SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio — Opponents of Laurel’s basketball team must feel as if they are seeing double, as in the Thierry twins.
What makes it even more strange is that the sophomores seem to take turns. Often it is Taylor who does the scoring, while Haley does everything else.
Such was the case Monday, as host Laurel put on a late surge in regulation and then dominated overtime, taking a 67-62 victory over Cleveland Heights in a physical non-conference matchup.
The Gators, ranked No. 10 in the cleveland.com Top 25, are now 15-6. No. 17 Cleveland Heights ends the regular season at 17-5 and as Lake Erie League champions.
Taylor Thierry led all players with 28 points, 18 in the first half. She scored three points in overtime and six in the fourth quarter, including a crucial four-point play that in part resulted from a technical foul being called on the Cleveland Heights bench.
“In my opinion, Taylor is one of the best, if not the best, guard in the state of Ohio,” Laurel coach Tim McMahon said. “And I mean that. She has everything. She has right hand, she has left hand, attack, step-back, a variety of moves on the go. Her range is literally when she crosses half court. She’s very, very tough to cover.”
While Taylor was putting up the points, her sister was handling everything else. She ended with 8 points and often brought the ball upcourt, but her main contributions were on defense at the top of Laurel’s trapping zone. She also had several crucial rebounds and steals in overtime.
For example, in just the last minute of the game, Haley Thierry made a steal after her sister missed the front end of a one-and-one. With 36 seconds to play, Taylor missed two free throws, but Haley got the offensive rebound and was fouled, splitting her freebies. Seven seconds later Haley made another steal as the Gators gradually pulled away.
“Haley does that every night,” McMahon said. “She is a 10-rebound, 7-steal, 5-assist player every game. If she scores 10 points for us, it’s a bonus. The kid is everywhere. I’ve been around a lot of two-way players, and Haley is about the best two-way player I’ve ever been around. She changes the game. She gets her hand on almost every basketball. She creates tips, which create steals, and a lot of them are on live balls, which means they turn into points.”
The Thierry combination proved to be too much for the Tigers to handle. Cleveland Heights only scored one point in overtime.
“I think it was fatigue, and then at that point I think you get anxious,” Cleveland Heights coach Karen Battle said. “They’re looking at the clock, it’s going down, they’re anxious for a bucket, they really want to get it, they really want to do their best to put a quality shot up.”
Laurel used a 25-point second period to take a 35-29 halftime lead, but a 6-2 run late in the third period gave the Tigers a 45-42 lead. Cleveland Heights led by as many as seven, 51-44, with 5:00 to play, but Laurel rattled off seven consecutive points in just 64 seconds to tie the score at 51.
Giuliana Marinozzi finished with 16 points for the Gators, but she struggled with her outside shooting. However, she had three key drives to the basket in the fourth quarter, the last with 1:47 to play, giving Laurel a 59-57 lead.
Jayden Weaver, who finished with 16 points, scored on a great post move to knot the game at 59 with 1:29 left.
“Jayden Weaver had an exceptional game,” Battle said. “Using her body in the post, finishing a lot with girls hanging on her back, boxing out, going for the rebounds aggressively, playing defense on a guard when she’s a forward. She just had a great game.”
About a minute later, Hayley Sims, who led the Tigers with 23 points, hit a 10-foot runner along the left baseline to give Cleveland Heights their last lead, 61-59, with 24 seconds remaining. Thirteen seconds later Haley Thierry scored on a left-handed layup to tie the score and send the game into overtime.
The overtime period was somewhat anticlimactic, as there were many more missed foul shots and turnovers than there were made baskets. Taylor Thierry opened the scoring with two free throws, and when Marinozzi added another driving layup with 2:20 to play, the four-point lead was enough for the Gators to hold on.
“We won the game because there were enough times that we held them to one shot,” McMahon said. “If you can string enough stops together then you’re in it. You have a chance.”
It helps to have the Thierry twins on your side as well.
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