Top seeds face high expectations

Boardman, Salem, West Branch, Ursuline and Lowellville are district favorites.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
High school tournaments offer hope and endless possibilities, all of which lead Ohio teams to the dream destination -- Columbus.
As girls basketball tournaments begin Saturday, take a moment to enjoy a dream match-up of magnificent proportions.
On March 20, two Valley rivals -- Salem and West Branch -- could meet for the Division II state championship.
Could.
"A lot of people in this area have mentioned that," Salem coach Steve Stewart said. "As I tell them, West Branch has to get there and so do we."
OK, so it's a bit early to forecast such an occurrence, but March is full of madness. Anything can happen.
The area has five No. 1 seeds, with representation in each of the four divisions -- Boardman (Div. I), Salem and West Branch (Div. II), Ursuline (Div. III) and Lowellville (Div. IV).
High expectations abound.
Bland factor
Although his teams have made 11 regional appearances, Boardman coach Ron Moschella has spent the last 23 years trying to reach the state tournament, but to no avail.
This could be his best chance yet. Senior Amber Bland gives the Spartans (19-1) that chance -- if she's recovered from a recent ankle injury.
"Put it this way, I've been praying a lot," said Moschella, whose team also has been hampered by injuries to senior Brittany Durkin and junior Liz Yazbek.
The 5-foot-9 Bland, a Penn State recruit, has a strong supporting cast, with senior Diane Snyder, juniors Brittany Sirak, Jessica Moore and Emily Hays, and sophomore April Melquist.
"The road to paradise is not easy," Moschella said, "but we're going to give it our best shot."
Tradition-rich programs
In Div. II, Salem (19-1) and West Branch (19-1) take center stage, with the Quakers at the Austintown sectional-district tournament and the Warriors at Uniontown Lake.
"We talk a lot about it being a second season. What you accomplish in the first season doesn't mean anything," Stewart said. "You have to build on the positive things, but the bottom line is, one loss and you're done."
Salem won last season's district title and lost to West Branch in the regional semifinals. The Quakers responded this season by winning the Metro Athletic Conference title.
"It's hard game in and game out, when everybody expects the wins," Stewart said. "That adds a lot for the girls, but they responded so well to that."
The balanced Quakers can thank seniors Alyson Cotter, Lauren Teal and Lizzie Jesko, junior Sarah Hamilton and newcomers Renee Farina, a senior, and Katherine McGarry, a junior.
Winning traits
Like Salem, West Branch returned experience and talent to match its high expectations. The Warriors lost only one starter off their 2002-03 team that lost in the regional finals.
"Since that day we lost last year, we've talked about the possibilities this team could bring," West Branch coach Chuck Campbell said. "In the summer, we put a lot of hours in to maybe make that next step."
West Branch is led by senior guard Ashley Armstrong, a Dayton recruit. She's backed by junior standouts Tori Arndt and Evelyn Woods.
"We went out of our way to make certain we were playing top non-league competition," said Campbell, whose team faced Canfield, North Canton Hoover, Orrville, Salem and South Euclid Regina.
Ursuline's nemesis
Regina, four-time defending Div. III state champion, has been the biggest thorn in Ursuline's side. The Irish (18-2) have lost to Regina in all four of their regional meetings since 1999, and there's a good chance they could face each other again.
"Everybody tells us that," Ursuline coach Sean Durkin said, "but we have a lot of wood to chop before we get to that."
Could this finally be the right time for Ursuline, which has won the United sectional-district three consecutive seasons and in four of the last five?
The Irish feature Michigan State recruit Courtney Davidson, senior Rebecca Slattery, junior Cierra Bennett and sophomores Tyra Grant and Vannessa Dickson. They also get junior Tiffany Walsh back after a lengthy injury (tailbone).
"With the [Steel Valley Conference] breaking down and losing some of its luster, we've been looking forward to the tournament all year," Durkin said. "We don't want to waste a golden opportunity."
Small school, big goals
Lowellville (16-4) has been overshadowed in the Inter-County League by state-ranked unbeaten Springfield, Div. III and the second seed at United.
In the Div. IV tournament at Liberty, the Rockets plan to form their own identity.
Seniors Rebecca Basista and Christa Flora and juniors Amanda Nero and Dana Donatelli are out to make amends for last season's early tournament exit.
"One of the questions we had was leadership," Rockets coach Tony Matisi said. "But [Nero, Donatelli and freshman point guard Kaitlin McCarthy] stepped up, and our two seniors took control."
According to Matisi, the tournament runs through Leetonia, which has won five straight district titles.
"They've been dominant for so long," he said. "If we want to get out of there, we ultimately have to beat them. They deserve the respect because of what they've done."
richesson@vindy.com