Norwalk embraces regional return

Four years ago, it was known as "benergy." Norwalk girls basketball seniors Trinity Lazzara and Delaney Illuzzi were among those along for the ride as freshmen when the program had its greatest season in school history. In that 2022-23 season, the Truckers won their second-ever district championship and first-ever regional game before falling to Bryan in the Division II Elite Eight with a 23-4 record. In the two seasons that followed, Norwalk went 39-10 overall and won the program's first-ever league title a year ago. However, a Sweet 16 return didn't materialize. Now, one year after falling a game shy, the Truckers (19-6) are back in the regional semifinals for a third time. They take on Toledo Notre Dame (14-10) at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Elida Fieldhouse. "It was really special, honestly," Lazzara recalled about dressing as a freshman for the tournament run. "My role was what we called 'benergy.' I took that role to heart, and I loved being that person. "That's why I'm so grateful for my bench energy players. You do want to play, but I was excited to know maybe I'd get that chance one day. I just knew and felt I was going to be back here." Norwalk got back to the regionals with a third district championship thanks to a big performance from Lazzara. Her game-tying shot with five seconds left forced the game into overtime, where Norwalk finished off a 51-43 win over Elida on Feb. 28 at Columbus Grove High School. "It's a great feeling," Illuzzi said. "Our freshman year, when we did the same thing, I and Trin were on JV. But being able to travel with them was amazing because they took us in. "We were part of the bench energy. To participate in it now as a senior is one of the greatest blessings." The Truckers are facing a Toledo Notre Dame program that is among the most accomplished in recent memory at the state level. The Eagles have been to the state semifinals nine times since 2012, including last season, and reached two championship games in that stretch. Notre Dame is led by 5-foot-7 senior guard Kallie Thames. She averages 13.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. She was the OHSBCA District 7 Player of the Year. Her junior teammate, Brooklyn Armstead (5-6), averages 9.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest. Armstead scored 17 points in a 48-30 win over Celina in a district title game last weekend. The Eagles held Celina to just nine points in the second half. "Just hearing Notre Dame speaks for itself with the success they have had," Norwalk head coach Kyle Brubaker said. "Thames is dominant and can hurt you in a lot of different ways. She prefers to get to the rim and finish with contact, but she can also get hot behind the three-point line and is who makes them go. "And Armstead can flat out shoot it, like she did against Celina," he added. "She did a great job getting to her spots in transition and getting lost behind the three-point line and getting open looks. But then they just have athletes. I know they like to try and pressure, and I'm sure they will try and do that to us as well. They've played a great schedule and tight competition all year long." But Norwalk was also tested and has 11 wins over teams with a winning record. The Truckers have played nine teams that have won 15 or more games. Eight of the 20 different teams the Truckers faced this season played in district championships. Bellevue (26-0), Margaretta (24-1), and Elyria Catholic (18-6) — who account for four of their six defeats — are also still playing this week. After losing to Bellevue by a 65-13 score on Jan. 2, the Truckers hung tough with the defending Div. IV state champions in the rematch. The 46-33 loss on Feb. 6 is Bellevue's third-closest win and by far the closest SBC Lake victory this season. "It feels amazing to be back in this situation," said Norwalk junior starter Alyssa Gruhlke, who finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in two district wins. "We were playing for a lot that night against Bellevue and wanted to win, and we gave our all and showed ourselves something. "It was a fun game. Everything that surrounded the game and the way we played as a team helped us a lot." To play toe-to-toe with Notre Dame for the four quarters, Brubaker said he will need the "Ashland version" of his team. That reference is to Norwalk's dominant 50-20 win over the Arrows (20-4) in a district semifinal on Feb. 24 at Buckeye Central. "You can tell in our preparation and pregame that there is a different energy, and it's tangible and you can feel it, and the confidence is really high," Brubaker said. "The trick, though, is we can't have our highest confidence when things are breaking our way all the time. "When you're playing good teams, that won't always happen. We need that confidence to remain high, even if the other team goes on a run. Which, at the regional level, you know a team is going to go on a run against you. We just need to stay in that frame of mind, and not when we're on a big run ourselves." Lazzara, who had 38 points on 15-of-27 shooting in the two district wins, is averaging 12.8 points per game. She adds 4.3 rebounds and four assists per game. Junior Emmie Leber averages 12.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Also for the Truckers, freshman Jo Jackson averages 8.8 points and 7.1 rebounds. Gruhlke adds 4.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. "We lost a senior class that had a lot of intangibles and a 22-3 record that we knew would be difficult to replace," Brubaker said. "With this group, we were curious how we'd handle bumps in the road against a schedule like that. And to this team's credit, we are playing better at the end of the year. "They rose to the challenge of the coaches holding them to a higher standard, and I think we've gotten tougher along the way mentally and physically."