Clippers roll to district final date

Columbiana dominated the second half against Mathews.
By DOUG CHAPIN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
HUBBARD -- The Columbiana High girls basketball team set up a battle between the top two seeds in the Division IV district at Hubbard by pulling away from a 25-22 halftime lead Thursday and defeating Mathews, 55-37.
Saturday at 1 p.m., the Clippers (20-3) play McDonald (21-1) to decide which team goes to the regional at Massillon Perry.
Columbiana turned up the pressure defensively in the second half and took advantage of the absence of the foul trouble of Mathews' Sophie Paddock.
An athletic, active 6-footer, Paddock was whistled for her second foul with 2:09 left in the second quarter and Mathews down 20-19.
Columbiana's 6-foot sophomore Katie Douglas scored off an offensive rebound at the 1:12 mark as Paddock was called for her third foul. Douglas converted the free throw to make the score 23-22.
Mathews coach John Cicero left Paddock in the game and she picked up foul number four with 17 seconds left. She left the game then and did not start the third quarter.
Foul trouble
Paddock was back in the game less than midway through the third quarter but could not play with her usual aggressiveness. She eventually fouled out with 5:41 left in the game and Columbiana ahead, 44-31.
"We didn't want to get too far behind so we left her in," Cicero said. "We also brought her back fairly early in the third quarter when we fell behind by five. We really depend on her."
Paddock was missed especially in the Mustangs' press breaker after Columbiana turned up the pressure.
"When we went to the pressure man-to-man it seemed to take them out of their game offensively," Columbiana coach Wayne Johnson said. "Our guards played great and our inside players might have played their best game of the season as a group."
Top Clippers
Douglas had 20 points and 13 rebounds, Colleen Eisenbraun added 14 points and eight rebounds and Kristina Davidson had five points, eight rebounds and six steals.
Krista Johnson added eight points, five assists and four steals, and Jackie Hatherill had four steals, keying the Columbiana defense with her active, aggressive style.
"Douglas is not a sophomore anymore having played a whole season," Johnson said. "And she's played her best in the last four or five games. Mathews is big, they matched up nice with us inside."
With Paddock back in the lineup, Mathews (18-5) closed within four points, 33-29, with 2:28 left in period three, but trailed 39-31 at the quarter break.
Columbiana then scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter, blanking the Mustangs for a period of 4:35. By then, the score was 49-33 and out of reach for the Mustangs.
Lauren Roscoe led Mathews with 16 points. Sarah King had seven points, five assists and four steals. Paddock had four points, six rebounds and three blocks.
Physical
"Columbiana plays more physical than us and we were worried about that," Cicero said. "We've got eight players back next year from our varsity and perhaps they had their eyes opened a little tonight. We've been talking all season to them about playing more physical.
"They are the same as we are, they change up their defenses a lot," he continued. "We expected the pressure, but we just couldn't handle it, especially without Sophie in the middle of the press to handle the ball."
Johnson and his Clippers are ready for Saturday's challenge against McDonald.
"I think the two best teams in the tournament are in the final," Johnson said. "We've been talking about McDonald for a long time with the season they are having. This win tonight was a great win for our program, giving us a chance to play in the district championship."