Ohio started off its season with a 90-62 blowout exhibition win over Walsh Saturday afternoon. Here are three takeaways from Ohio’s dominant win.
Erica Johnson’s time
The redshirt freshman guard dominated in her debut. She finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists all while showing impressive versatility in her game. When she was expected to lead, she pushed the ball aggressively and got to the basket with ease. When she was expected to take a backseat to Cece Hooks, Amani Burke and Gabby Burris, she still found herself wide open looks and showed that she’ll be a great addition to the Bobcats, even if it took longer than she would have hoped.
“Redshirting freshman year was a very humbling year,” Johnson said. “I thought that I was good enough and ready to go as a freshman, but it just helped me figure out my weaknesses and the team’s weaknesses, and what I can do to help the team out by sitting out.”
Gabby Burris looks like a super sophomore
Burris made the All-Mid American Conference freshman team last season, and it’s looking like she’s going to build on her rookie campaign in an exciting fashion. Burris led all scorers with 18 points. She was able to get to the free throw line with ease and even had some success from the 3-point line. Despite already being a well-rounded player, Burris found a way to make all the tools in her arsenal even sharper.
“She’s improved every aspect of her game,” coach Bob Boldon said. “She’s a better driver than she was last year. She’s a better shooter than she was last year. She’s a better passer than she was last year. She’s better defensively than she was last year, and I mean she was really good last year.”
Ohio’s defense still needs some work
After giving up 82 points in last season’s matchup, the Bobcats were determined to deter the Cavaliers’ offense. The Bobcats constantly bullied the ball out of Walsh’s hands and made sure not to give open looks.
But that lasted only three quarters.
The Bobcats were outscored 25-19 by Walsh in the fourth quarter, giving Boldon flashbacks of the issues the Bobcats struggled with last season.
“We need to get way better,” Boldon said. “They exposed our defensive rotation a little bit. Our zone in the second half wasn’t real good. We need to get better at identifying where people are... and rebounding, which is always a problem and still is a problem. We hoped that we would be better at it but we’re not.”
Ohio starts its 2018-2019 regular season next Sunday at 1 p.m. against UNC Wilmington. The Bobcats went 16-15 overall and 9-9 in the MAC last year.
