High school girls basketball teams in Ohio are near, at or beyond the midway point of the regular season.
We figured this is a good team to spotlight 10 teams, including undefeated St. Vincent-St. Mary.
Here is a look at what is happening around Summit County:
Record: 11-0
Core players: Erica King, sr.; Kendal Batchik, jr.; KaMiah Pryor, sr.; Jaicee Wallace, sr.; Denni Lawrence, jr.; Melania Cornute, fr.; Chenoa Moss, sr.; Tatum Smith, soph.; Taylor Rogers-Williams, fr.; Leyla Thompson, sr.; Malaya Young, sr.; Shianna Cotton, sr.; Laila Fleetwood, jr.
Stats: Batchik is averaging 10.1 points and shooting 45.6 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. King is at 10.0 points and Pryor is at 9.3 points. Lawrence is averaging 5.1 points, 4.0 assists and 4.0 steals.
STVM coach Carley Whitney: "The girls play together, they are intense and they are passionate. They like to play together. There is really not a star. Everyone is solid. They don't care who gets the limelight, who scores, who defends — they all do it. They share the ball well. They are in it to win it. They want to win and they want to compete. They understand sacrificing for each other for the common goal. They are fun to watch. ... Our season opener at Dublin Coffman was a display of what we could do to start the season off great with a dominating win over them. They are a good Division I opponent. In California, we had everything going."
Record: 10-1
Core players: Mackenzie Edingburgh, sr.; Niera Stevens, soph.; Makenzie Grant, soph.; Devin Harris, sr.; Maya Pooler, sr.; Zoey Hodge, soph.; Finley Kennedy, jr.; Kathleen Jones, soph.; Jazze Golden, soph.
Stats: Edingburgh and Stevens are both averaging more than 10 points.
Hoban coach Pamela Davis: "We need to continue to focus on our defensive intensity, rebounding and offensive execution by limiting our turnovers. ... These girls play great collectively."
Record: 12-2, 9-0 Suburban League American Conference
Core players: Izzy Callaway, sr.; Evelyn McKnight, soph.; Kami Ayoup, sr.; Zoey VanVoorhis, soph.; Audrey Parker, soph.; Emily Kerekes, sr.; Angie Lane, jr.; Amelia Davis, soph.; Lila Niemczura, fr.
Stats: Callaway scored 29 points against both Revere and Tallmadge, 27 versus Streetsboro, 26 against Cuyahoga Falls and 25 versus Aurora.
Copley coach Julie Solis: "Defensively, I think for the most part we have been playing well. Three teams have scored over 50 points against us and the rest of the teams are averaging in the low 40s. Defense is always our focus, and being able to hold teams under 50 points gives you a better chance to win. Izzy is pretty consistent in each game and we have a bunch of kids who can score."
Record: 11-2, 8-1 Principals Athletic Conference
Core players: Joi Williams, jr.; Elizabeth Fisher, jr.; Hunter Guinn, jr.; Sofia Schroeter, jr.; Sarah Bronowski, jr.; Maddy Mague, jr.; Laney Romanini, soph.; Josie Brown, fr.
Stats: Williams scored 34 points against Tuslaw, 27 versus Fairless, 26 points apiece against Canton McKinley, Kenston and Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin and 24 versus Orrville.
CVCA coach Andy O'Keefe: "Katelyn Harabedian, Kylie Bettinger and Gia Casalinova left a tremendous IAm3rd — God first, others second, yourself third — and selfless legacy. They also developed and left behind a winning culture for our underclassmen to continue to pursue. Katelyn and Gia are at Ashland University and Kylie is at Indiana Wesleyan University. This team is once again a joy to coach. These ladies love the Lord and are invested in the process. Joi Williams is an elite player and a competitor. We have players that are stepping up as first-year varsity contributors alongside her. They give great effort and have great attitudes."
Record: 11-3, 8-0 Suburban League National Conference
Core players: Anna Hurst, sr.; Alaina Ray, sr.; Rachel Frailey, sr.; Kadence Dodds, jr.; Kennady Dodds, soph.; AJ Tichnell, fr.; Allie Knouff, fr.; Maya Cooper, soph.; Syair Young, jr.
Stats: Kennady Dodds averages around 13 points. All five starters — Hurst, Ray, Frailey and the Dodds sisters — average between eight and 13 points.
Stow coach Bob Podges: "I like the way we play defensively, both individually and as a team. We have been in a pack line defense for seven or eight years now and all of our kids come into the program understanding it and buying into it. The camaraderie and the ability to play for someone other than yourself has become very important to them. The girls are sharing the scoring load on offense. They do a great job of sharing the ball and finding the open person."
