Howland reaches Division I final

The Tigers got a big effort from sophomore guard Darcy Quinlan to defeat second-seeded Mentor.
By CHUCK HOUSTEAU
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
PERRY -- Mentor High girls basketball coach Kevin Snyder thought he had the perfect plan to defeat Howland in their Division I district semifinal Thursday at Perry High.
The Cardinals' veteran coach was well aware of Howland's strong inside game and physical defense. What he didn't account for was Tigers' sophomore guard Darcy Quinlan.
Quinlan made all four of her shots in the third quarter to help Howland, the fourth seed, claim a 44-28 victory over second-seeded Mentor.
Finals Saturday: Howland (21-2) advanced to the district championship game Saturday at 1 p.m. against East Cleveland Shaw, which defeated Eastlake North, 51-42.
"Catch me if I faint when you mention her name," quipped Snyder. "Quinlan came to play. She didn't demonstrate the ability to penetrate and shoot like that in the films we watched.
"It was disappointedly surprising to us that Howland's guard play matched the point production and intensity of their post players."
Howland coach John Diehl was smiling after the game because his team has the respect it didn't have at the start of the tournament.
"We only made the fourth seed by one vote," Diehl said. His team has now reeled off 21 straight victories. "There are a lot of great teams up here," he said. "Most of them don't know us."
The surely do now.
Physical game: The Tigers wasted no time in setting the tempo for a physical game that took the Cardinals (16-6) out of their comfortable style of play.
Howland's defense, led by Quinlan, and the strong play of Michelle Rura and Angela Cape, limited Mentor, a team that thrives on the 3-point goal, to just one.
Overall, the Cardinals made only 13 of 60 shots (20 percent).
"I'm not sure what was more impressive," Diehl said. "Our defensive effort or the play of Quinlan in the third quarter."
When Quinlan wasn't scoring, she was dishing the ball off to Cape (13 points) and Rura (10 points).
Strong defense: The Tigers were already well on their way to a victory because of their defense. With the score tied at 12 after the first period, Howland's physical play began to take its toll on the Cardinals. The Tigers out-scored Mentor 12-2 in the second period to lead 24-14 at halftime.
Quinlan said Diehl told the team that Mentor was a good third-quarter team and that the Tigers would have to step it up even more.
"I wasn't planning to take over," Quinlan said. "The shots were open so I just took advantage."
Rura was instrumental on the defensive end of the court. The sophomore pulled down 16 rebounds as Howland controlled the boards, 46-28.
Howland's defense limited Mentor's scoring leader, Jennifer Neal, to 13 points.