Girls district basketball: Lauren Decker leads Wadsworth over Perrysburg

WOOSTER — The Wadsworth basketball girls players roared with approval when coach Andrew Booth's name was announced to receive his Division I, Northeast 2 District championship medal Saturday afternoon following a 61-30 demolition of Perrysburg. Booth grinned as he walked by, giving a "hush" sign by putting his index finger to his lips that led to more giggles from the big-personality 16-, 17- and 18-year-olds.The payback was already in the works.Booth turned his back with the championship trophy in tow and was soon bum-rushed by his players near the bench. Caught completely off-guard, he looked behind, saw what was coming and instantly twisted his body to protect the trophy from the ensuing mosh pit.Many of the great Grizzly teams from the past were businesslike. This one is a mixture of on-court intensity and off-court goofiness. That's just how they roll."It was very scary for a man of my age," the 59-year-old Booth deadpanned. "That just goes to show what kind of kids we have. There's a reason why me, Schmeltz (Mike Schmeltzer Sr.) and Po (Mark Postak) — the old heads — are still coaching. That sums it up right there. They're a great bunch of kids.""It was so exciting," over-the-moon forward Natalie Maddox said. "I mean, he's like a our grandpa. We have to celebrate with him. We wouldn't be here without him."Top-seeded Wadsworth (22-2), which advanced to play Massillon Jackson (21-3) in the Region 1 semifinals at Barberton on Wednesday, had every reason to smile.Tall, battle-tested and well-coached, the 13th-seeded Yellow Jackets (11-13) presented a unique challenge. What they didn't have was the Grizzlies' speed ... or Lauren Decker.The Robert Morris (Pa.) volleyball recruit was a woman among girls, soaring high above the trees for a game-high 28 points that included nine in Wadsworth's 17-7 first quarter and eight in an 18-8 third. Decker also had six rebounds, two assists and seven steals while leading a defense that held Perrysburg to 10-for-37 shooting (.270).Pseudo power forward Maddox again showcased her uncanny knack for boxing out with her back to the basket to add nine points and nine rebounds, forward-turned-point guard Natalie Moser had a steady eight points, three assists and only two turnovers while thankfully not taking bubbly 3-year-old cousin Josie Moser's pregame advice of "kick her in the head" and defensive wizard Leah Blake drilled two bench-pleasing kickout 3-pointers in the second half."It's really great to see that all of our hard work is paying off," said Decker, who is averaging 20.3 points over the last six games. "We knew coming into this game they were a little bigger than us, and we couldn't back down from that challenge. I feel like we did a good job of being aggressive and not being the person who's hit first."I just played my game like it was any other game. I listen to my coaches, listen to my teammates and, I don't know, I just played hard today."With four players in the rotation 5-foot-10 or taller, Perrysburg came out in 2-3 and 1-3-1 zone defenses before ultimately settling on the former. There was a feeling-out period early, but Wadsworth kept true to its move-the-ball roots and eventually began breaking down their opponent's scheme.Decker was the forefront, scoring nine points during a 17-7 start. The teams plodded through a second quarter that had seven Perrysburg turnovers and 11 missed Wadsworth shots before the Grizzlies headed into the break ahead 25-13.The third quarter was the dagger. Moser completed a three-point play, Decker had a pair of rising putbacks and catch-and-shoot 3-pointers by Blake and Marah Minor pushed the lead to 20, leading to Wadsworth flirting with a running clock briefly in the fourth.Perrysburg got 14 points from smooth-operating guard Addy Byrne and six points and seven rebounds from center Hayden Siebenaler but little else. The Yellow Jackets had 22 turnovers and only three assists."Obviously Perrysburg had a great size advantage over us, but our advantages were our depth, our quickness and our speed," Booth said. "After that first couple 4-5 minutes, we were able to wear them down."In the second half, we were able to keep our pace not only on the defensive end but on the offensive end pushing the ball."A minor crisis was adverted while the Grizzlies cut down one of the nets, as Maddox's medal became unattached while spinning around Claire Pickard, the youngest daughter of eighth-grade coach Greg Pickard. Maddox struggled to get her prize back in order, but Decker moseyed over and finished the job.Popular senior Mila Polczak was the last to snip the net, drawing a cheer of approval. The celebration was vibrant but also somewhat tame because the Grizzlies have larger goals in mind.The journey continues at a place much closer to home — Barberton — on Wednesday."We just played really well as a team," Maddox said. "We're so bonded that it comes naturally. We all just play together really well."Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.Wadsworth 61, Perrysburg 30Division I, Northeast 2 District finalPERRYSBURG 7 6 8 9 — 30WADSWORTH 17 8 18 18 — 61Perrysburg — Addy Byrne 6-0-14, Chloe LaFaso 1-2-5, Hayden Siebenaler 2-2-6, Reagan Gray 1-0-3, Lauren McConnachie 0-2-2, Lily Palmer 0-0-0, Troi Trzcinski 0-0-0, Janie Bortz 0-0-0, Madi Crowley 0-0-0, Leah Getchey 0-0-0, Violet Benge 0-0-0. TOTALS: 10-6-30.Wadsworth — Lauren Decker 11-5-28, Natalie Maddox 3-1-9, Marah Minor 1-0-3, Julia Maddox 1-0-3, Natalie Moser 3-2-8, Leah Blake 2-0-6, Tenley Mendel 1-0-2, Analise Lucey 0-0-0, LyndiGray Tetzel 1-0-2, Natalie Gill 0-0-0, Danielle Ripplinger 0-0-0, Mila Polczak 0-0-0, Lucy Roesnick 0-0-0, Kennedy Hewit 0-0-0. TOTALS: 23-8-61.3-point goals — Byrne 2, LaFaso, Gray, N. Maddox 2, Blake 2, Decker, Minor, J. Maddox. Rebounds — Perrysburg 25 (Sienbenaler 7), Wadsworth 29 (N. Maddox 9). Assists — Perrysburg 3 (Gray, McConnachie, LaFaso), Wadsworth 11 (Moser 3). Records — Perrysburg (11-13), Wadsworth (22-2).