Kane scores game-high 17 to lead ’Cats
By Curtis Pulliam
Girard
When the ball found its way out to Struthers guard Caitlin Kane with 3:04 left in the third quarter, she knew exactly what to do with it.
“I saw that the shot was open so I just took it,” Kane said.
The shot dropped in to give Struthers a 43-28 lead.
“They (the coaches) always told me that if I was open look to shoot it,” Kane said.
Kane scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Wildcats to a 53-45 victory over Girard.
“It was a good performance in this case,” said Wildcats head coach John Grandy.
The game wasn’t pretty by any means, especially early. Both teams struggled with turnovers in the first quarter which led to a 14-7 Struthers lead at the end of it.
But in the second the Wildcats turned up the defensive pressure and took advantage of the Indians’ turnovers.
Kane produced a three-point play early on to put the Wildcats up 18-9.
“I thought we were moving the ball around a lot,” Kane said. “It was very good that we moved the ball and everyone got a chance to shoot.”
The Wildcats also benefitted from numerous offensive rebounds.
“They [Girard] are short but we are short, too,” Grandy said. “But our girls get up in the air pretty good and we’re pretty aggressive.”
Preshus Brown added 11 points, including seven in the third quarter for the Wildcats (13-8, 9-3 All-American Conference White).
The Wildcats led the whole game but the Indians made a late run using their own pressure defense.
The Indians pulled within nine on a Dakota Naples bucket with 2:37 left. Naples finished with 16 points.
“When we were down 10-12 points you can’t sit back and we had to put the pressure on them,” Girard head coach Andy Saxon said. “In the fourth, we started having some success. They started turning the ball over and taking ill-advised shots.”
Grandy knew his team missed plenty of opportunities.
“I thought we missed a lot of easy shots, especially in the fourth quarter, that could have put the game away,” Grandy said. “But we like to keep the people there and keep Girard happy.”
Despite only scoring eight points in the final quarter Kane and the Wildcats maintained their composure.
“Coach says to handle the ball in tough situations,” Kane said. “I just try to look for the open girl whenever it’s possible.”
Grandy trusts in his junior guard.
“Caitlin has been like that all year,” Grandy said. “She’s a 3-point shooter and she’s a good kid. She deserves what she gets.”
Saxon said the Indians (17-4, 8-3 AAC Blue) battled until the end.
“We have a very young team and every situation is new to them,” he said. “We wanted to get the ball down up and the floor, but we didn’t get any transition baskets.”
The Wildcats suffered a 40-point loss to Lakeview in Cortland earlier in the week.
“I thought our kids bounced back a little bit,” Grandy said. “I think with us, a win is a win.”
Kane believes good can come out of Wednesday’s loss against the Bulldogs.
“We try to take it as a learning experience,” Kane said. “We really wanted to get a win after a loss like that.”