Van Voorhis and McKnight lead Copley to victory over Brush

Evelyn McKnight splits Brush's defense for an easy score as Jakalyn Brown (24) and Juliana Ferreira (23) trail. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com)

CANTON, Ohio - Zoey Van Voorhis and Evelyn McKnight accounted for 54 of Copley's 67 points in the Division III regional championship win over Lyndhurst Brush Lady Arcs 67-51.

Copley knocks off the number one seed, staying composed. "We had a really good defensive game plan, and we used it to our advantage. Our defense fueled our offense," said McKnight.

At the start of the game, Copley made two turnovers on their first two possessions, allowing Brush to take a 2-0 lead. However, things quickly turned around when Van Voorhis got involved, sinking two 3-point shots to spark the offense. 

Ohio State commit Tatiana Mason would get in foul trouble early, committing her second foul at 3:24, trailing 6-8. 

McKnight would score her first and only points of the quarter with 2:00 minutes remaining. Mason would commit her third foul of the quarter with 21 seconds to go. 

Copley leads 13-9 after the first quarter. 

Zoey Van Voohis shoots over an extending Juliana Ferreira for one of her six 3-point shots for the game. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com)

As the second quarter began, Tatiana Mason did not come out to play. Eventually, she got into the game and scored her first points at the 4:50 mark of the quarter.

However, Copley was unstoppable as Van Voorhis hit four 3-pointers, giving them a 31-20 lead at halftime. "Scouting them, knowing their defenses being able to get into open gaps and being able to hit me in open gaps," said Van Voorhis. "Also, finding other people it helped us in the long run to get open shots." 

McKnight also came out energized, "Definitely in the second half, I just knew I needed to pick it up a little bit to take this game away, and I felt like I did that," said McKnight.

She would score 12 of her 34 in the third quarter as Van Voorhis began to slow down, being guarded by Nylah Mason, who only scored two points for the quarter. 

This game would all but get away from Brush as Copley opened up a 41-26 lead with 3:05 left in the period.

Tatiana Mason would pace Brush in the quarter with 9 out of her 21 total points during this time, but it would not be enough. McKnight would continue to get downhill and score more points. 

Copley head coach Julie Solis shouts instructions during the game. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com)

Copley holds on to a 47-36 lead heading into the final period. "I think Van Voorhis hit some really big shots early for us," said Solis. 

The final quarter would be all McKnight as she scored 12 out of the 16 team points for the quarter. As Tatiana Mason would commit her fourth foul at 5:57, trailing 39-49. 

With Tatiana Mason still in the game, she would hit a big shot that would close the gap 54-47, as that would be the closest Brush would get. Mason would foul out of the game, committing a personal and technical foul in the same play with 2:23 remaining in the game. 

Copley completes the upset and advances to the state semifinal game against Dayton Chaminade Julienne during girls basketball state championship weekend. 

Copley players talk during a timeout. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com)

This will be their second Final Four appearance under Solis.