Contending NL pushes through injury

NEW LONDON — Depth was always an issue. Then one devastating injury complicated everything. After playing a challenging schedule early, the New London girls basketball team had found its footing. The Wildcats competed in losses to Colonel Crawford (15-2), Norwalk (16-1) and Margaretta (14-4), but were still 1-3 after four games. But nine straight dominating wins — mostly against fellow Firelands Conference teams — had the defending league champion 'Cats riding high. Despite a roster with essentially just six players, New London had figured it out. Until a freak injury altered the course of the season. During the second quarter of an FC game vs. Mapleton on Jan. 11, junior point guard Raeann Mitchell went after a loose ball and suffered a serious knee injury. Days later, it was confirmed she had torn her ACL and meniscus near the knee. The four-sport athlete is looking at nine-plus months of recovery. And while the Wildcats (13-4, 10-0) went on to beat the Mounties (13-4, 7-3) twice, then won at Western Reserve Jan. 17 to reach 10 straight wins, things have changed. New London's win streak snapped in a 57-42 loss at Edison on Jan. 23. It rebounded to win at St. Paul, 51-29, on Jan. 25 — but head coach Eric Mitchell admitted both performances were inconsistent at best. "We know we're in a different situation with what happened to Raeann," he said. "But it's sports, and it happens to a lot of teams. You have to have the 'next person' up mentality, and right now we don't have that. It feels like we're making excuses for ourselves. "Defensively our effort is here or there … it's low and high, and I think it's why we keep making silly fouls. We didn't have depth before, and we definitely don't have it right now." Raeann Mitchell was in her third year as a starter for the 'Cats. As the primary ball handler, she averaged 4.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game. The lineup for New London featured four juniors and one senior, but now a freshman, Addison Yetter, has been added to the mix for a contending team. "We need those five girls to play most of the game, and I know it's exhausting for them," Coach Mitchell said. Junior Pailee Wilson (6-foot-1) averages 8.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game for New London, while junior guard Olivia Yetter averages 8.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Valery Henry adds 8.7 points and 4.2 rebounds, while junior classmate Gracie Thomas (5-11) adds 8.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest. The lone senior, Madison Rowland, adds 6.6 points per game. Despite the injury, New London's win streak has put it in position to win a sixth FC title. Last season, the program won its first in 22 years. The 'Cats take a two-game lead with four games remaining into Thursday's game vs. Plymouth (5-11, 4-6) and Saturday's key road game at Monroeville (12-6, 9-2). Along with a big non-league test against Perkins on Feb. 4, the Wildcats then finish with FC games at South Central (1-16, 1-10) and Crestview (8-7, 5-3). The 'Cats are also currently the No. 4 seed in the Div. VI Willard district. "Yes, we do have a little bit of a reason to be down some," Coach Mitchell said. "We just have to find a way. If we want to win the title again, we have to do a little bit better of a job than we did (on Saturday at St. Paul). "This was not our best effort today, and it kind of carries over from Wednesday at Edison." New London was dominating teams at the defensive end of the court, and Mitchell is hoping that effort on that end of the floor will help build off a 3-1 start without Raeann. New London is allowing just 27.2 points per game this season. In FC games, that number drops to just 20.6 points allowed. "I know that these girls are going through a rough time," Mitchell said. "All of us are. It's our point guard, but it's also my daughter, and she's a big part of what we do. I thought Madison stepped up huge today on the offensive end, but I'm not worried about the scoring. "We have girls who can score at an even pace. But we're asking Valery, Olivia and Madison to do a lot more ball handling than they are used to. But where we have to improve is the defensive intensity that we play with, even without Raeann being there." Mitchell's biggest message to his team is simply all their goals remain in place with the ability to cut down multiple nets. "That's something we can do if they trust the position our coaches are trying to put them in, and trust one another to go out and win a conference championship," he said. "We're going to get everyone's best effort and then some, because they know we are down a starter, too."