The third quarter turned out to be too tough to overcome, the coach said.

The third quarter turned out to be too tough to overcome, the coach said.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
COLUMBUS -- With the pain still fresh from what it didn't do, the Ursuline High girls basketball team didn't lose sight of what it did.
After all, defeat doesn't mean failure.
"It's an honor to be here," said Ursuline senior Vannessa Dickson. "Not many people get this chance.
"But we wanted to come out with a win."
The Irish fell one step short of their goal in Saturday's Division III state final, losing to Plain City Jonathan Alder 55-49 at Ohio State's Value City Arena.
Ursuline senior Tyra Grant, who became the first Mahoning Valley player to win Ms. Basketball earlier in the week, set a Div. III championship game record with 30 points, but the Irish couldn't overcome a 13-0 run by Alder in the third quarter.
"The third quarter killed us," said Irish coach Sean Durkin. "In the end, it was a little too much for us to overcome."
Previous matchup
Ursuline (22-5) defeated Alder two years ago in the state semifinals, the only other state Final Four appearance for either team. The Irish went on to defeat Oak Hill to win the state championship that season.
Three other area high schools have won state titles in girls basketball: Struthers (1978), Mathews (1988) and West Branch (2004).
The Pioneers (26-2), who were ranked second in the state at the end of the regular season, were led by junior All-Ohioan Lauren Prochaska, who scored 15 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks, three assists and three steals. Two other players scored in double figures for Alder.
"The team really stepped up and supported [Prochaska]," said Pioneers coach Terra McDaniels. "They played with a lot of heart."
Grant, who will play basketball at Penn State, finished her career with 2,292 points. She is the all-time leading girls scorer in Valley history and is ranked 12th in Ohio history.