Offseason commitment to defense leads to fast start for Louisville girls basketball
LOUISVILLE — The potent scoring options remain. Now it appears the defense of the young Louisville High School girls basketball team is making strides to catch up to the offense. The improvement on defense is a big reason why the Leopards are off to a fast 6-1 start this winter.
It was on full display Thursday night as Louisville downed Massillon 55-28. The Leopards jumped out to a 10-0 to start the game and never looked back on the way to the victory. Senior Brooke Haren led the way with 22 points while Courtney Barwick added 17 points.
That wasn't what caught the eye of head coach Dan Moody. It was the way Louisville seemed to push around the similarly sized Tigers on the way to outrebounding Massillon 43-24.
"We match up similarly size wise," Moody said. "We really got after it, though. We did a great job of boxing out and getting to the ball. That was nice to see because rebounding was our biggest weakness last year. We asked the kids to work on that in the offseason and they have done that."
Few exemplify the commitment to defense at Louisville more than junior Chay Cline. Cline is perhaps the most improved player for the Leopards this season and that was on fully display against Massillon. Cline grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the way for Louisville.
"She hardly played at all last year and after a big commitment in the offseason, she has become our main rebounder," Moody said. "She knows her role and plays it to perfection for us. She finds her girl and moves her back. She's only 5-foot-9 but she is physically strong and people may be surprised to know she may be the fastest player on the team. She can get by girls."
Cline has been pleased to find a way to contribute for Louisville.
"I worked really hard in the offseason and did as much stuff over the summer as I could," Cline said. "It's definitely been nice to see it pay off. I've been just been trying to go out and get rebounds for the team."
Senior Alexis Wasara is another key defensive player for the Leopards. Wasara's value is a bit harder to quantify in numbers. She specializes in locking scorers down and shutting down opponents in transition. Massillon had some two-on-one opportunities against Wasara at times Thursday, but she found a way to get a stop each time. Wasara also had four rebounds and three points.
"We've really all committed to our defense this season," Wasara said. "Our pressure is what has been making us so successful early in the season. We're been generating a lot of our points out of the transition. I take a lot of pride in my role as a defender."
Haren and Barwick off course are still providing the fireworks for the Louisville offense.
"You sometimes just take it for granted that they are going to light up the scoreboard," Moody said. "Both of them have been phenomenal at both ends. They do a great job of communicating out on the court and both are great leaders for us."
Sophomore Talia Russell led Massillon off the bench with nine points.
Louisville will begin to prepare itself for a big showdown against unbeaten West Branch (6-0) on Saturday afternoon.
"We're going to need our best effort in that one," Moody said. "West Branch is a great team with a great program. If you have any weaknesses, they will expose them. That is for sure. We are going to be tested."
Reach Cliff at cliff.hickman@cantonrep.com
On Twitter: @chickmanREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Louisville High School girls basketball's defense keys strong start
