Lady Bees varsity basketball team shares in conference title

by Dan Holland

The Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School girls varsity basketball team finished atop the Suburban League National Division this season in a three-way tie, sharing conference champion honors with Hudson and Twinsburg, with all three posting an 11-3 conference record. It is the Bees first conference championship since 2007.

Head coach Joe Zenir credits steady progress over the years and a “we before me” philosophy for contributing to the team’s success.

“We returned 12 of 13 kids from last season,” said Zenir. “We brought back a lot of kids with a lot of talent; we play 10 kids every game and we run up and down and get after you and share the ball a lot. Our leading scorers may not average as high as some other team’s leading scorers, but we have four or five starters who all average around 10 points per game, three starters who all average around 12 points and two more who average seven or eight.”  

A well-rounded roster and teamwork helped propel the team deep into the postseason this year, with decisive playoff wins over Cuyahoga Falls and Riverside before suffering a 61-52 loss in the regional semifinals against Green.

“We have two or three kids coming off the bench who would be starters at most other high schools, and that’s what was best for this group this year, and it’s been pretty successful,” said Zenir. “We have a lot of interchangeable parts, whereas with many teams, if you take one kid out, the team struggles. When I look at how our opponents guard us, I’m not even sure if they would agree on how to play us.”

Major wins during the regular season included sweeping conference rivals Stow and Wadsworth.

“Wadsworth has won multiple state championships over the last 25 years, so sweeping them this year was a huge victory for us,” said Zenir. “For many, many years, we had games against them that were not competitive for us, but to be able to sweep them this year, along with sweeping Stow, was huge. Stow had won or shared nine consecutive conference titles, so for us to be able to beat both schools twice was really great for us.”

“We play in a very competitive girls basketball conference,” he added. “In the Division III rankings, there are three teams in our conference that all rank in the top seven in the state.”

Starting seniors include Bridget Barber and Jessie Zenir.

“We have six seniors, which is a big senior class,” Zenir explained. “Bridget averages 12.5 points per game, and Jessie averages 11 points per game and 11 rebounds per game. Those two have really set the tone for us this season. They work year-round and helped to change the culture of the team over the years.”

Additional seniors include Emily Melcher, a Mount Union basketball commit, Ella Beach – a three-sport athlete, Brooke Weber and Keira Rossi.

“They all have vital roles on the team, and none of them complain about what those roles are,” said Zenir. “They’re all great senior leaders, and I hope they will all look back at their high school journey fondly.”

A number of underclassmen have stepped up into starting roles.

“Our other three starters are all sophomores who have really changed the culture – Adelyn Rahe, Ashley Perdion and Josalyn Hackney,” Zenir continued. “They’ve all started every game for the last two years. The five of them are all between 5’8” and 5’11”, and they can all handle the ball and shoot.”

Zenir looks to continue building on the program’s winning ways. “I’m hoping that we’ve set the foundation,” he said. “If you look at our winter sports programs at BBHHS, they’re pretty darn good – boys’ basketball, wrestling, gymnastics – and it’s nice to be mentioned among that group.”“From year to year, the goal is always for the kids to have a positive experience and to work hard and to get better every day,” he added. “We think there’s enough talent here long term that our girls basketball program can fit in with the rest of our outstanding winter sports programs.” 

Photo caption: Josalyn Hackney helps cut down the net in celebration of the team sharing in the conference title. Photo by Dan Holland.