Streetsboro Holds Off Ellet’s Late Comeback in 75-66 Victory
In a thrilling Tuesday night contest, the Streetsboro Rockets girls basketball team kicked off their season with a 75-66 win over the visiting Ellet Orangemen. The Lady Orangemen, who kicked off their season a week prior, are coming off a key 56-41 victory over #24 Ohio’s best player Cam Hoover and the Woodridge Bulldogs.
#6 Benson vs #13 Holmes
Prior to the anticipated matchup, the USA Today Network Ohio ranked the top 24 Ohio’s best girls basketball players ahead of the 2023-24 season. Streetsboro Junior Forward Naomi Benson was ranked #6, after winning the Women’s Tri-County Basketball Coaches Association Underclassman of the Year for Divisions II-IV while averaging 15.3 points, 14.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.9 blocks in the 2022-23 season. Benson is also ranked No. 57 in the ESPNW rankings for the 2025 class and has a number of Power Five offers.
Meanwhile, Ellet Junior Guard Caitlyn Holmes was ranked #13, after averaging 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals per game in 2022-23, shooting 50% from the field to lead Ellet to its first undefeated City Series season & first sectional championship in more than 20 years. She has received Division I offers from assorted Mid-American Conference schools.
Streetsboro’s Early Head Start & Ellet’s Late Comeback
The first half of play concluded with the Rockets taking a comfortable 41-21 lead over the Lady Orangemen, with Guard Carlee Bedford putting up 8 points in the half, while Benson, Forward Ella Kassan, and Guard Sydney Abbuhl added 7 points each. For the Lady Orangemen, Guard Sanaliya Gray led the half with 7 points, while Holmes followed with 5 points.
Throughout the final 16 minutes of play, the Lady Orangemen, led by Holmes, managed to cut the 20 point deficit to 4 with 2:33 left in the 4th quarter. After holding the Rockets to only 14 points in the 3rd, the Lady Orangemen took advantage to keep them alive. After what seemed like an eternity in the final 2 minutes, the Rockets managed to pull away and survive the outcome 75-66 after key offensive rebounds by Benson led to Ellet fouling.
Final Stats
Benson finished the night with a team-high 15 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks for the Rockets, while Guard Olivia Johnson-Wilson followed with 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals. Guard Sydney Abbuhl, Forward Ella Kassan, and Carlee Bedford also contributed positively with Abbuhl’s 13 points, 4 Rebounds, 3 steals, & 2 blocks, Kassan’s 13 points, 8 rebounds & 3 steals, and Bedford’s 11 points, and 2 steals.
Despite the loss, the 5-7 junior Caitlyn Holmes dominated the night, finishing with 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals, while Guard Sanaliya Gray added a 20 point & 15 rebound double-double performance of her own.
What’s Next?
With the win, the Streetsboro Rockets will kick off their 2023-24 season 1-0 and will travel to Ravenna to take on the Ravens in an early MAC conference matchup on December 6th. (JV @ 5:30pm, Varsity @ 7pm) The Lady Orangemen will fall to a 1-2 record and travel to Akron East to take on the Lady Dragons on December 4th. (JV @ 5pm, Varsity @ 6:30pm)