It’s pretty clear after their two meetings this season that Amherst and Avon are two even teams.
The Comets won a thrilling double overtime game at home back on Dec. 6 with a half-court buzzer-beater. Although there wasn’t a shot at the buzzer in the second meeting, the Eagles returned the favor with a 51-47 victory to cap off an emotional senior night on Jan. 17.
FINAL: Avon 51, Amherst 47
Makenzie Ptacek ices the game with a steal and an and-one!
Happy senior night!@MJournalSports @avoneagles @SteeleComets pic.twitter.com/Ff4Q5mEJrv
— Travis Nelson (@travisnelson40) January 18, 2024
Avon (9-6, 3-5 SWC) started hot with an 11-point lead after one quarter, but Amherst (7-6, 4-4 SWC) battled back in the second half to tie it up late. For a fitting close to the senior night festivities, the Eagles’ veterans showed up when it mattered most.
Molly Drenik had a monster game with 16 points and 18 rebounds, and she put them back in front on a layup with 15.1 seconds left. Needing a defensive stop to win the game, Makenzie Ptacek came through with a steal and an and-one on the other end to ice it.
Molly Drenik puts Avon back in front with 15.1 seconds left!
She’s up to 16 points and 18 rebounds@MJournalSports @avoneagles @SteeleComets pic.twitter.com/p4qMxohObf
— Travis Nelson (@travisnelson40) January 18, 2024
“I’m really proud of our girls because after that Midview loss, I told them that we have to toughen up and get our grit back,” Avon coach Maggie Ferrando said. “Don’t count us out yet. I know everybody’s upset that we lost our starting point guard, she’s a huge part of our team, but we can still play and I still believe in these guys.”
The Eagles are banged up and only dress nine girls, but the five seniors on this team impact winning. Drenik drew a lot of attention but still put up a huge double-double. Ptacek’s speed is a problem defensively, and she put up eight points on top of that. Both Emma Owens and Madigan O’Leary knocked down two 3-pointers each and Grace Mangan scored five points in the first quarter. On their night, all five gave major contributions.
“We’ve definitely been on a rough patch, but it was great to get a win where we all played well together,” Drenik said. “I always love it when everyone on the team gets to contribute and we all have a great time. It’s really good for us to have, especially with some big games coming up.”
Avon came out in a zone defense and it took over a quarter for Amherst to figure it out offensively. While the Comets struggled and shot 2-for-18 from the floor in the opening period, Avon got out to a 16-5 advantage. The lead grew to as many as 13 in the second quarter, but Amherst got it down to eight at halftime.
Although the Comets never led, Ava Darmos tied the game at 47-47 on a putback with 1:02 remaining. Amherst’s dynamic duo of Kayla Ferancy (17 points) and Kristen Kelley (14 points and 14 rebounds) got going in the second half, but it still wasn’t enough. With two evenly matched teams, Avon’s fast start proved to be the difference.
“We lost the game in the first quarter,” Amherst coach John Rositano said. “They came out charged up and we didn’t. They took advantage and went up 13, and then you’re fighting and battling back. We actually did and tied it up, but it’s hard.”
The Eagles have been through an up-and-down stretch, but they learned from their mistakes just four days after a 56-52 road loss to Midview. Rebounding was a big factor in that game, but even against a bigger Amherst team, they boxed out and limited second-chance buckets. Drenik obviously led the way there with nearly 20 rebounds, but five other Eagles had three or more boards.
“They boxed out well, that’s all we’ve been harping on,” Ferrando said. “I’m proud of our guys for toughing it out. We’ve been talking about finding a way. Somehow, some way, we have to find a way no matter what that is. They found a way tonight. … We talk about the “want-to” a lot. It was definitely there tonight and we weren’t leaving here without a win.”
That want-to showed late in the game. After Amherst tied it to put the game in the balance, Avon made some big plays to hang on. Drenik’s bucket and Ptacek’s steal capped off a game that the Eagles controlled mostly from start to finish. As good as the beginning of the night felt with the ceremony and the great start, the ending felt even sweeter.
“It felt great, I was scared that I was going to get my last foul,” Ptacek said. “I decided that I was just going to go for it and I got it. I was also really happy with how I handled the layup and everything. … It felt really great, I’m glad that we pulled it off.”
Both teams are back in conference action on Jan. 20. Avon travels to Avon Lake and Amherst hosts North Ridgeville.
