It’s no secret that height matters in basketball, especially on defense. With greater length, a team can take up more of its opponent’s space on the court, contest shots better from range and in close and get hands in passing lanes.
Ohio is on a three-game win streak despite its tallest rotation player, Kate Dennis, standing at 6 feet, 1 inch and playing out on the perimeter on both ends. Most of Ohio’s rotation pieces fall between the range of 5-foot-10-inches and 5-foot-11-inches, making up eight of its 14 roster spots. Despite this, Ohio has been winning on the defensive end, especially against players who may be taller than anyone on the Ohio roster.
Ohio’s streak started against Eastern Michigan and 6-foot-3-inch center Tayra Eke. The proposition of playing against the Eagles’ height advantage was daunting. Eke herself had been dominant in Mid-American Conference play, averaging 13.8 points per game, 9.8 rebounds per game and 4.2 blocks per game on 65.9% shooting from the field in the five MAC games leading up to Eastern Michigan’s matchup against Ohio.
However, from almost the moment the ball was tipped off, it was evident that Ohio and coach Bob Boldon had a game plan for how to stop the interior force.
On Eke’s first post-up attempt, Kennedi Watkins battled with her down low, putting herself between Eke and the ball and getting a steal. On her second, she was able to cleanly catch the ball, but the Bobcats immediately sent three players to her with a fourth sliding down to take away a clean pass out.
For the rest of the game, clean catches in the post for Eke were tough to come by. The Bobcats sent two right at her as soon as the pass was thrown; they’d front her and back her up to the baseline, giving her little opportunity to create and a smaller window to get the pass through. Eke wouldn’t play a minute in the fourth quarter, planned out of the contest, and the Bobcats would win by 10.
Ohio would employ the same concept against Central Michigan and 6-foot-5-inch Rochelle Norris. The Chippewas came into the game with an injury-riddled roster, forcing Norris to step into a more centric role. Through the same tough interior defense, Norris was swarmed and unable to impact the game to her typical degree. Norris finished with more turnovers than field goals made and the Chippewas were only able to play her for 19 minutes.
This swarming style works for one reason in particular. Although the Bobcats don’t have exceptional length, they have exceptional quickness. Their quickness allows them to make up the ground they aren’t naturally taking up and can be a surprise for slower-footed bigs who are used to seeing help come from smaller, less imposing players.
When it came to the “Battle of the Bricks” last Saturday, Ohio faced off against its longtime rival Miami, and the team was once again facing off against a force down low. At just 6-foot-1, the Redhawks’ leading scorer, Jadyn Scott, isn’t as imposing as the massive bodies down low the Bobcats had to deal with in their previous two games. However, Scott is another player who likes to play with her back to the basket, finding windows for her short- and mid-range shots with her finesse and high release.
While Scott reached her season average against the Bobcats, with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, it was a rather unspectacular game from her where Miami struggled to get her involved, especially in the post. She finished with more turnovers than assists and fouled out, having played the fewest minutes in Miami’s starting five.
Ohio’s complex switching, toughness and quick rotations have been the key to its winning streak, taking out three conference rivals by 10 or more points consecutively. The streak has come at the perfect time, as the Bobcats embark on their toughest streak of conference play, looking to hold onto a spot in the MAC tournament.
