DIVISION III Battle-tested Mooney tops Clippers

Amber Bodrick led the Cardinals with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
By ERIC HAMILTON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
HANOVERTON -- Not many Division III girls basketball teams in the state can claim they played a tougher regular season schedule than Cardinal Mooney.
With a slate that included four teams -- Boardman, Ursuline, Salem and Springfield -- that went a combined 77-4 and earned top seeds in their respective districts, wins were hard to come by for the Cardinals.
But if there's anything good about a brutal schedule like Mooney's, it's that it will prepare a team for tournament time. It has done more than prepare the Cardinals; it has helped mold them into a sectional champion.
Mooney out-rebounded a bigger Columbiana team 20-8 in the first half en route to building an 11-point halftime lead, and survived several Clipper comebacks in the second half to earn a 56-46 victory Saturday night at United High School.
The win put Mooney into the district semifinals Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
"Columbiana is a good basketball team, but when you play nine state-ranked teams it gets you ready for these type of games," said Mooney coach Jack Bermann. "We're just playing some real good basketball right now and I think we have a legitimate chance at a shot at Ursuline in the district finals."
Good start
Mooney secured 12 offensive rebounds in the first half and converted them into second-chance points. Led by Amber Bodrick and Colleen Zajac, the Cardinals controlled post play and frustrated Columbiana all night inside. Bodrick led Mooney with 18 points and 11 boards. Zajac added four points and 10 boards. She also limited Columbiana's Lisa Simon to just one field goal in the first half. Her effort inside was critical for Mooney.
"Colleen was a warrior inside tonight," said Bermann. "She's a great passer and she did all the little things tonight. She's faced some big post players this season and she more than did the job tonight."
Mooney led from start to finish, but Columbiana stayed within striking distance, thanks to Carly Washinko. The 6-foot-1 senior led the Clippers with 17 points.
The Cardinals broke things open with an 11-2 run late in the second quarter to jump out to a 28-13 lead with under two minutes remaining before the half.
Staying close
The Clippers cut into that deficit in the second half, getting within six points in both the third and fourth quarters, but it was too late. Columbiana's final surge came with 6 minutes, 22 seconds remaining in the game, as Stacie Cross drilled a 3-pointer. The shot brought the Clippers to within 44-38. But Mooney's interior defense and rebounding were too much for the third-seeded Clippers to handle.
The Cardinals connected on some key free throws down the stretch to secure the win and move on to district play.
"The key to the game was that they just beat us on the boards," said Columbiana coach Wayne Johnson. "It got really physical inside and they just took us out of our game. Their putbacks in the first half really hurt us.
"They play a big-time schedule and as you saw tonight, their record is no where indicative of how good a team they are."
Gina Brunetti added 17 points and six rebounds for Mooney.