Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
The Gibsonburg girls basketball team features one of the state’s top players in junior guard Elly Evarts, but the program’s rise started before she even arrived.
“It's just been fun because when I took over the program seven years ago, I think we won seven games, two games, and six games,” head coach Bo Evarts said. “It was pretty rough. I knew the future was going to be bright, but back then we just hoped to win. The last couple years, we knew we could win. I think this year we can expect to win, like last year.”
The Golden Bears finished 19-6 overall last year and 17-1 in SBC play before falling to Carey in the district championship game. One season prior, they went 23-3 and made it to the regional semifinal before falling to Columbus Grove.
“We would love to get to the state level,” Evarts said. “We've had two years in a row where I think we lost at least a game earlier than we should have. Last year, we kind of wore down, and we were pretty beat up when we lost to Carey. I feel like we should have won that game. A year before, we lost to Columbus Grove in a close game, and it was the same kind of thing where I feel like if we'd have played well, we could have gone a little further there.”
Thus, Evarts has beefed up the team’s schedule this year, which included scrimmages against Perrysburg and Central Catholic, and regular season games against teams like Whitmer, Clyde, and Norwalk.
“We're not avoiding any competition,” he said. “We want to actually play better competition. I told the girls, ‘Heck, if we lose a couple games because we're playing better competition, this is a better feel for how tournament games are going to be.’ We’re trying to get ready for the postseason a little bit more than we have in years past.”
The biggest key to the team’s success revolves around Bo’s daughter, Elly, who has developed her game into a future NCAA Division I talent.
The younger Evarts has 1,127 points in just two seasons, leading the state of Ohio with 95 three-point field goals made last year. She is a two-time Sandusky Bay Conference Player of the Year and All-Ohio selection, including first-team recognition as a sophomore.
Last year, Evarts averaged 22 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.3 steals, 3.9 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game. She scored at least 30 points five times, including 36 against Old Fort and SJCC.
Over the offseason, she beefed up her training in an effort to help the team in the long haul and for a potential postseason run. The elder Evarts said his daughter is also working on getting back to attacking the rim after hyperextending her knee early last year.
“She has a very good mid-range, and she's very good at getting in the basket, but she actually had fewer foul shots her sophomore year than her freshman year, so we talked about that this year, especially against big teams and in big games,” he said. “She needs to be aggressive and get to the basket. Her shot will come from the three regardless.”
Another key to the team’s success is the return of senior Leah Hall, who missed almost all of last season due to an ACL injury. She averaged 7.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.7 steals, and 1.7 assists as a sophomore.
“She has worked hard to be 100 percent ready for this year, and she has done a great job already during our pre-season. She gives us an extra dimension as a leader and contributor to our team.”
Hall was able to return for the team’s last two tournament games, and her full-time return will help diversify the team’s ability to handle the ball outside of Evarts.
“You can tell she's a senior when she's out there,” Evarts said. “Even in some of our scrimmages this year, she just seems more under control and just calm. Elly obviously has the ball in her hand a lot. One of the things we struggle with sometimes when Elly’s not in there for some reason, or if she would happen to get into foul trouble, is that we have a hard time with some of our guards handling the ball pressure. Leah, with her size, she can handle it, and she's probably our next best ball handler on our team right now.”
Another key returner is senior Emily Henderson, who Evarts said took a big step forward and helped the team quite a bit last year.
“She's a very good rebounder, and she's working on finishing,” he said. “If she can finish more consistently, she's going to be really good. Now that she's a senior, she's starting to believe in herself. She had a really good summer. She played AAU for the first time, and it shows. She's very confident.”
Emma Jividen, a junior guard who has been a varsity player since her freshman year, also returns as an important presence from long distance.
“She's gotten a lot more consistent now,” Evarts said. “She's a little stronger, and she'll get some open looks, especially with Elly finding her. Her ball handling still needs work a little bit. She’s usually our point guard when Elly’s not in there. She's done a nice job.”
Outside of that group, the Golden Bears will also feature players such as sophomore Ava Dawson, senior Taylor Rapp, and sophomore Mackenzie Muntz.
Along with another senior, Bree Gamble, Evarts believes his team should excel on the glass.
“All four seniors have size, and they all can rebound,” Evarts said. “In years past, and without Leah last year, we relied on a couple girls here and there. Elly is a very good offensive rebounder. Even Emma, who's like five foot one, can rebound well. I just think we'll limit teams to one or two shots. That's going to be something we don't have to worry about this year.
“And then we're really aggressive defensively. We’re getting better and better. That's what we want our identity to be this year. We know we can score. We know we'll get our points here and there, but we want to work on our defense. We feel like our defensive identity will get us further in the tournament this year.”
No matter how far Gibsonburg advances this year, the product on the court will be exciting, and Evarts loves the support of the community.
“Our community support has been pretty amazing,” he said. “We went from having probably 50 fans in the stands to now we almost sold out a game a year ago against Danbury. It’s crazy that girls basketball now is relevant. On Friday nights, they have tons of fans. It’s just cool. The girls get to see that and experience that.”
