Tigers topple Jackets

MOUNT VERNON — Rarely can a loss be seen as a victory, but for the Mount Vernon High School girls basketball team, it was on Friday night.

The Yellow Jackets played their best defensive game of the year, executing coach Doug Savage’s game plan perfectly, but it wasn’t enough against the visiting Pickerington Central Tigers. Mount Vernon’s offense couldn’t come through the way the defense did and the end result was a 41-32 defeat. With the win, the Tigers clinched the Ohio Capital Conference Cardinal Division title.

“We played a little more like the team that we saw in the first half of the season,” said Savage. “Consequently, we ended up giving them a real tough game. Had we have gotten a few more shots to fall, it could have been a major upset. I am not going to dwell on the fact that we lost. I prefer to dwell on the fact that we competed with all of our heart and soul.”

The Jackets (9-9, 5-4 OCC) came out aggressive in a 3-2 zone defense and held the Tigers’ 6-foot-2 twin towers — Emilee Harmon and Veronica Wilson — to a combined 11 points and 12 rebounds. Overall, the Tigers (16-3, 9-0 OCC) struggled from the field, shooting 12-of-35. The difference came at the free-throw line, where Pickerington Central shot twice as many attempts as the Jackets. The Tigers went 15-of-30 from the line compared to Mount Vernon’s 7-of-13.

“I don’t know if we could have played any better defensively or not,” Savage said. “I know we played hard and physical on the interior. We did a pretty good job of keeping the ball away from Harmon and Wilson. When they did get it, our guards did a good job of digging in and stripping it, causing some jump balls and some travels. We were hoping to hold them to under 20 or less so we did a really, really good job on those two. Defensively, we played as about as good as we could have played.”

Mount Vernon started the game well, getting a pair of baskets from senior Summer Swetlic in the first two minutes. The Tigers outscored the Jackets 6-2 over the next 3 1/2 minutes to go up one, 8-7, but a three-point play by Rachel Buirley put the Jackets back in control. Kathleen Williams, who went to the free-throw line 14 times on the night, hit 3-of-4 for Central to regain the lead with 2:08 to go. Mount Vernon took a 13-11 advantage, however, after Buirley found Swetlic for a 3-pointer in the closing minutes of the first quarter.

The momentum shifted at the start of the second quarter as Pickerington Central opened with nine straight points to go ahead, 20-13. The Jackets posted four turnovers in the first two minutes to help the Tigers’ run. Swetlic, who finished with 19 points on the night, put together back-to-back scores again to cut the lead to two, but a 7-3 run by the Tigers put them in control at halftime, 27-21.

“We kind of reverted back to what hurt us earlier this year,” said Savage. “We made some turnovers and that not only took away our chance to score, but they got some layups and free throws because of it. It was really a double-edged sword.”

While the Jackets’ defense kept things under control in the first half by frustrating the Tigers, neither team’s offense could put much together. That trend carried over in the second half.

Pickerington Central scored the first seven points of the third quarter over a six-minute span to go up, 34-21. Swetlic and fellow senior Lauren Hollis had the only baskets of the quarter for Mount Vernon, which trailed 36-25 after three.

Harmon took an inbounds pass and hit a jumper to start the final quarter of play, but the Jackets didn’t give up. Emily Cassell hit 1-of-2 free throws to make it a 12-point game with 5:25 left. With four minutes to go, the Jackets began to press the Tigers with good results. Swetlic scored a layup off a steal and Cassell added another layup to pull Mount Vernon within eight, 38-30. The teams then traded free throws. Cassell’s pair cut the deficit to seven with 2:12 to play, but that’s as close as it got. The Jackets couldn’t convert on the offensive end and Harmon added a pair of free throws to finish the 41-32 game.

Williams was Pickerington Central’s top scorer with 14 points. She also had eight rebounds. Stevens and Harmon dropped in eight points apiece. Stevens added three steals and two assists, while Harmon had nine rebounds. Wilson finished with just three points and three boards.

In addition to her points, Swetlic had three steals for Mount Vernon. Buirley and Cassell finished with five points each, and Hollis pulled down five boards.

The Tigers also took the junior varsity contest, winning 33-27. Leading Mount Vernon (13-5) was Jess Gall with seven points. Caroline Caldwell added six points.

Mount Vernon is back in action on Tuesday, hosting Lexington at 6 p.m.

“Only time can tell, but we have kids that want to perform,” said Savage. “I think our girls finally realized that in high school athletics it is not always about winning and losing. The fun part is in competing. It is the competition. That’s what it is all about.”