No Londot, no problem: Utica conquers Centerburg sans star

CENTERBURG – Utica coach Terry Logue was concerned heading into Saturday’s matchup at Centerburg.

His star player, 6-foot-3 senior center Emily Londot, was not in the building. In fact, she wasn’t even in the state; the Ohio State volleyball commit was in Orlando, Fla. this weekend, competing in the Under Armour/American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American Game.

On the basketball court, she’s been a force so far this season. Londot is averaging 20 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks per game.

Who could replace her? Logue thought.

The answer? No one, really. But Taylor Heckman could get the job done just fine.

The senior guard exploded for 31 points, including 20 in the second half, as Utica rolled to a 54-36 road win on Saturday afternoon.

“We played well,” Logue said afterwards. “I mean, we had to play a little bit different style, obviously, but our girls adapted really well.”

Up just three points at halftime, Heckman turned up the heat in the second half. She scored eight straight points in the third quarter – a spot-up three, a back-door lay-in, and an and-one bucket in transition – to stretch the Utica lead to 34-20.

On defense, Heckman harassed Centerburg’s ball-handlers, forcing turnovers that led to scoring opportunities.

“She plays hard all the time,” Logue said of Heckman, an Ohio State softball signee. “She’s got good knowledge of the game, too. She had a great game.”

Heckman’s energy sparked the Redskins (6-4, 3-0 Licking County League) on a sleepy afternoon in Centerburg. The Trojans (0-8, 0-6 Knox Morrow Athletic Conference) hung around during the first half, using tenacious ball pressure to make Utica uncomfortable.

Five different Trojans scored in the first half, and senior center Grace Mulpas led the way with 6 points. Centerburg ended the half on a 5-0 run, as junior Rebecca Scholl banged in a three with 37 seconds left to narrow the deficit to three.

But the Trojan offense would run dry – literally – in the third quarter. Utica outscored Centerburg 11-0 in the period.

“We gave them easy buckets because we didn’t take care of the basketball. We turned the ball over quite a bit,” Centerburg coach Bo Glenn explained. “And we just don’t have a scorer. I mean, we just don’t have anybody that wants to go and score the basketball to get us out of those ruts.”

The Trojans have struggled to score since sophomore playmaker Avery Tucker went down with an injury, and those woes continued in the third quarter Saturday. Utica became more active in its zone defense, deflecting passes and disrupting set action.

After going toe-to-toe with Utica in the first half, Centerburg never seemed to find a rhythm in the second.

“We have a short bench,” Glenn said. “So we’ve gotta understand that the first pass in our offense sets up the whole possession, and when we pass it to the other team, it’s gonna lead to easy buckets for them and we’re not gonna be able to score.”

Aside from Cardington’s patented 1-3-1 zone, Glenn said his team has not faced much zone this season. The Trojans typically receive heavy on-ball pressure, given their inexperienced backcourt.

The offense is a work in progress, he explained. Saturday was another learning experience.

“We work every single day on ball-handling drills and trying to work with our guards, changing speed and direction, and emphasizing taking care of the basketball. But we’re just so young,” Glenn said.

“They speed us up and we hurry up and take a shot that’s open one pass into the offense, and that’s exactly what the defense wants you to do, instead of being patient and strong and not being afraid to be trapped – to be able to look and see the openings within the offense.”

Centerburg also found itself in foul trouble on Saturday. Sophomore point guard Chloe Goulter, the team’s go-to scorer with Tucker on the bench, picked up her second foul with 3:30 left in the first quarter. Had she been able to play more early on, Glenn believes the Trojans could have capitalized.

“Chloe does a great job of attacking man or zone. She’s so daggone fast…” Glenn said. “With her absence, it’s difficult for us because when she can get into the paint, now it’s opening up other players. But she’s still trying to figure it out. She’s getting there.”

Goulter, typically a double-digit scorer, had her most frustrating game of the season on Saturday, as she mustered just 1 point. Scholl led Centerburg with 10 points, while Mulpas and Amelia Smith each recorded 6.

Aside from Heckman, who went 12-of-15 from the free-throw line, Utica saw balanced scoring. Sidney Hoover had 7 points, while Shawna Blake and Scarlett Elliott each had 6.

Without Londot in the lineup, Logue said he was most concerned about his team’s ability to rebound against Centerburg. As it turns out, the 5-foot-6 Blake got the job done just fine.

“Our number one concern when [Londot’s] not there is rebounding,” Logue said. “Scarlett did an outstanding job and I thought Shawna Blake did pretty good on defense also.”

Utica changed its offense up on Saturday. While the Redskins typically work through Londot in the post, they decided to spread the floor in her absence. This allowed Utica to use its speed and shooting ability to put pressure on Centerburg defensively.

“We opened up the floor more,” Logue said with a grin. “I mean, we dribble-drived, took the ball to the basket and kicked it out, whereas with Emily, we’ll dribble down and try to look for her and she pitches it out.”

Centerburg’s second-half woes cost them on Saturday, and now the Trojans will enter 2020 still searching for their first win of the season. Glenn said he’s been honest with his players about what it will take to right the ship.

“We’ve gotta rely on our seniors to bring the mentality that tomorrow’s never a guarantee. And we still have to understand that we’ve gotta come to work every day and try to get better…” Glenn said.

“We’re just trying to keep them positive, that’s number one. They’ve gotta understand that losing does stink, but we’re here to compete, and we need those seniors to let the younger kids know.”

Centerburg will begin 2020 with a home matchup against Worthington Christian on Thursday night. Utica will take 13 days off before heading to Northridge on Jan. 10.