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Sydney Shocklee, Jenna Slates, Armahni Wagler lead Green into girls basketball postseason
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- Sydney Shocklee, Jenna Slates, Armahni Wagler lead Green into girls basketball postseason
There is a positive vibe surrounding the Green girls basketball team .
Winning can obviously lead to this, and so can personalities that mesh.
Green displayed both Wednesday night in a 62-55 win in two overtimes over host Archbishop Hoban .
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Hoban eliminated Green 51-48 in a Division I district final last season , a result that helped motivate Green for this regular-season game.
The Knights (15-3) have won four Division I district championships in a row.
The Bulldogs (13-8) are a hungry team that has the look of a potential district champion with juniors Sydney Shocklee, Jenna Slates and Meredith Viar in starting roles with sophomores Ava Kouri and Armahni Wagler.
Green's Brooke Shocklee, facing, celebrates with her sister Sydney, right, after beating Archbishop Hoban in double overtime, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, in Akron, Ohio.
"We are all really close, and I think that our energy is so real for each other," Shocklee said after the win over Hoban . "Jenna got that one and-one [in the second overtime] and we all were, like, 'Yes, let's go.' It just feels like we have a team. We have each other's back, which is really fun."
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Shocklee said league competition prepares Green for tough nonconference games.
Green finished third in the Federal League with an 8-4 record. FL co-champions Jackson (18-3, 11-1) and Lake (18-2, 11-1) both beat Green twice. Green swept Canton McKinley, GlenOak, North Canton Hoover and Perry in league play.
"Outside of the Fed, the teams that we have played have not had nearly the ball pressure [defensively] that the Fed teams do," said Shocklee, who scored 22 points against Hoban .
"The Fed is physical, which I think really prepared us for how physical we played in this game [against Hoban]. We didn't let it detour us. ... The ball pressure was a lot more in this game, but since we have had to handle ball pressure like that we were able to do it."
Green's Sydney Shocklee, facing, celebrates with Meredith Viar during the second half of a high school basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, in Akron, Ohio.
Slates, who had 15 points and eight rebounds against Hoban, said a FL game "can go either way" because of the talent in the league.
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"We are super excited," Slates said. "This win gives us a big confidence boost."
Green also gets quality minutes from sophomore reserves Brooke Shocklee and Brooklyn Wood.
"The players lead by committee," Green coach Alicia Manning said. "For instance, Jenna, what are her strengths? Rebounding, steals and effort, things like that. She gets on people that are not rebounding, getting up and being aggressive defensively. Syd is kind of like our 'make sure people are running the plays right.' She makes sure everyone is on task and focused at practice. Those two have taken on big leadership roles this season.
"Everybody else is a leader, too. Brooke has shown so much leadership in being vocal. Armahni is great. You can't find a better teammate than Armahni. When you see her in the games, she cheers more for her teammates than anybody when she is on the sidelines. I don't know how she has a voice by the end of games. She is so teammate-first.
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"... Our sophomore class is essentially our whole JV team last year, and they went undefeated. They went undefeated in middle school, too. They didn't lose for three years. The coaches that have come before me. Syd and Brooke's dad, he coached them all growing up. Harold Ickes, my assistant, coached these girls in middle school, and I brought him up to the high school staff. This group has had phenomenal coaches throughout their youth."
Green's Armahni Wagler, right, takes the ball across the court against Hoban's Jazz Golden during the first overtime period of a high school basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, in Akron, Ohio.
Wagler was all over the court versus Hoban and totaled 14 points, eight steals and seven rebounds.
"Our driving to the basket is amazing and our defense is what saves us in games and does a lot for us. We just need to hit a couple more outside shots. ... Our teamwork is amazing, too. I really like this group."
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Green has nonleague wins over Kenston, St. Joseph Academy, Howland, Strongsville and Hoban and losses to Massillon, Austintown Fitch, Solon and Magnificat.
Green's Jenna Slates puts up a shot over a pair of Hoban defenders during the first half of a high school basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, in Akron, Ohio.
"I am excited," Shocklee said. "If we keep playing like this, we can make a run."
Slates then added: "We are only going to get better because we don't have any seniors graduating. We will have the same team next year."
Slates and Sydney Shocklee are the returning starters this season after 2023 seniors Mallory Oddo, Riley Chmielewski and Nina Shaffer graduated.
"Coming off having five seniors graduate and the JV team from last year coming up to play varsity, we are playing better and preparing for the tournament and next season," Slates said. "Everyone is going to be the same next season."
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Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ .
Green's Sydney Shocklee, left, drives to the basket against Hoban's Zoey Hodge during the first overtime period of a high school basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, in Akron, Ohio.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Sydney Shocklee, Jenna Slates lead Green Bulldogs girls basketball
