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Madison sophomores stepping up

Ashley Cox and Brittany Shields have major impact in Mohawks’ tournament run.

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By Skip Weaver, Staff Writer 12:46 AM Wednesday, March 17, 2010

MADISON TWP. — Basketball fans around the area know what junior Ally Malott and senior Lindsay Hoskins bring to the Madison High School girls basketball team, but some younger players also have shined for the Mohawks.

Sophomore Brittany Shields has been a starter since midway through her freshman season when she filled in for Hoskins, who suffered an injury that knocked her out of 13 games a season ago.

Another injury this year, to junior Rachel Blevins, forced sophomore Ashley Cox into the starting lineup for a Division III district final against Madeira. She’s been on the floor to begin a game for three consecutive tournament games now.

“I knew stepping in I’d have to go all out,” Cox said after practice Monday, March 15. “It’s exciting. Everyone has been so helpful and they have pushed me to be better. They are making me a better player everyday.”

Cox scored eight points against Madeira, and has six points each in the last two games against Columbus Africentric and Versailles.

“There are a lot of nerves,” Cox said. “I don’t want to mess up, but I think I’m getting a lot more comfortable with each game. Everything is becoming more routine. All the support has helped a lot.”

Shields, friends with Cox since they played basketball together in fourth grade, has tried to pull from her experiences last year to help her friend and teammate.

“We have two of the best players in Ohio on our team,” Shields said. “We know we’ve got to get them the ball.

“But Ashley and I know how each other play pretty well,” she continued. “When she posts up hard, I know to get it to her.”

In the same three-game span, Shields has scored five, eight and seven points, respectively.

“We’ve been on quite a stage, and I think they have handled everything pretty good,” Madison coach John Rossi Jr. said. “Brittany has gotten better and better all year, and Ashley has played remarkably well for only having started three games.

“They are really driven basketball players,” he added.

Rossi credited assistant coach Todd Malott getting Cox prepared for these tournament games.

“It’s very rewarding to see how she’s developed,” Rossi said. “She’s taken to heart trying to become a better player day after day and that’s how we coach here. You can see what we’ve tried to teach her is soaking in.”

Now, the sophomores will be on the biggest stage of the season when the Mohawks suit up at 1 p.m. Thursday in a D-III state semifinal at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus.

“This is very exciting,” Shields said. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before.

“It is getting more nerve-wracking now that we are at state,” she continued. “But we just have to overcome that and play as if it were just another game.”

“We’ve had unbelievable support,” Cox said. “Not only from Madison people, but from other schools, too. It feels good to know we have that much support and it makes us want to do better.”

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