Berea-Midpark Coach Kevin McNamara had a vision to spice up the Bagley Cup with Olmsted Falls and promote high school girls basketball. He approached Coach Jordan Eaton with the idea of hosting a game during school hours.
While every other Ohio high school basketball player spent the afternoon of Dec. 6 in the classroom, Olmsted Falls and Berea-Midpark battled in a Southwestern Conference opener.
During school hours and a packed gymnasium with Olmsted Falls fans, the Bulldogs hosted the Bagley Cup Duel in the School.
PHOTOS: Olmsted Falls vs. Berea-Midpark girls basketball, Dec. 6, 2023
“I think this was unbelievable. Everybody should do it,” he said. “I don’t find a negative in here, other than missing a class for an assembly schedule. My life is girls basketball. I love continuing to create high school and club seasons to celebrate the sport.”
Olmsted Falls (1-2, 1-0 in SWC), the defending Division I state runner-up, won the game, 53-17, which snapped the 0-2 start to the season.
“We always look for ideas to bring the Bulldog culture together,” Olmsted Falls Principal Lee Spagnola said. “It is kind of a family opportunity. Girls basketball games don’t get as much attention as a boys game on a Friday night. We felt like we needed to showcase our girls, showcase the product and bring our school together to celebrate.”
A lot of work was able to make this possible that went from the athletic directors, principals and superintendents.
“As the principal, you get to make those decisions,” he said. “We had to find a dancing partner. (Olmsted Falls Athletic Director Rob Coxon) did a great job with our schedule. Berea-Midpark was willing to bring their kids over during the game. We ran a modified bell schedule, we are going to join the afternoon we made the decision. My superintendent loves these opportunities, as well. It was an easy decision to make.”
As the underdogs, Berea-Midpark came in with a nothing-to-lose attitude, with four freshmen in its lineup. Olmsted Falls' defense held the Titans to two points on offense and five in the first half. The Bulldogs led, 30-5, at halftime.
“It kind of took me back to Dayton (in the 2023 Division I state tournament) experience. There was a ton of people there,” Olmsted Falls captain Danielle Cameron said.
Olmsted Falls coach Eaton was thrilled to see both sides work well together to make this possible. He gave credit to the administrations.
“It was pretty awesome. It was great that our administration and Berea-Midpark’s administration allowed this to happen,” he said. “I see a lot of people had a lot of reservations about having a game (during school). It took a lot of planning on both school’s ends. … It took a lot of communication.”
McNamara approached Eaton after they played each other last year with the idea of a Duel in the School. Four years ago, the two sides held a wrestling Dual in the School and thought it would be a good idea to bring it with girls basketball.
“I thought that it was going to be a really good thing to do,” Eaton said. “We did this with a wrestling match in 2019 and everybody was really into it, even with people that might not be into wrestling. I knew that it was going to be a blast.”
As much as Eaton enjoyed the opportunity, he thought it would be a good idea to continue it, with alternate sites every year.
Cameron scored 14 points. First-year varsity player Jesse Simon led the team with 15 points.
“It was a lot of fun. This was the first time I did something like that, or any of us. It was fun to have all of our students there,” Simon said.
