Avon Lake girls basketball: Shoregals defensive stopper Izzie Polinko leads charge for transformed gameplay

SANDUSKY — Avon Lake had a strong senior class in its 2023-24 district semifinal run. Now, it is time for the Class of 2025 to take that step forward.

Led by highly touted defensive stopper Izzie Polinko, the Shoregals are prepared to evolve their game, as they present a mix of new and experienced talent.

“I am really excited about this year, because I knew that I would have to step up and be a leader on this team,” Polinko said. “It is really exciting, because we haven’t really played with the new girls, who are really young this year.”

Avon Lake coach Paul Appel was not in attendance for the 2024 Girls Basketball Midwest Live on June 14, which allowed assistant Mike Hrusch to fill in.

“We wanted to make progress. We know that we have a veteran team back, but it is also a new team. We are learning some new stuff, offensively and defensively,” Hrusch said. “We are putting people in new roles. We wanted to see how they did on this stage. I thought our kids played hard today, but we still have a lot of details to work out.”

Polinko is one of three seniors, along with teammates Bre Jones and Olivia Tobin. Avon Lake will spend June in the Berea-Midpark Summer League, as well as the Midwest Live, and plan on making the most of its experience.

“Olivia Tobin is really good on offense, knows the game and works with other players,” Polinko said. “Bre Jones is really good at rebounding and can put points on the board. I think that we are confident in our knowledge of the game.”

Avon Lake went up against Medina Highland and won, but also lost a close game to Toledo Start. It will have a doubleheader against Chippewa (Division III regional finalist) and Gahanna Lincoln (9-14) on June 15.

“I think (The Midwest Live) is huge to get us started and get us better,” Polinko said. “We are playing teams that we normally would not play in the summer league. This lets our team come together.”

Avon Lake (19-5, 11-3 in Southwestern Conference) had the taste of success for the past two years, with trips to a district final in 2023 and district semifinal in 2024 and even contended for the SWC championship.

“Everybody knows about Izzie (Polinko). She is our defensive stopping point guard,” Hrusch said. “She is still going to do those things. We are going to be a little bit more aggressive when she has the ball to get the offense going.”

The Shoregals graduated four seniors: Jane Ritt, Maya Austerman, Claire Springer and Marrisa Summerfield.

“I think it starts with our senior class,” Hrusch said. “We have a lot of girls that have played a lot of basketball since their sophomore year. We are looking for those girls to step up. We also have some really good and deep talent coming up.

Summerfield was a Division I All-Ohio honorable mention that averaged 7.4 points per game and was named third-team Division I Northeast Lakes All-District.

She was also Avon Lake’s top ball handler. Since her departure, Polinko (first-team All-SWC) is one of several upcoming seniors to take the leadership position. She plans to use the model that the Class of 2024 used in its two-year run.

“It’s going to be about finding her leadership style. Normally, she leads by example, but we are going to ask her to use her voice a little bit,” Hrusch said.

Polinko will be given the task to show more assertiveness on offense. As the team’s top perimeter defender, she wants to show that she can lead on offense as well, even if it’s outside her comfort zone.

“I’ve always been more on the defensive end. I think that I can do more on offense. I think that I need to stay more confident when I am driving and taking more shots,” she said.