Bellevue's Santoros continue to share court at next level, albeit with different jerseys

Kent State sophomore Casey Santoro told her coach this month she was looking to finish a game against Clarion University with 10 assists.

Following a media timeout late in the third quarter, Santoro was told she needed three assists and two rebounds for double digits in three categories. She finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists — the first triple-double in program history — in an 89-43 victory.

"I know there's been a lot of great players at Kent State," she said. "To realize and reflect on being the first is neat. If it wasn't for my teammates knocking down shots, I wouldn't have had 10 assists. I couldn't have done it without them."

Santoro started the game and played 30 minutes. She canned four 3-pointers.

"There were so many people from Bellevue there," she said. "My whole family. The atmosphere was cool. I'll never forget it. Feeling the whole community still supporting you in college. With my sister. It's an awesome memory."

She's used to wearing the same jersey as Cory Santoro, a freshman for Clarion. Cory appreciated the opportunity to share a court with her sister again, sinking one 3-pointer in the matchup.

"We were teammates through high school and going against each other at the next level is hard to do," Cory said. "It was special."

Cory's role is similar to her experience as a Bellevue senior.

"Point guard," she said. "Being a leader. Playing good defense and getting our team set up. I'm still a scorer. Basically the same as last year, but I'm setting up the offense more. The pace of the game is different.

"You have 30 seconds to get a shot up. There's not a lot of walking the ball up."

She averages 11.3 points in 31 minutes for Clarion (2-6, 1-2).

Carly Santoro, the oldest of three sisters to play college basketball, didn't have a triple-double at Bowling Green or Ohio State. The younger two will always compete with Carly as well.

Casey currently brings energy off the bench for Kent State. She played in every game last season, with a single-game high of 16 points.

She leads the team at 14.2 points and 4.1 assists per game this season. She's made 18 of 33 3-pointers and adds 4.3 rebounds.

She's familiar with a leadership role from high school. She's learning to take control at the next level as well.

"Not necessarily with points," she said. "Going into college, it's always nerve racking with a new team, new people. You don't know the boundaries. I'm more comfortable with my teammates and being a leader."

Kent State won eight of its first nine games.

"Our team's playing well," she said. "We're connected. We can handle adversity compared to last year. MAC games start after Christmas break. That's an important stretch. We're focusing on defense. Defense leads to offense.

"We're excited to start play in the MAC."

mhorn@gannett.com

419-307-4892

Twitter: @MatthewHornNH

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Bellevue's Cory Santoro averages 11.3 points for Clarion