’re working on shooting and doing a lot of 3-on-3 to try to make ourselves better defensively.”
A 5-foot-3 sophomore guard, Catchings was unstoppable in the second half. She scored 17 of her 27 after intermission, including 10 in the fourth quarter.
“Talayzha has been playing just tremendous ball the last couple of weeks,” Krill said. “She’s emerging onto the scene.”
Clutch: While Catchings and Alaya Grose (10 points) shouldered most of the scoring load for the Tygers, it was Triniti Jones who came up big in the final minute. The senior forward, who was scoreless through three quarters, knocked down both ends of a one-and-one with 52.3 seconds remaining to give the Tygers a 46-43 lead.
“We know we’re in a tough situation right now and we have to get contributions from other girls,” Krill said. “It might not have been much, maybe two or four points, but in a close game that is enough.”
Quick Start: Mansfield Senior opened the game on a 7-0 run before Madison coach Brian Davis called timeout with 6:06 remaining in the first. The Rams (4-14, 2-9) outscored Senior High 22-13 the rest of the half and led 22-20 at the half.
“The thing I was most disappointed about is we weren’t focused to start the game,” Davis said. “We knew exactly what they were going to do and we didn’t handle it. We allowed things to happen that we worked on in practice the last couple of days.”
Brooklyn Arnold led the Rams with 12 points. Freshman Leah Boggs added 11.
“Leah has been solid for us,” Davis said. “She hustles and gets after the ball. She’s going to be a good player for us.”
