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Mukaabya scores 18 as Fitch dominates Struthers
Mukaabya scores 18
as Fitch dominates
By Ryan Buck
STRUTHERS
Of Wednesday night’s 72-27 loss at the hands of visiting Austintown Fitch, Struthers girls basketball coach John Grandy said it best: “We’ll all learn from it. You learn from your failures and you can learn a lot more from failure than you can from success. That’s what I keep telling the girls.”
The Falcons (4-4) raced out to a 23-11 first quarter lead, led 40-20 at the half and wore down an undermanned Wildcats squad in an inter-tier All-American Conference matchup.
Alysoun Mukaabya led Fitch with 18 points, Allexis Sallee added 12, Sabria Hunter scored 11 and Sarah Obradovich had nine.
Sallee also drilled two 3-pointers.
The Falcons — coming off three straight losses to Milford (Ohio), Howland and Lakeview — are looking to use a well-rounded performance as a springboard for the new year and the conference slate.
“We’ve had some stretches where we haven’t put two halves together,” said coach Stacie Cepin, now in her seventh season. “We’ve played some really good teams to start the season.
“We’ll have a really good [first] half and then we’ll struggle in the second half or struggle in the first half and come out well in the second half, but it’s too late. I still think we’re trying to fund our identity, but tonight was a really good step.”
In the All-American White tier, the Falcons will see the likes of Boardman, Canfield, Warren Harding, Howland and Ashtabula Lakeside.
Mukaabya, a 5-foot-11 senior forward, will be entrusted to lead the team. Her game-high performance Wednesday impressed Cepin.
It is also what she expects of her night in and night out, and she was not the only one.
“Right from the start,” said Cepin. “She probably had one of the best starts of her career, but I could go down the list.
“She really came to play tonight and hopefully we can build on this.”
For Struthers (5-4), Caitlin Kane led the way with nine points, while Michelle Buser scored six points and Karly Shives scored five.
“We buried ourselves and it got worse as it went on,” said Grandy, in his 13th year at Struthers. “It’s one of those [games] you put on the back burner and you go home and get with your family and you have Christmas.
“We’re a good team still and I still believe that and I believe in the kids for them to bounce back. We’re that kind of team and we’ve got that kind of character. Today, Austintown had their way and we’re going to play them again, so we’ve got another shot at them.”
The Wildcats made 10 field goals for the game.