Erica Johnson wobbled off the court with one arm over assistant coach Marwan Miller and another over a trainer. She was smiling through the pain to hide the frustration that her nagging knee injury, which caused her to miss five games, was flaring up at the worst time.
Ohio led Ball State by two points with 53.2 seconds remaining during Wednesday night’s Mid-American Conference Tournament Quarterfinal. Johnson had given her all. She deserved to rest. Johnson, however, believed she’d rested enough.
“I wanted to get back out there because I knew my teammates needed me,” Johnson said. “If I couldn’t go back out there, there was no doubt in my mind they could hold it down...but I wanted to be out there in the fight.”
Johnson ultimately rose off the bench for one last defensive stand, capping off her 19-point second half that led No. 3 Ohio to a 61-59 victory over No.6 Ball State at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.
With the win, Ohio (14-7, 11-6 MAC) moves on to the MAC Tournament Semifinals, where it’ll meet No.2 seeded Central Michigan on Friday. Johnson’s recovery over the next 36 hours will play a major role in the Bobcats’ chances against the Chippewas.
It’s unlikely Johnson will be 100%, but she has to get as close to it as possible.
Johnson’s knee bothered her throughout the entirety of Wednesday's game, mostly in the first half. Her rhythm was all off. She didn’t make a shot, she was slow up the court and Ball State took advantage. At the half, Ball State led 27-23.
Up to that point, Ohio guard, MAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year CeCe Hooks was doing all she could to keep Ohio in the game. Ball State’s defense was crafty and continuously made Hooks settle for 3-pointers, one of the weaker elements of her game.
With Hooks slowing down, somebody was going to have to come through for Ohio or the Bobcats would be sent packing. Johnson wasn’t ready to go back to Athens.
In the third quarter alone, Johnson hit four 3-pointers. She barely had the mobility to take her defender off the dribble but her soft touch was back. And while the Bobcats cheered at the re-emergence of their star, the Ball State sideline groaned.
“She hit a couple stepbacks that were stupid,” Ball State coach Brady Sallee said after the game. “You’ve got to tip her hat to her for hitting those shots because she’s a great player.”
Even though Sallee didn’t forget how dangerous Johnson could be, the redshirt junior had to remind everyone Wednesday night that she is still one of the best players in the conference. It was difficult for her and Ohio coach Bob Boldon to keep her out throughout the final stretch of the regular season.
Boldon had a plan, though. And now it’s coming to fruition.
“There was a plan in place a month ago to get her to this day,” Boldon said. “We knew we would have to make some sacrifices along the way.”
Those sacrifices included losing out on the opportunity for MAC accolades. Johnson considered herself blessed to be selected to the MAC All-Conference Third Team yet on a regular year she should be in the running for Player of the Year. None of that matters as Ohio makes another run at a MAC Championship.
So when Johnson was finally cleared off her minutes restriction by the team doctor Tuesday, she knew that she had to make the week count; despite the pain.
“With me being on a minutes restriction during the Miami game, I thought I could never get going,” Johnson said. “Without that minutes restriction came those first half misses but I could grind it out and get back into the flow of the game.”
And flow she did.
Johnson said that the pain in her knee was with her for all 36 minutes she played, but once she found her rhythm, her confidence took her mind off the aches. She was able to once again play without worry.
“Erica’s third quarter is what Erica does,” Boldon said. “She did it in Cleveland two years ago, the Friday game against Miami she was spectacular. Last year against Western (Michigan) she was spectacular. That’s just who she is, she lives for these moments.”
Johnson hopes her third try at a MAC title will be the one that finally ends with Ohio hoisting the trophy. Two seasons ago, Ohio lost in the championship game. A year later, the tournament was canceled the day after their quarterfinal win over the Broncos.
Johnson’s not going to let another thing stand in her or the Bobcats way.
“Last year was our year,” Johnson said. “We were rocking, we were rolling, we were figuring it out...It was unfortunate that COVID hit and just spiraled out of control. We’ve got set on now knowing that we’ve been dealing with this pandemic for almost a year now. Things are a little bit set in stone and the future is a little more promising. It’s in our hands. It’s not in anybody else’s hands, so we’ve just got to get it done.”
