Thursday, February 21, 2002
By DOUG CHAPIN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
ANDOVER -- Brookfield got just enough offense -- including three key 3-pointers -- to defeat Wickliffe 46-35, while Maplewood saw a 12-point lead disappear in the final quarter of a 48-47 loss to second-seeded Gates Mills Hawken Wednesday in the Division III sectional at Pymatuning Valley High School.
Hawken and Brookfield both return to action Saturday in sectional finals. Hawken plays Burton Berkshire at 6 p.m. and Brookfield meets third-seeded Middlefield Cardinal at 8.
Brookfield (8-13) found itself tied 24-24 late in the third quarter when freshman Racquel Brenner nailed a 3-point shot to put the Warriors ahead for good. Holly DeMay, who led Brookfield with 14 points, then nailed a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to extend the Warrior advantage to 32-26.
Miller drills one: Ahead by four with about five minutes remaining, Corey Miller sank a 3-pointer -- her only field goal of the game -- to put Brookfield ahead 37-30. Wickliffe got no closer than six the rest of the way.
Puhak scored 10 points and Ford added eight for the Warriors. Freshman Ashley Gramsky led a solid effort on the boards with eight rebounds.
The Warriors had to contend inside with 6-foot-1 Sarah Pavelecky, who scored 10 points and added 13 rebounds and four blocked shots. Amber Dukes led the Blue Devils (9-12) with 15 points from the perimeter.
Maplewood-Hawken: Maplewood held Hawken to just two points in the third quarter and that basket came with 20 seconds remaining in the frame. The Rockets (14-7) opened up a 32-20 lead during the quarter, but Hawken put together a 26-point fourth quarter, including a 9-for-11 performance at the free throw line and a trio of 3-pointers from Sarah Wilson.
The loss to the Hawks (18-3) spoiled an excellent performance by Maplewood senior Christen Clemson, who tallied 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Fellow senior Krista Finch added 10 points and seven rebounds.
"They have a bunch of 3-point shooters and for almost the whole game we took away the 3-pointer," Maplewood coach Mark Yoder said. "But we had some defensive breakdowns and they made the shots when they needed them."
Solid job: The Rockets did a solid job against Hawken's pressure defense despite 19 turnovers.
"I was pleased with the way we handled their pressure," Yoder said. "The girls executed the game plan well, but unfortunately Hawken got hot at the end. For 31/2 quarters we controlled things against a team that was supposed to beat us easily. We have nothing to be ashamed of."
Carmen Rowan, who led Hawken with 16 points, grabbed a rebound and put in the game-winner with 13 seconds to play.