Nero's record-setting effort leads Lowellville to easy win
She scored 40 points in a 79-25 rout of Southington in Division IV play.
By GREG GULAS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
LIBERTY -- Behind the offensive exploits of record-setting Amanda Nero, Lowellville High defeated Southington 79-25 in the opening round of the Division IV girls basketball tournament Monday at Liberty High School.
Nero's game-high 40 points set the school record for most points in a single game, eclipsing the old mark set by Lisa Rotunno in the early 1990s.
3-point mark also
In addition, Nero's eight 3-point goals also set the team standard, topping the old mark of six that she set last season.
"This might sound silly, but [Amanda] Nero is more important to us on the defensive end of the court," Lowellville coach Tony Matisi said. "She is valuable to us offensively as she showed everyone tonight, but she creates quite a bit for us when she is on defense.
"We were disappointed in our early exit last year, but never talked about that tournament loss last year to Warren JFK -- except before we left the locker room for the opening tip-off tonight," Matisi added.
"I never even knew that I was near a record in either category," Nero said. "I was just concentrating on the game, knowing deep down that we didn't want a repeat of last year's first-round game.
"As a team, that was a feeling we all remember and it wasn't a very pleasant one," she added. "We took the regular season one game at a time and we'll do the same in tournament play."
Quick start
Nero had 14 points in the opening quarter, including four 3-pointers, as the Rockets (17-4) built a 31-10 lead.
She added nine points in the second period, including her fifth 3-pointer, as the Rockets led 44-19 at halftime.
"This is our 21st road game of the season," Southington (6-15) coach Ed Anthony said, referring to the teacher's strike that wiped out his team's home games. "That's not an excuse.
"It would have been nice to play a few home games in your home gymnasium," he added. "We will have a nice nucleus returning next year."
For the second time this season, the Rockets held an opponent scoreless in a quarter, outscoring the Wildcats 20-0 in the third. Nero had 12 points as they increased their lead to 64-19.
Lowellville will play Southern Local Thursday at 7:45 p.m.
Mathews 58, Sebring 42
Tara Ford had a game-high 17 points, while Melissa Morrison and Melanie Roscoe added 12 points apiece as Mathews (11-10) never trailed against Sebring (3-18).
Ford's seven points in the first period propelled the Mustangs to a 13-5 margin, while her 12 points in the first half helped Mathews build a 27-17 advantage.
"Both Ford and Morrison proved to be our offensive spark," Mathews coach Glenn Rowland said. "We shuffled our players in and out, hoping to keep them fresh. We've done that on five or six occasions this year and it really worked."
Mathews will play fourth-seeded Youngstown Christian Thursday at 6 p.m.