Defense was king on this night. Stow’s defense is suffocating. They have five kids on the floor at any given time that are very stingy while guarding the ball. They are very long in most positions. Not only do they have a really nice rim protector in senior Kira Philpot, but they have guards hunting for blocks.

Wadsworth struggled to get good looks tonight and Stow sent some good looks the other direction. Frustration was high for the Grizzlies as it took them over 8 minutes to score a point, and over 18 minutes for a successful field goal. The very young Grizzlies did not go away easy. They held Stow to 15 points under their season average, they won a 4th quarter that featured the starters for all of but one minute.

One of the major differences in the game was the offensive boards. Stow pulled down almost double digit offensive rebounds, got put back points and extra possessions over and over. Wadsworth got very few second opportunities, on top of not shooting the ball well. One big offensive board from Adams for Stow ended with a 25 foot bomb from Lilee Carlson at the first quarter buzzer. That possession really got the momentum moving for Stow.

Stow used a few 12-0 runs, split up by a few Leatherman free throws, to take a 24-2 halftime lead. The Grizzlies settled in some in the 2nd half and we seen some solid tough teams going at it. Stow won by a final of 43-22.

In a game where no points came easy, on either end of the floor, Philpot led all scorers with 9, all in the first half. Taylor Leatherman led the Grizzlies with 8. Next Stow (4-0) welcomes fellow Suburban League contender Nordonia on Wednesday, Wadsworth (2-2) hosts Cuyahoga Falls also on Wednesday.