Regina jumps on Ursuline early, 64-34

The Irish finished the season 20-6 after falling behind early in their Div. III regional final.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
ALLIANCE -- The Ursuline High girls basketball team places a premium on the first four minutes of a game.
That was a point coach Sean Durkin emphasized in the days leading up to his team's Division III regional final Saturday against defending state champion South Euclid Regina.
The opening segment of the game was meaningful, because Regina took a huge early advantage it never relinquished in a 64-34 victory at Mount Union College.
Eighth state berth: Regina (23-3), which defeated Ursuline (20-6) in the regionals two seasons ago and Cardinal Mooney last season, earned its eighth state tournament berth since 1989.
"We knew the beginning of the game was going to be pivotal," Durkin said. "We wanted to stay in the game for those four minutes and see how things happened. We wanted to scratch and claw and do the best we could."
Regina, however, went ahead 9-0 in the first three minutes and led 19-5 after the first quarter. By halftime, the Royals enjoyed a 37-13 advantage.
"That's a hallmark of the way we've been playing the last month or so," Regina coach Pat Diulus said of his team's early lead. "We came out and made a statement quickly."
Defensive mode: The Irish wanted to slow Regina's tempo by not aggressively pursuing offensive rebounds. After a shot attempt, Ursuline players immediately returned to a defensive mode to nullify Regina's transition.
"They're the quickest team we played all year and they're the biggest team we played all year," said Durkin of Regina, which has four players 6-feet-1 or taller.
The closest Ursuline came in the second half was 20 points (40-20), with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
"We feel very strongly that no one can beat us," Diulus said. "But we know that we can always beat ourselves."
Ursuline freshman Courtney Davidson scored a team-high 14 points, with five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
But the 5-4 guard shot just 4-of-13 from the field against a strong Regina defense that impressed her.
"They played outstanding defense," Davidson said. "Wherever I passed the ball, they were there.
"I didn't want to show the rest of my team that I was scared," Davidson said. "I wanted to step up and try to be a leader."
It wasn't Regina's first priority to stop Davidson, Diulus said
"We talked about the possibility of denying her the ball," Diulus said. "But we felt my two young kids -- Stacey [Little] and Simone [Redd] -- could hold her down.
"We had a lot of respect [for Davidson] coming in," Diulus said. "I thought she played well beyond her years."
Ursuline senior Dorothy Delboccio, who added 13 points and six rebounds, faced Regina two years ago. She knew what to expect.
"We knew they were good, but I did tell [my teammates] that they are kids, just like us. They are capable of being beaten," Delboccio said. "But you can't make mistakes in a game like this and you have to come out strong."
Senior Ari Moore scored 14 points for Regina, while sophomore Siedah Williams had 12 and junior Sarah Burgess and Little each added 10 points. The 6-2 Williams also grabbed 11 rebounds.
"We have to go to [Columbus]. There are no excuses if we don't win," Moore said. "I feel that no one should be able to beat us this year."
Praised team: Durkin, who joined seniors Shannon Burley, Diana Samad and Delboccio in accepting the regional runner-up award, praised his team for not folding in the second half.
"We started the year 0-1 and we had a lot of question marks," Durkin said. "We played good teams all year and we continued to get better.
"This is where we wanted to be," he said. "We wanted to have a chance to go [to the state tournament]. We had that opportunity."