Record: 10-4, 7-0 City Series
Core players: Caitlyn Holmes, jr.; Jaeda Tavares, jr.; Sanaiiya Gray, jr.; Dacai Singletary, jr.; Alivia "LuLu" Russell, soph.; Royalty Crooks, fr.; Kenadie Keith, fr.; Saniya Williams, fr.; Eren Harmon, jr.; Sierra Beban, jr.
Stats: Holmes scored 35 points against both Wadsworth and Walsh Jesuit, 29 versus Streetsboro, 26 against Hoban and 22 versus Woodridge.
Ellet coach Nick Harris: "Our girls are growing. We are are fortunate enough to be 10-4. We lost to four heavy hitters — Wadsworth, Streetsboro, Hoban and Laurel. Those are four teams that are real tough. Three of those games were on the road. The girls are getting better and starting to understand the intensity and the competitiveness necessary to be able to make some noise in the Division I state tournament. ... We have got a lot of inexperienced girls that are learning at a fast pace, and we are excited about what they can do in the next month."
Record: 7-4, 7-1 Metro Athletic Conference
Core players: Andie Osolin, sr.; Madison Dobbins, sr.; Mackenzie Tatka, jr.; Dakota Graham, soph.; Alivia Goff, fr.; Theresa Emerson, sr.; Olivia Farrell, jr.; Saoirse Donley, soph.; Haley Sanderson, fr.
Stats: Goff leads Norton in scoring at 16.5 points, followed by Graham (10.0) and Osolin (8.7).
Norton coach Brian Miller: "Our team is young. We have got a lot of new players this year. We are not rebuilding. We reloaded a little bit. We lost two really close games at the buzzer to Wadsworth and Lutheran East. Those are two games we could have won with a little bit more experience. Our biggest problem right now is decision making at points in the game and reducing turnovers. ... We are on the right path that I thought we would be at this moment in time. We are getting better."
Record: 7-5, 4-2 Federal League
Core players: Jenna Slates, jr.; Sydney Shocklee, jr.; Meredith Viar, jr.; Ava Kouri, soph.; Brooke Shocklee, soph.; Armahni Wagler, soph.; Brooklyn Wood, soph.
Stats: Slates has Green's school records for career rebounds and career steals.
Green coach Alicia Manning: "Jenna has been extremely consistent for us putting up double-doubles almost every night. She had a 31-point performance a couple weeks ago with 15 rebounds [against Howland]. Syd Shocklee is really starting to come into her own. She does a great job of helping lead the team and facilitate the offense. She's also really improved her 3-point shooting. Brooke Shocklee and Brooklyn Wood are our defensive specialists. They typically guard the best player on the other team. Meredith Viar has become a dead-eye 3-point shooter and has also improved her slashing abilities. ... Ava Kouri, who was out nearly half of the season last year due to an injury, is starting to get more comfortable. She is one of our assist leaders, and also provides scoring in a variety of ways."
Record: 7-6, 6-3 SLAC
Core players: Lexi Gray, sr.; Coco Pooler, soph.; Sydney Becks, sr.; Rae Pooler, fr.; Mia Zappola, sr.; Abby Caruso, sr.; Isabella Messina, sr.
Stats: Becks and Rae Pooler are both scoring more 10 points per game.
Tallmadge coach Chrissie Vaughan: "We are at the point in the season where we have learned a lot about ourselves. The energy in practice recently has been great. We are hoping to bounce back and finish the season strong. We have five seniors so the leadership and experience is there."
Record: 6-6, 4-1 Crown Conference
Core players: Cesily Sutton, sr.; Kara Esterak, fr.; Taylor Angielski, sr.; Maddie Parker, jr.; Kara Courtad; sr.; Molly Goodrich, sr.; Josii Webb, fr.; Leah Sobolewski, fr.; Grace Hering, soph.; Maddie Frank, fr.
Stats: Sutton leads Walsh in scoring at 14.6 points per game and in steals at just over three per game. Angielski is averaging more than 12 points and is Walsh Jesuit's career leader in 3-pointers with 106. Courtad is averaging around 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Walsh coach Chris Esterak: "As a team, we are hitting a tough part of our schedule with games with Ellet, Toledo Whitmer, Dayton Chaminade Julienne, Hoban, STVM and CVCA. I feel games with Brush and Avon Lake that we had earlier in the season will help prepare us for the second half of the season and tournament. We have a mix of veteran seniors and freshmen and sophomores that are helping us this season. I believe that we will only continue to get better as a team as all the players gain experience with each other and continue to build chemistry."
Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: What's up with STVM, Hoban, Copley, Stow, CVCA, Ellet girls basketball
