2020-2021 Conference Preview: Suburban League (National)

The Suburban League – National Division is an athletic conference spanning schools from Medina, Summit and Cuyahoga Counties. The high schools comprising the league include Brecksville-Broadview Heights, Cuyahoga Falls, Hudson, North Royalton, Nordonia, Stow-Munroe Falls, Twinsburg and Wadsworth. <strong>5 Players to Watch:</strong> (schools are as of last year – unless PGH is 100% certain that a player has enrolled elsewhere) [player_tooltip player_id="212628" first="Maggie" last="Long"] - 5’7 Guard - Wadsworth - Class of 2021 Lilee Carlson - 5’7 Guard - Stow - Class of 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="159030" first="Madison" last="Cluse"] - 5’11 Forward - Nordonia - Class of 2021 Jada Austin - 5’4 Guard - Twinsburg - Class of 2021 Ali Menendez - 5’4 Guard - Hudson - Class of 2022 <strong>4 Thoughts:</strong> Although the National side of the Suburban League is always tough to call, Stow seems to be the pre-season favorite after an outstanding campaign last winter. Bob Podges’ squad is led by the reigning league Player of the Year, guard Lilee Carlson. The high-scoring guard is joined in the backcourt by the talented Bella Adams, while Stow also returns impressive forward Kristen Chmielewski and the ultra-athletic Ellie McCoy. Nordonia has positioned themselves nicely to challenge Stow for the league crown. They have battled injuries in recent years, so health will be an especially major thing to keep an eye on as the conference race plays out. [player_tooltip player_id="159030" first="Madison" last="Cluse"] is the ultimate mis-match, with the point-forward ability to score inside and out. Classmates Hallie Majoros and Kennedy Syllaba give the Knights a trio that rivals most in Northeast Ohio. It would be silly to ignore the success that Wadsworth has had over the years - they always need mentioned in the Suburban National discussion, even if they are young. [player_tooltip player_id="212628" first="Maggie" last="Long"] is a highly-skilled combo-guard who is more than capable of leading her team in big games. Ciena Matheny brings experience and the ability to score the basketball. [player_tooltip player_id="212891" first="Regan" last="Simpson"], Celia Lambert and freshman [player_tooltip player_id="217338" first="Brooke" last="Baughman"] should all play a part in any successes that the Grizzlies have this winter. If you believe that guards win high school basketball games, Twinsburg could win a lot of basketball games this year. The Tigers have a trio of all-conference perimeter players - including Jada Austin, Alana Ellis and Logan Pride. If they can rebound the ball and defend the rim - they may play the role of spoiler in the season’s final games. <strong>3 Big Games:</strong> Twinsburg @ Nordonia on December 2nd Wadsworth @ Stow on December 9th Stow @ Nordonia on January 27th <strong>2 Fun Facts:</strong> Nordonia has a pair of NCAA Division I commits in [player_tooltip player_id="159030" first="Madison" last="Cluse"] (Miami of Ohio) and Hallie Majoros (Wisconsin Milwaukee). The Knights won some big games last winter, including victories over Hoover, Buchtel, South Range, Wadsworth, Highland, Cuyahoga Falls, St. Vincent St. Mary’s and Strongsville - but couldn’t get over the hump against Stow. There are a number of other outstanding players returning in the National division of the Suburban League. Lilly Wiglusz from Brecksville-Broadview Heights is back to lead her team, as is Ali Menendez - who, although she is usually one of the shortest girls on the court, is always one of the most skilled and productive in games that Hudson plays. <strong>1 League Champion Prediction:</strong> Stow