TRI-COUNTY LEAGUE First-place Clippers stunned by Leetonia

Jessica Deville's 27 points triggered a 45-43 victory.
By ERIC HAMILTON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBIANA -- The race for the Tri-County League girls basketball championship became a little tighter Thursday night.
Leetonia High senior Jessica Deville capped an impressive week by scoring 27 points, including a crucial 3-pointer with 3 minutes, 5 seconds remaining in the final quarter, leading the Bears to a 45-43 victory over first-place Columbiana.
The loss was the Clippers' (14-2, 9-1) first in the league, forcing a first-place tie with Crestview (14-2, 9-1). Leetonia (11-5, 8-2) climbed to within one game with four league games remaining.
"We knew this was the biggest game of the year for us," said Deville, who finished the week with 63 points in two contests. "It was do-or-die for us if we wanted a shot at winning the TCL title.
"It's my job as a senior to step up and make plays when I need to," Deville said. "I'm just glad we still have a chance to win the league."
First lead late
While Deville did most of her damage inside, it was her shot from the perimeter that proved to be the difference down the stretch.
With the score tied at 37 with 3:05 remaining, Deville caught a pass at the top of the key, just outside the 3-point line, and found herself wide open.
Instead of driving to the basket, she let loose with a 3-pointer, giving Leetonia its first lead -- 40-37 -- of the second half.
"That 3-pointer by Deville was a huge shot," Columbiana coach Wayne Johnson said. "We played pretty good defense and made Deville work for her points. But she just hit that shot and we missed a few open looks down the stretch.
"We played hard, but we didn't shoot the ball well," Johnson said. "Leetonia's interior defense played well and foul trouble really hurt us."
Foul trouble
Deville scored 17 points in the second half, as Columbiana's Lisa Simon and Carly Washinko each spent time on the bench with four fouls.
To make things worse, the Clippers were missing starting guard Whitney Goist, who was out with a high ankle sprain.
Without Goist running the offense, Columbiana wasn't able to run the floor as much as it wanted and was forced to play more of a half-court game, a style Deville and Leetonia are more comfortable with.
"Our goal was to shut down their outside game and cut off those diagonal passes inside," Leetonia coach Jerry Beltempo said. "We went with a 1-3-1 wrinkle on defense and put some pressure on them.
"I thought we were worn out after three quarters, but I challenged the girls to keep playing hard in the fourth and I liked our intensity down the stretch," Beltempo said.
Five-point advantage
After Deville's shot, Allison Summers sank two free throws to give Leetonia a five-point lead.
A basket by Simon cut the Clippers' deficit to three, then Cara Hardenbrook made two free throws to make it 42-41 with two minutes to go.
Simon gave Columbiana a short-lived lead, 43-42, with a jump shot, but Deville she scored off an offensive rebound to put Leetonia ahead to stay at 44-43 with 32 seconds remaining.
At the other end, she blocked a Columbiana shot and Summers made another free throw with seven seconds remaining to seal the win.
It was a bittersweet night for Columbiana's Simon, as the junior had six blocked shots to break the school's career record with 67. She added a team-high 16 points.
Summers had eight points for Leetonia, including a 6-for-8 performance at the foul line.