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| Ellet's London Riley attempts to secure a rebound over Mahlia Friedman as Kenadie Keith (22) looks on. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com) |
AKRON, Ohio - The Ellet Lady Orangemen win a barn burner in the OHSAA Division III Sectional Championship, edging Kent Roosevelt 59-54.
In a game where it seemed like Ellet would finish the season at home, they managed to secure a thrilling victory with some crucial free throws in the final moments, earning the title of sectional champions.
"Its funny how we talked about all this year we had to grind out victories," said Harris, Head Coach of Ellet.
In the first quarter, Kent Roosevelt took charge right from the start, building a 10-5 lead with Lindsay Wills contributing as the clock showed 4:40 left in the period. However, Ellet wasnt going to give up easily; Kenadie Keith tied the game at 12-12 with a long 3-pointer at 1:17, and the first quarter ended in a 14-14 tie.
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| Grace Schoenberger tries to elude the press of Ellet. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com) |
In the early part of the second quarter, Ellet was able to slow down Roosevelt and keep the score tight with some full court pressing, while trying to maintain a close game, D'Amore Scott picked up her third foul with 6:37 left in the half, as they trailed 22-23 after a few free throws from Kent's Grace Schoenberger would put them ahead.
Claire VanDamme would pace the Rough Riders in the second with her scoring and rebounding.
But a big shot from Royalty Crooks put Ellet up 28-25 with just under two minutes to go, and would close out the half leading 31-29 as they would regain the lead. "Talking on off the court just facing adversity cause we were down at some point, we just had to lock in communicate, make the right rotations and that's what we did," said Williams.
Again, to open up the second half, it would come down to good possessions as both teams' defense would show up, keeping it a close one, hitting big shots. With the game tied 36-36 with 4:51 left, after a behind-the-arc shot from Saniyah Williams. Grace Schoenberger would hit some critical 3-point shots that secured the lead 43-39 heading into the last quarter of the game.
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| Kenadie Keith is tightly guarded by Lindsay Wills, but commits a foul during the process. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com) |
"We knew we had an athleticism advantage if we could speed them up, ensure not to foul, and I think that showed; we were able to get into their ball-handlers," said Harris.
The last quarter showed grit from both teams trying to capture a sectional title. Ellet began to press again to control the tempo, but was getting outboarded by Kent's big Claire VanDamme, and multiple lead changes, but free throws would be the factor for Ellet, "Me and Kenadie we both knocked down big free throws help us stretch the lead," said Williams. "They were big, and we needed them."
With 27.3 remaining in the game, Mahlia Friedman from Roosevelt missed two crucial free throws that could have brought them within one point, as they were behind 55-52.
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| Junior Royalty Crooks dribbles past Kent Roosevelt defenders. She finished the game with 12 points. (Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com) |
Roosevelt's time came to an end as they fell to the Lady Orangemen, finishing their season with a record of 14-9.
Ellet moves on in the tournament and will take on Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin in a district semi-final game on Wednesday, February 25, with the location still to be determined.
Ellet's Kenadie Keith led all scorers with 22 points, and Saniyah Williams had 11 points. Roosevelt's Claire VanDamme led with 17 points.
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