St. John, Robinson rewrite record book

The Lake girls basketball team’s chances of winning a Northern Buckeye Conference championship are slim to none, but the Flyers have made their presence known.

The Flyers are the only NBC team to defeat league leader Elmwood, holding the Royals to 18 points after three quarters and then holding on to win, 43-39. Woodmore had a chance to become the second league team to defeat Elmwood on Thursday, which would have resulted in a first place tie between the Wildcats and Royals heading down the stretch.

Lake, 11-6 overall and 9-3 in the NBC, is being led by 5-foot-11 senior Hayley St. John, who was only 14 points away from 1,000 career points after a 67-44 non-league loss to Sylvania Northview, ranked eighth in the Associated Press Division I state poll. 

St. John scored 15 and 5-10 junior guard Ava Ayers scored nine, but the Flyers could not stop Northview’s all-time leading career scorer, 5-9 senior guard Kacee Baumhower, who had 25 points.

The Lourdes University-bound St. John is averaging 11.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and over two assists, two steals and two deflections per game. However, St. John does not have to do all the scoring this year.

There is plenty of scoring talent to go around, led by 5-10 junior Delani Robinson, who is averaging a team-leading 15.4 points by shooting 50.7 percent from the field, including 32.4 percent from behind the arc. Robinson is also grabbing 4.3 rebounds and has over two deflections, one assist and one steal per game.

It is Robinson who is stepping up big again at the end of the season. Last year Robinson was the sparkplug in the Flyers’ first two Division III tournament wins, leading the team by scoring 20-plus points — well above her 12 points per game average. Lake went 4-0 against four teams it went 0-8 against during the regular season, and that propelled them into the regional tournament, losing to eventual state tournament qualifier Ottawa-Glandorf.

This year, during a 72-33 NBC win over Otsego, Robinson set two school records — she scored 41 points and had nine three-point goals.

“It was a big night for Delani Robinson. Things just clicked,” Lake coach Joe Nowak said. “She was just on another level in the first quarter. She was in the zone. It seemed like she could have thrown it up backwards with her eyes closed with her left hand, and it would have gone in. 

“It was that she was the benefactor of really good team play. They moved the ball. They got after it defensively and were able to attack right away. Delani just happened to be on the hot hand and was the receiving end of a lot of really good ball movement. It is right place at the right time. Hopefully she can keep it rolling.”

Also coming up big down the stretch this season are Ayers, 5-11 junior Brigid Enright and 5-5 junior Kelsey Gladieux. A multi-sport athlete, Ayers’ athleticism is crucial on defense and in transition — anything where speed and agility are involved. She does not always have to be the one scoring to contribute. Ayers averages 7.8 points, five rebounds and leads the team with nearly six assists per game. She also leads the team with 3.3 deflections and dishes out over one assist per game.

“Ava Ayers has had some great games. She is long and she is fast where she is able to get out in transition and the open court,” Nowak said. “She is a tough one to stop. She had maybe two points (against Otsego), but there is not a whole lot of scoring going around when one player is scoring all the points.”

Gladieux is averaging 4.1 points, but will step up scoring when needed to. 

“Kelsey Gladieux is a player who does not necessarily get the recognition that a lot of players get, even though she works her tail off day-in and day-out. Her scoring was up (against Eastwood, Elmwood, Woodmore) a little bit, and I think that was partially impacted in that the other players’ scoring was down. The other players may be the focal point of defenses and she stepped up and hit some shots,” Nowak said.

“She hit a couple big shots down the stretch against Eastwood to cut into a lead, but she’s capable of doing that and making plays at the offensive end. But what I’m really happy with her is the defense, the grit, and the toughness that she has got. I think it really brings an edge to our defensive presence.”

Other key players who can score include 5-4 sophomore Elise Staczek, 5-8 junior Abbie Rymers, 5-5 freshman Vayda Delvanthal, 6-0 freshman Taryn Dewese, 5-6 junior Jade Rose, 5-5 freshman Sydney Stanley and 5-7 junior Evie Sigler. Four of them are contributing over two points per game and Dewese is grabbing close to four rebounds each contest.