No starter, no problem as Struthers tops Niles

By JOHN BASSETTI
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
NILES -- Struthers was missing starter Amanda Ruozzo, but Niles was missing its shots.
It appears that Struthers was better able to adapt.
With Ashley Galbraith scoring 16 points after missing 31/2 games and Brianne Ciccone scoring 14 points as Ruozzo's replacement, the Wildcats (8-7, 4-3) defeated their Metro Athletic Conference rivals, 51-38.
Niles (5-9, 1-5) fell behind early and never led the game in which post player Jessica Pallante sustained an early knee injury.
It was a double whammy for first-year coach Eric Marino, whose backup post player, Amanda Binion, was already missing.
"It killed us because [Binion] got injured a few weeks ago and she's still not back," Marino said. "When you lose your post, in our offense we try to establish the post, that killed us."
Although Pallante's misfortune hurt the Red Dragons, Stephanie Parish took Pallante's spot and led all scorers with 17 points.
"She's a 5-11 forward, but does a great job at the post," said Marino.
Nina Gabrelcik, who assumed Parish's forward role, added 15 points.
Good defense
Playing man-to-man defense, Struthers was keying on certain people from the start.
"We know they have some shooters and we were real cognizant of where those shooters were," Struthers coach John Grandy said. "Sometimes we did a pretty good job, and sometimes they got their shot when they wanted it."
That defense helped keep Niles behind, 12-8, after one quarter and 23-12 at the half.
Grandy also had good words for his bench.
"Terri George and Brianne [Ciccone] did well," he said.
George had five points, while Ciccone, a senior, got more practice as a starter. She also started when Galbraith was recovering from an ankle injury.
Not being able to convert shots bothered Marino.
"We couldn't make a shot," he said of Niles' 13-of-59 from the field. "When you shoot that many, you should score more than 38 points. That's been the story the last four games. We've played Salem, Howland, Canfield and Struthers. When you play those teams, that's like Rocky fighting Apollo Creed."
It wasn't the 3-point misses that upset the coach so much as the closer attempts.
"We missed a lot of bunnies under the basket. You can't afford to do that. Can't expect to win games unless you score," he said.
More praise
Grandy had more praise for his defense.
"We're not real tall, so we give up a lot of height inside," he said. "But I thought we did a good job of putting pressure on the ballhandler, which made it tough for them to look inside. I thought we had a hand on the shooter and we misdirected their shot sometimes."
He was also satisfied with the rebounding on both ends.
"I think Brianne was one of those rebounders and Ashley [Galbraith] is an athlete," said Grandy. "She goes hard. I like her intensity and the way she plays."
Three other Wildcats having an impact were Liz Valerio with six points and Halle Minchin-Skook and Terra Stocker with five apiece.
"Terra did a tremendous job putting pressure on the ball when there was a mismatch," said Grandy.
Valerio's presence was especially evident when she had key defensive rebounds down the stretch.
"I think she's the smartest player we have," Grandy said.
bassetti@vindy.com