'That bond that no one can break': Naomi Benson, Ella Kassan lift Streetsboro basketball

BARBERTON — Ella Kassan didn't cry when asked about finishing her high school basketball career with one of the deepest postseason runs in Portage County history.

The senior didn't shed any tears talking about how Streetsboro improved throughout its regional final loss to Laurel or talking about how that small city on the northwestern tip of Portage County rallied behind the Rockets.

The tears only started flowing when asked about junior Naomi Benson.

For three years, the two posts have battled against each other in practice and by each other's side during games.

Over those three years, they became more than dueling posts. They became best friends.

"Naomi is my best friend," Kassan said after an emotional pause in which she brushed a couple of tears away. "She's pushed me every day in practice. She's probably made me the player I am today. Without her, I don't know what this program would do, I don't know what I would do. And she's a great teammate, but, more importantly, a good friend."

Close off the court, they were great on the court together.

Kassan, a Westminster College commit, was second on Streetsboro in scoring (9.6) and rebounding (5.7). Benson, who is being recruited by programs throughout the nation, led the Rockets in basically every statistical category, including points (16.2), rebounds (11.5), assists (2.9) and steals (2.7).

"I was raised here, so just to be a part of making history at Streetsboro [with this] program is just so amazing," Benson said. "It's so monumental and I'm going to remember this for the rest of my life, especially with my best friends."

Naomi Benson, Ella Kassan forge a bond that 'no one can break'

It didn't have to be this way.

Kassan was essentially a seasoned veteran when Benson entered high school. Sure, Kassan was just a sophomore, but she had played all 22 games for the Rockets as a freshman. She could've been jealous of a freshman who was already getting all sorts of buzz — Benson had offers from West Virginia and Xavier before she played a high school game.

Instead, Kassan saw someone who was a lot like her.

"Her love for the game," Kassan said. "I mean, I love this game I would say more than anyone, but then Naomi showed up and I feel like we kind of had that in common and we really knew what we wanted to do for this program."

Lifting the program began with endless battles in the post.

Needless to say, when Streetsboro scrimmaged during practice, Benson was normally on one team and Kassan the other.

"I would always trash talk her," Benson said. "She would trash talk me back. It's just how we [are], but, at the end of the day, we both love each other."They took on the approach that a rising tide lifts all boats, understanding the court was big enough for both of them and they would only improve through competition.

"Going up against a Division I athlete [at practice], not everyone can say [they did that]," Kassan said. "That hard work and training that I have will definitely help me out at Westminster."

Still, that's not why Kassan got choked up the moment she was asked about Benson.

"That's my best friend for life," Benson said. "She's always my ball partner, my girl I could call to whenever something happened, personal or not personal, and me and her just have that bond that no one can break."

Streetsboro's unity fueled a historic run

That friendship set a tone.

It's often said that culture comes from the top. When a program's brightest stars get along so well, that spirit can permeate the rest of the locker room.

Per Rockets coach Carl Singer, "Those two getting along is amazing, but honestly [it's] the way everybody in this group gets along."

It wasn't always that way, Singer said. He recalled a more typical high school atmosphere when he got started at Streetsboro "with cliques all over the place."

He doesn't see those cliques anymore.

Instead, the Rockets demonstrated a bond that couldn't be broken this season. A 31-point loss at eventual state qualifier Copley couldn't break Streetsboro. Neither could a frustrating loss at Norton. After losing three of four in mid-to-late January, the Rockets won 12 straight to capture their first league and district titles and their first win on the regional stage.

Throughout the entire season, Singer didn't recall any issues, even with several talented seniors coming off the bench.

"I can't imagine there's too many programs out there that have four seniors that are good players come off the bench that didn't get mad about it and quit, that don't get frustrated about it and act entitled," Singer said. "They've been great all season. They play hard, they practice hard, their attitudes are great, and that's a huge part of why we have the success that we do because everybody supports each other."

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Forming a tight bond, Naomi Benson and Ella Kassan elevate Streetsboro