DIV. III GIRLS Warren JFK doubles up on Grand Valley; Badger loses

Jenny Place became Badger's all-time leading scorer as she ended her career with 1,405 points.
By DOUG CHAPIN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
ANDOVER -- Warren Kennedy High's girls scored the last seven points of the second quarter and took control with an 11-2 run to start the third period and went on to a 50-25 defeat of Grand Valley on Thursday in the Division III sectional basketball tournament at Pymatuning Valley High School.
Kennedy (15-7) advanced to a district semifinal next Thursday against top-seeded (and the No. 1-ranked team in the state) Villa Angela-St. Joseph.
VA-SJ routed a second straight Trumbull Athletic Conference team Thursday, beating Badger 77-37.
Surpassed Dale Blaney: In that game, Badger's (9-12) Jenny Place scored 21 points to become the all-time leading scorer (boys or girls) at the school, surpassing Dale Blaney. Place finished her career with 1,405 points.
"We tried to light a fire under them at halftime," JFK coach Denise Smith said of her squad's strong third-quarter performance.
"We came out flat, but that might be expected. In our first tournament game we didn't play our starters and it's hard to switch it on and off. We started coming alive in the second quarter but didn't click on all cylinders until the third.
The Eagles, seeded fourth in the tournament, were dominant in that quarter, recording 10 steals and holding Grand Valley (4-17) to just six field-goal attempts and shooting 7-for-14 from the field. The quarter, coupled with the spurt just before halftime, saw JFK go from a 20-14 advantage to 38-16.
Senior forward Samantha Thomas sparked the Eagles in the third quarter, getting six points and four steals. Thomas also carried JFK's offense in the first quarter when she tallied eight.
Samantha Thomas was an inspirational leader in the locker room, then she backed it up on the court and the others followed, Smith said.
Thomas' 14-point effort was a career-high. Sarah McNeil played a solid game for the Eagles with 15 points, five steals and three assists.
Melissa Tierney had eight rebounds, though Kennedy was beaten on the boards, 36-26. JFK forced 30 turnovers and held the Mustangs to 11-for-47 shooting.
Tough assignments: The Eagles lost last year in the Rootstown district to South Euclid Regina, which finished the 2001 regular season as the top-ranked Division III team in Ohio.
This year JFK was switched to the Py Valley tournament.
"Last year it was Regina and this year it's VA-SJ," Smith said. "We have five days of practice and we definitely will utilize every minute of those practices to prepare. We'll be ready."
The other two district semifinal berths will be decided Saturday. Second-seeded Gates Mills Hawken faces Burton Berkshire and Brookfield meets third-seeded Middlefield Cardinal.