In the fourth quarter, senior guard Jen Mohney took a hit to the chin that looked like nothing more than a cut with minor bleeding. She sat out the remaining minutes, but as her situation worsened it became clear she would need medical attention.

 

Coach Julie Solis and others tried to keep Mohney conscious as they anxiously waited for the Hudson EMS to arrive. Mohney was taken to the ambulance as her teammates looked on tearfully.

 

Mohney, who scored 11 points for the Tigers, suffered from a concussion a few weeks ago when Twinsburg played in the Classic in the Country tournament against Dayton Chaminade-Julienne. With another head injury, the Tigers may be looking at finishing the season without one of their starters.

 

Mohney’s first concussion kept her out for the Tigers' win against Brunswick the next week. Solis said while her team still won, having one of her leading scorers missing definitely affected the team.

 

In their matchup against Hudson, Mohney scored 11 Tigers points.

 

Sophomore Malina Howard took over, scoring 31 points for Twinsburg.

 

The fast-paced game left the Tigers up by 12 at the half, but a 10-4 run by Hudson in the third quarter allowed the Explorers to begin reeling in their opponents. By the end of the third quarter, the Tigers' lead was down to six.

 

The crowd’s energy picked up at the start of the final quarter as it was still anyone’s game. Solis credited senior Hillary Southworth and her block against Hudson as the turning point in the game.

 

“She definitely changed the momentum of the game,” Solis said. “Malina had a great game, but I think Hillary’s emotion on the floor and that senior leadership down the stretch after that block really turned it around.”

 

Solis said she encourages her athletes to show emotion on the court, adding that it’s an important part of the game.

 

“Any time you’re playing a team like Hudson that’s well-coached and their kids just play hard, you expect things like that,” Solis said of the fast-paced nature of the game. “They apparently wanted to do their thing and push the ball and that’s our thing too. I told the girls at halftime, though, that sometimes when things get chaotic we need to be the ones that step back and start walking it up the floor.”

 

The Tigers' next matchup is against Strongsville on Feb. 10.