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GARRETTSVILLE -- Having one player the caliber of Molly Howard would make most high school girls basketball teams a legitimate contender.
The problem when facing the McDonald Blue Devils is also trying to find a way to stop her twin sister, Maddy Howard, and the rest of their senior-laden squad.
It was Maddy who got off to the hot start as McDonald moved past Garfield, 65-47, on Wednesday in Garrettsville.
Maddy Howard scored six points in the opening frame to help the Blue Devils take a 15-8 lead after one quarter. It was Molly once again who led the way with a team-high 17 points.
Molly Howard scored her 1,000th career point earlier this season in a victory on the road over rival Western Reserve. She got a rebound and went coast-to-coast for the finish while being fouled.
"I drove down the left side," she said. "I took advantage of the height difference (Molly Howard is 5-foot-10). I took it right to the hoop and got an and-one. It was so exciting. (Scoring 1,000 points) has been a goal of mine since I can remember starting to play basketball. I would tell my dad when I'd walk in the gym how my name is going to be up on the 1,000-point wall. For it now to become a reality is just insane to me. It just shows that hard work can get you to the places you want to be."
She also excels off the court with a 3.95 GPA.
She was awarded the WYTV Student Athlete of the Week earlier this season and will continue her basketball career at Indiana University of Pennsylvania next year on a full scholarship.
She was on her game Wednesday, too. Molly swished a 3-pointer early in the second, but Garfield kept things interesting. Grace Mills (13 points) went flying down the court and scored. Her teammate, Jenna Smith (game-high 24 points), went to work underneath. Smith scored 14 of Garfield's 20 first-half points, but McDonald led 30-20 at the break.
"Playing a quality team, late in the season, is good for both of us," Garfield (11-3) coach Aaron Gilbert said. "You want to play good teams to see how good you are. McDonald is deep. They're a regional team with everybody back. We're leading our league. We want to win it. This shows us what we have to improve on to do that."
McDonald (11-2) has earned a number-one seed in the upcoming tournament. They showed why against the G-Men.
Brooke Lewis nailed one from downtown and was all over the boards like she has been all season. Lucia Wolford had a steal and a lay-in. Molly Howard made another 3-pointer, and the Blue Devils led 43-30 heading to the fourth.
"We were happy to win this one," McDonald coach Tony Matisi said. "We want the good, hard teams before the tournament to prepare us. The setup is different this year. Hopefully, if we get there, we'll see Western Reserve in the regionals. The good thing about being a number-one seed is all our games will be at home.
"Our defensive pressure set the tone for us tonight. Taylor Tuchek did a heck of a job slowing down Grace Mills, who is a great player. Molly Howard makes us go. She leads the way, shooting inside and out. She drives to the hoop so well. She's tough to defend."
She proved it by falling flat on her face, immediately getting up and drilling her third 3-pointer. Then, she tossed in a hook shot in front of the basket. Sophia Costantino (13 points) helped McDonald extend the advantage, and she is set to become the next member of McDonald's 1,000-point club.
"Sophia is about 20 points away," Molly Howard said. "We're really excited about it. We knew Garfield was good, so we had to step up defensively. This was a statement game for us."