The girls varsity basketball team knew that winning a Divisional game against Solon on Feb. 4 was imperative if the Bulldogs wanted to clinch the Northeast Ohio Conference Valley Division title for the 2014-15 season.

In the first quarter of the game, Stow lead the game 15-2. Solon took advantage of some foul trouble by Stow late in the game to finish regulation tied at 58-58. Solon would go on to win 71-67 in double overtime.

“We had Chrissie [Vaughan] and Morgan [Thompson] foul out,” Coach Podges said in an interview with Michael Leonard. “It was a very physical game. It was a well-played game. Our younger kids had a hard time with some of the Solon pressure. We had some rushed shots and some turnovers [in the fourth quarter] that allowed them to get back in the game.”

For the first time all season, Stow worked out of a 2-2-1 zone defensively. The game could not have begun much better for the team, with their 13 point lead after the first quarter.

“We did some things differently on defense,” Podges said. “We tried to take the driving lanes away from them.”

The changes worked to a par, as seen in their 13-point lead.

Even after Solon’s offense made adjustments to the zone defense put on by Stow, the Comets couldn’t find a way back into the game and put some points up on offense.

The Bulldogs still led 30-20 at halftime and 47-35 after three quarters.

The trouble for Stow started early in the fourth quarter, when Vaughan fouled out with about five minutes to go in regulation.

With the Bulldogs’ starting point guard sidelined, Solon’s full-court pressure defense went into attack mode.

“They did the same thing they always have done,” Podges said. “We had to make some adjustments with some of our young kids on the floor. Obviously, we don’t spend a lot of time practicing zone, either. So not all of our kids were fully prepared.”

Things got worse for Stow in the following minutes. During a scramble on the floor for ball, Thompson got hit her face on the gym floor and lost a tooth.

Thompson returned to the game in overtime but would foul out in the first minutes.

Despite the loss of two starting guards, Stow was able to hang on and force overtime again and limit Solon to four points; however, Solon out-scored Stow 9-4 in the second overtime to claim the win.

Vaughan and Thompson led Stow with 16 points each. Fellow senior guard Sam Shaver scored 14 points.

Despite the loss, Podges said he was happy with his team’s effort.

“I’m very pleased with what we did,” Podges said. “When we have our whole team on the floor, we showed what we can do now. We’ve been playing very good ball since Jan. 1 against some very good teams. It prepared us last night to go to the tournament.”

Podges notes Solon is “pretty well set” to claim the Valley Division crown after beating Stow Feb. 4 and smashing Mentor 72-40 Jan. 31.

In yet another overtime-thriller, the Stow Lady bulldogs capped off their regular season play with a come-behind victory over the Mentor Cardinals in dramatic fashion.

The Lady Bulldogs took on the Mentor Cardinals, Feb. 18 at home, after coming off a big win at Hudson the past Saturday. With three seniors eager to finish their regular season strong on senior night, and Stow’s head coach, Bob Podges absent from the game for personal reasons, it was set to be an interesting night for both players and fans.

Stow came out with their worst performance all year. Poor shot selection, turnovers and lack of defense led to the Bulldogs falling behind 20-2 at the end of the first quarter. It looked as if it could be a long night for Stow.

The second quarter brought hope back to the Bulldogs. An early three pointer by junior Colleen Taylor gave Stow their first field goal of the night. From there, Stow out scored Mentor 17-9 and went into the half down by a deficit of 19-29.

The Bulldogs continued to out score Mentor 19-9 in the third, cutting the deficit to 35-38 to close the quarter.

The fourth quarter brought Stow their first lead of the night after a three pointer by senior Chrissie Vaughn brought the score to 44-43 with 4:20 left to go. Mentor continued to fight as the lead went back and forth between the two teams.

A three pointer by senior Morgan Thompson tied the game at 49-49 with one minute to go. Mentor hit a three of their own and gave them a 48-51 lead with 14 seconds left. Staying out of her slump and continuing her hot streak, Thompson drilled a clutch three pointer with seconds left to tie the game, sending it into overtime.

After outscoring Mentor 16-13 in the fourth, Stow carried their momentum into overtime, tightening their defensive pressure and forcing turnovers. A three pointer from Vaughn followed by a steal kept, the Bulldog’s possession with 1:50 to go.

Open opportunities for Mentor were missed, and with a last second heave at the buzzer failing to find the bottom of the net, the Stow Lady Bulldogs somehow overcame the large deficit and defeated the Mentor Cardinals on senior night 57-55.

