Avon Lake vs. Olmsted Falls girls basketball: Shoregals honor 1994 team, end Olmsted Falls’ 52-game winning streak in SWC

Jan. 13 was a special day for Avon Lake girls basketball, as it honored the 1993-94 state championship team.

The Shoregals hosted a highly anticipated matchup and Division I district final rematch with Olmsted Falls, a team that had won 52 straight games against Southwestern Conference opponents.

Points were at a premium the whole game. Once Avon Lake took a 32-31 lead, its defense unleashed on the Bulldogs for a 39-35 win.

“This has been a game that we have been looking forward to for so long,” Avon Lake guard Marisa Summefield said. “When (Olmsted Falls) play (North) Ridgeville, I wanted them to beat everybody. We wanted to be the team to stop this streak.”

The Shoregals did not concede a field goal from Olmsted Falls in the fourth quarter. All of its points came from free throws.

PHOTOS: Avon Lake vs. Olmsted Falls girls basketball, Jan. 13, 2024

“(This game) was really nerve-racking, because it’s been (since 2020) someone in the SWC has beat (Olmsted Falls)," Avon Lake's Claire Spring said. "I felt like it was a huge game for us. We were really nervous, but I felt like we kept our composure. We knew that defense was going to stop them.”

Avon Lake assigned Izzie Polinko to Olmsted Falls All-Ohio guard Danielle Cameron and also helped out when needed on screens.

Summerfield was one of those players who jumped in front of a pass intended for Cameron with less than a minute left. Summerfield was fouled and sent to the line, which helped put the game away.

“Danielle (Cameron) is their best player,” Summerfield said. “I knew that in the last seconds in the game, that they were going to try to get it to Danielle to hit a big shot. I saw that girl eyeing her down. Right when she threw it, I jumped and stole it.”

Summerfield converted 4-of-6 free throws in the fourth quarter to help make it a two-possession game down the stretch.

Avon Lake trailed Olmsted Falls, 12-4, in the first quarter. Looking for a spark in its offense Bree Jones (seven points) knocked down two 3-pointers and a free-throw for the momentum needed to trail, 19-15, at halftime.

“As a team, it is good to get everyone involved. The energy in the (gym) gave me that confidence. I think my teammates picked me up throughout the whole game,” Jones said.

Olmsted Falls dropped to 9-3 (6-1 in the SWC). Its last loss to a conference opponent was against Amherst, 35-33, in a Division I district semifinal.

Shoregals coach Paul Appel was an assistant coach for Westlake, who was in the SWC at the time, when it handed Olmsted Falls a 38-37 loss that was its last SWC game in the regular season.

Avon Lake improved to 12-2 (6-1 in SWC) with its ninth win in the past 10 games.

Summerfield led Avon Lake with 13 points, four rebounds and two assists. Springer scored nine points, with six rebounds.

Maddie Cerovac was Olmsted Falls' leading scorer with 11 points and Cameron scored 10 points. This was a tough loss for Olmsted Falls, and Coach Jordan Eaton felt he could have done a better job.

“I didn’t coach a very good game today and that is exactly what it was …” he said. “In reflection, I didn’t call time out at the right times. I didn’t call the right defenses, I changed defenses when we shouldn’t have. I didn’t run thing that were effective against their defense. I’m not taking anything away from Avon Lake today. … Overall, I did not do my job today.”

At halftime, Avon Lake and Olmsted Falls watched the 1994 state championship team be honored for its achievement, with a record of 27-0. This came after a run to the final four a year prior. This was the first time since the team’s hall of fame induction in 1999 that Coach Amy Manco saw many of her players. Seeing her players with their families was a good feeling.

“As a teacher and a coach, you hope that you can see kids in the future as they grow up,” she said. “You hope that you instill something in them that they have a little piece of you that they carry along and they keep building on it in their family life.”

In the Division II state championship game, Stacey Fifer made the game-winning shot to win, 41-39, against Cincinnati Roger Bacon.

“We were a tight-knit group back then. Just to be able to see everyone’s faces now, it’s like taking us back to when we were together back in the day,” Fifer said.

The celebration along with the hype of the game brought an electric atmosphere to the gymnasium.

“It was so nice to celebrate with the 94 team and everything that they were able to do (at Avon Lake),” Appel said. “It is a lot of fun to be here. It was a great high school basketball environment. It sort of pushed us over the edge in certain moments.

Coach Eaton was excited when he heard that it was being held and believes more people should watch high level girls basketball.

Instead of taking the team into the locker room at halftime, Olmsted Falls, a team that was one win away from winning its own state championship last year, showed a sign of sportsmanship to watch the 1994 team be honored.

“What the 1994 girls basketball team did is a good feat,” Eaton said. “We are going to sit here and we are going to honor them and be a part of (Avon Lake’s) celebration. It’s not just Avon Lake vs. Olmsted Falls thing. It’s that one of our area teams won a state championship. It is really special and it's very difficult. We are going to sit there, watch and honor the people that (did) it.”