Girls regional basketball: Wadsworth to be challenged by Mentor's guards and center

What used to be commonplace in girls basketball is now something the current Wadsworth players don't have much experience against.The evolution of the sport has made point guards more important than ever but also has caused old-school, on-the-block centers to fade into the sunset. Mentor has both, however, and that will be the Grizzlies' challenge in the Division I, Region 1 championship this afternoon on Barberton's gorgeous Greynolds Court.The winner advances to play Cincinnati Princeton (21-4) or West Chester Lakota West (20-5) at UD Arena on Thursday.Greater Cleveland Conference Player of the Year Nina Rodriguez runs the show for the Cardinals (24-1), who have won 23 straight since a 52-40 loss to Twinsburg at Rocket Arena, while 6-foot-1 freshman Ashlyn McKinney brings throwback physicality and sneaky athleticism to the paint."I don't think we've played anyone as skilled and as big as McKinney this year, so it's a different challenge for us," said Grizzlies coach Andrew Booth, who's 417-115 in his 21st season at the school. "Then, of course, you've got a kid who's averaging 20 a game and is a three-level scorer (Rodriguez), so that's a challenge, too."They have great complementary pieces. They're very athletic. They're probably every bit as athletic as we are — at least numbers 1-4."Mentor's strength of schedule is not in the same zip code as Wadsworth, though the Cardinals own high-quality wins over Strongsville (71-45, 73-60), Massillon Jackson (62-37), Magnificat (62-57) and Canton McKinley (44-40, OT). The bottom half of the GCC was non-competitive this season, as Cleveland Heights (7-16), Euclid (3-20), Lorain (6-17) and Shaker Heights (5-18) would likely have lost to the Suburban League National's last-place team, North Royalton, by double digits.Coach James Hrusovsky has turned around the once-proud program, going 17-8, 16-7 and 24-1 after three straight losing seasons from 2020-23. The additions of Rodriguez and McKinney have certainly helped, but the Cardinals have always played extremely hard and are adept at taking numerous charges, which aren't nearly as prevalent in the girls game.Rodriguez, a 5-5 Detroit Mercy recruit who has made almost half of the team's 3-pointers, was averaging 19.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 4.0 steals through 21 games. McKinney was posting 15.3 points and 9.1 rebounds — she has two 20-20 games — while Keira Coleman (10.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.2 apg, 2.2 spg) is the clear third scoring option who does almost all of her damage inside the 3-point arc."Their big girl, she's really good at finishing," versatile Wadsworth point guard Natalie Moser said. "Her size is awesome, and then their point guard, No. 30 (Rodriguez), she's very shifty and has a lot of good moves."Wadsworth (23-2) has faced the eighth-toughest D-I schedule in the state, according to MaxPreps. The SL National has had an incredible season with five regional qualifiers and three regional finalists and will only get tougher next winter with the additions of D-I Medina and two-time D-III district champion Highland.Robert Morris (Pa.) volleyball recruit Lauren Decker was evaluated for a concussion scare Wednesday in a 44-33 regional semifinal win over Massillon Jackson but is good to go, albeit with a black eye. The high-flying SL National Player of the Year is averaging 18.8 points over the last six games, moving her season average to 14.7.What makes the Grizzlies truly tough to match up with, though, is ball movement and depth. Moser is putting up 8.0 points, twins Natalie Maddox (8.1) and Julia Maddox (7.7) also are threats and the 3-point shooting of center Marah Minor (5.0, 24 3-pointers) could be a key strategy to draw McKinney away from the paint.The bench consists of gunner Analise Lucey (5.4, 35 3-pointers), defensive specialist Leah Blake (2.5, 11) and freshmen posts Tenley Mendel (3.0) and LyndiGray Tetzel (1.3)."(We need to continue) moving the ball and waiting for the best look," Moser said. "We're giving 100%, playing our hardest."Wadsworth's defense has been playing at an elite level for more than a month now, allowing 27.6 points over the last nine games. The Grizzlies are coming off holding Massillon Jackson to an amazing 29 points under its average and will look to repeat the feat against a Cardinals team putting up 64.2, one of the best marks in D-I.They'll also be looking to join the 1997, 1998, 1999, 2006, 2016 and 2018 teams as state qualifiers, which would earn them a banner in the gymnasium."It's really good. We're all super excited," Moser said. "We're just working our way up, and hopefully we'll keep going."Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.