Thompson finished with a Stow high 18 points, followed by Vaughn, with 17 points.

With the victory over Mentor, Stow closed their regular season play with a record of 15-7. They will begin their post season play at 1 p.m. on Feb. 21, at home against Massillon Perry.

The Comets of Solon high school flew through James G. Tyree Gymnasium on Feb. 4, but were not able to leave without a fight.

In a game filled with large comebacks, lost teeth, and double overtime, it was certainly a night to remember for Stow and Solon fans alike.

The two teams have already met up once this year, resulting in a loss for Stow, leading to a Bulldog team looking for revenge on their home court.

That revenge seemed to be apparent the first quarter when the Bulldogs took control of the game, pulling ahead with a 15-2 lead. Senior Chrissie Vaughn was leading the way for Stow, scoring the first five points and more to follow. Stow’s defensive dynamics contained any sort of Solon offense, forcing turnovers and causing early frustration for the Comets.

Stow’s first quarter strengths carried over into the second quarter, but the Comets presence was beginning to felt. Solon’s shots began to fall, but they still could not stop the offensive game of seniors Morgan Thompson, Sam Shaver and Vaughn. The Bulldogs led 33-20 at the half.

The third quarter held a constant level of defensive and offensive aggression for both teams. Stow continued to hold off Solon and took the score to 50-35 lead in favor of Stow, going into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter started the collapse of Stow’s night, and the rise of Solon’s comeback. Stow began to settle for poor shots and gave up many turnovers which Solon took full advantage of. Cutting the deficit to one point with 1:54 left to go, Stow began to panic with the ball. With the scored tied 58-58 Solon scored a layup at the buzzer, but was quickly waved off by the referee, sending the game into its first overtime.

Solon showed signs of taking over the game in overtime, but a three-pointer from Thompson with 11 seconds left on the clock gave Stow a 62-60 lead. Lack of defense allowed Solon to drive right to the rim and tie the game at 62-62 sending it into its second overtime.

The second overtime held the most intensity of any other time during the night. Questionable calls from referees brought some parents to anger, and with both teams in the double bonus, free throws were very valuable for victory. Solon began taking control of the game, but the Bulldogs would keep them within reach. With seconds left on the clock,  a potential game tying three pointer by a Stow player was missed, and the clock ran out to zero, ending the long and exciting night with a score in favor of Solon 67-71.

The girls basketball team proved a bulldog can brave the cold of the winter better than any polar bear.

The Lady Bulldogs went up against the Jackson Polar Bears on Jan. 21, extending their winning streak to five games and an overall record of 9-5.

The now 10-7 Polar Bears could not keep up with the fast-paced style of play the Bulldogs brought to the court, and early turnovers allowed Stow to capitalize on their mistakes. The end of the first quarter was controlled by Stow, who claimed a 16-5 lead.

The second quarter revealed a more offensively aggressive, patient Jackson team. The momentum shifted as Jackson went on a run to tie the game with 2:30 left on the clock. Back to back three pointers from Stow’s senior Morgan Thompson, and Jackson players, led to a tied ballgame going into the half with a score of 24-24.

Jackson’s momentum carried over to the third quarter where Stow’s sloppy offense and poor shot selection allowed Jackson to pull ahead with a 36-43 lead going into the last quarter.

The fourth quarter started in favor of Jackson, as they used their lead and the clock to their advantage. The momentum took a turn in favor of Stow though, as they began to chop away at Jackson’s lead.

A floater by senior Sam Shaver followed by three pointers by sophomore Kelly Fenwick and Thompson cut the deficit to one with 3:36 left to go. Jackson began to fall apart, as a steal by Thompson followed by a layup by Shaver gave the Bulldogs the lead.

The score remained close and with under a minute left, Stow trailed behind.

With three seconds left in regulation, and the scored tied at 57-57, Stow fouled and sent a Jackson player to the free throw line, where she went on to miss both shots and sent the game into overtime.

In overtime, Stow’s defensive game was forcing turnovers by Jackson, for which Stow’s offensive game benefited from.

Stow became patient with the ball, and with the clock on their side, were able to run the time down until Jackson had no option but to foul.

The Lady Bulldogs went on to defeat the Jackson Polar Bears in overtime 66-65. Thompson led all scorers on the night with 19 points followed by senior Chrissie Vaughn with 13 points of her own.

The girls basketball team will try to extend their winning streak to six games as they take on the Twinsburg Tigers at home Jan. 24 at 7 p.m.