NL made history in comeback win

Raeann Mitchell didn't flinch. After three Mapleton defenders swarmed around her in the closing seconds, the New London senior refused to give up the basketball with an emphatic pivot. When she split two free throws with just 0.2 seconds left, Mitchell then ran to her cousin, teammate Gracie Thomas, screaming in celebration. On a night the Wildcats needed everything from all six players who saw the floor, there was no panic. Just history. New London (17-3, 12-0) rallied from an eight-point deficit midway through the third quarter by outscoring the host Mounties (15-4, 10-2) by 15 points over the final 12 minutes in the 47-40 win Tuesday night. The win clinched at least a share of a third straight Firelands Conference title for New London, the No. 23-ranked team in Division VI according to MaxPreps. New London joins Crestview (1995-97, 2020-22) and Western Reserve (2009-13, 2017-19) as the lone programs to win at least three straight FC titles in a row. Further, the Wildcats enter this Friday's game vs. South Central (4-15, 1-11) on a 41-game winning streak in conference play. That is the longest such streak in the history of girls basketball in the league and the second-longest between boys and girls. Western Reserve's boys program won 46 straight FC games from 2018 to 2023. New London has an all-senior starting five with Mitchell, Valery Henry, Olivia Yetter, Pailee Wilson, and Gracie Thomas. Sophomore Addison Yetter is typically the lone player off the bench. When the senior group were freshmen, they were entering a program that was coming off a 1-21 season. "They are reaping the benefits of what hard work is," NL head coach Eric Mitchell said of his team. "They've bought into it. I'm hard and demanding, but I love these girls and have coached them since they were in the fourth grade. They've never wavered. They are competitors and multi-sport athletes. "More importantly, they are tremendous young women who are going to be successful," he added. "But to take over a one-win program, there are a lot of miles on their feet, and they're not done. Credit Mapleton for their effort tonight. But our girls have been here before, and that's just senior leadership." The win over the Mounties showed New London's versatility among its starting five. In the first meeting on Jan. 3 in New London, the Wildcats grabbed an early lead and turned away the Mounties behind a combined 29 points from Wilson (6-foot-1) and Thomas (5-11) in the 51-40 win. But on Tuesday, those two combined for nine points. Instead, the 'Cats turned to their returning All-Ohioan, Henry. She scored 11 points in the third quarter en route to a game-high 19 to help New London take control. Olivia Yetter then buried a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to close an 18-4 run for a 36-30 lead after three quarters. "I can't say much more about the effort and the way Valery stepped up in the third quarter," Eric Mitchell said. "That's memorable stuff. That's the type of performance you'll always remember. "She took over that game. We know she has it in her when she plays within herself. And she did right there and it paid dividends for us." Henry leads the team in scoring at 12.1 points per game. She adds 5.3 rebounds and two assists per contest. Thomas averages 9.6 points and 8.5 rebounds, while Wilson adds 7.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and leads the team defensively with 1.4 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. Olivia Yetter enters Friday averaging 7.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, and Raeann Mitchell contributes 6.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. Because of that balance, all five starters have led New London in scoring at some point this season. The Wildcats have had a player reach 20 points in only four of the 20 games so far, which was Henry three times and Thomas once. Conversely, NL's leading scorer has scored under 15 points in 13 of the other 16 games. "I won't trade my girls for anyone because we're so balanced," Eric Mitchell said. "We don't have those eye-popping numbers. We've had a different leading scorer quite a few times. But in crunch time, we go to Valery. "She's put in the work. There is a reason she's given herself a chance to play at the next level, and I thought it really showed in the second half." In Div. VI, New London is second behind Margaretta (18-1) in Group B for the Northwest District RPI rankings. The statewide tournament draw is this Sunday. Potential district sites include Napoleon or Fremont Ross. In non-league play, NL has taken losses to the Polar Bears, who are ranked No. 1 in the state in Div. VI, along with Norwayne (15-2), which is ranked No. 7 in Div. V and played for the state championship last season. The Wildcats also fell to Div. VI No. 16 Colonel Crawford (16-2). They have wins over Div. III No. 19 Norwalk (15-5) and Div. VI No. 26 Bucyrus Wynofrd (14-5), both of which came on the road. "They are coached in a way that we are never satisfied, and they accept that," Eric Mitchell said. "And it's why they excel. It's not me or the coaches; it's them. I do the easy stuff, and they go out and do the hard stuff." In 2023, NL lost by just two points and four points, respectively, in a pair of losses to eventual FC champion Western Reserve. The three-year anniversary of the last defeat, 32-28 in Collins, was on Wednesday (Feb. 4, 2023). Those are the only two FC defeats in four years ahead of Friday's game vs. South Central, and a Feb. 10 game vs. Crestview (11-7, 6-3). "We told the girls to think back to when they were freshmen," Mitchell said. "They were six points away from possibly winning four conference titles. When things got tight (Tuesday), it was time for them to lock in. "And give credit to the fans from both sides for this environment on a Tuesday night in February when it's cold and snowy outside," he added. "The place was rocking. If you can't get ready to play in this, then there is something wrong with you. I think both sides fed off the crowd, and we're just thankful our team got it done in a hostile environment."