Snyder key for Polar Bears

ADA, Ohio — When the Polar Bears need something done, chances are they’re going to ask Joanna Snyder to do it.
She is their steady, guiding force. She’s second on the team in scoring, having reached double figures in every game except one. She’s also their No. 2 rebounder, and best post defender.
When the Ohio Northern University women’s basketball team needed a hoop Wednesday in a tight game against Wilmington, Snyder was there to deliver. And she led a 23-4 run to open the game Saturday as ONU stayed undefeated in Ohio Athletic Conference play with a win over John Carroll.
The 2009 Fort Recovery High School graduate is one of the big reasons why the Polar Bears are ranked eighth in the country in Division III and are in position to win their first OAC title in more than two decades.
“I think a lot of it comes with experience,” said Snyder of her success this season. “In my fourth year out there I’m very confident. I feel good when I’m out there.
“Our team is really good, that’s a huge part of it — the fact that all of my teammates are so good. They can’t double team. They can’t just concentrate on me, or Cenzie (Yoder), or Morgan Dumbaugh all the time. … That opens up looks for all of us.”
Snyder has been a constant for the Polar Bears (16-1, 10-0 OAC), whose only loss of the season came by three points to seventh-ranked Washington (Mo.) on Nov. 17. Since then, they have won 15 in a row.
During Wednesday’s victory over Wilmington Snyder hit shots in the paint to tie the game or give Ohio Northern the lead on four different occasions. Her three-point play at the 14:09 mark started a 10-3 run that helped her team begin to pull away.
And on Saturday she scored 13 of her game-high 22 points in the first six minutes as the Polar Bears built their big lead.
“We always call her the hybrid player, because in high school she was more of a guard,” said ONU coach Michele Durand. “We’ve moved her inside … but she can step out and shoot it from the outside. We always put her on the best inside player … She has to take the ball out of bounds against the press. She just can do everything. That’s what makes her really good.”
The victory over John Carroll kept Ohio Northern, which finished second in the league last season, two games up on Mount Union and Otterbein in the race for the OAC title. The Polar Bears have not won the conference since 1988, and their last NCAA Division III Tournament appearance came in 1989.
Snyder, whose high school career ended with a district semifinal loss to St. John’s, said she’s thrilled to be part of a team that is considered to be one of the best in the country and is hoping for a long tournament run to end her career.
“It’s a great feeling, and it’s really exciting,” said Snyder. “We haven’t experienced this success at ONU for a really long time. It really is an honor for all of us.
“The goal is to win the last game of the season. That’s always been my goal. Hopefully, since this is my last shot at it, this will be the time that we make that happen.”
If Snyder can finish the season as well as she started, that will be a strong possibility. She racked up a career-high 23 points against Lake Forest in the season opener and has not slowed down.
She has put up at least nine points in every game, including 20 and 22 in the last two respectively, and is second on the team behind Yoder (15.1) at 14.2 points per game.
Snyder also grabs 5.7 rebounds per contest to go along with 1.8 assists, 0.9 steals and a team-high 0.8 blocks. She is shooting 53 percent from the field and 84 percent at the line.
“Joanna is outstanding in so many ways,” said Durand. “She’s our leader. She’s our captain. We have a lot of really good players, but Joanna is Steady Eddie. She just does whatever I ask her to do. I can’t say enough great things about her.
“She’s a leader all the way around, whether it’s on the floor or off the floor. … She’s one of a kind.”[[In-content Ad]]