Ursuline's big lead evaporates into a Div. III final upset

By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
COLUMBUS -- With four minutes, 18 seconds remaining in the third quarter of Saturday's Division III state final, the Ursuline High girls basketball team had a 33-25 lead and a state championship in sight.
Or so it seemed.
"We had all the momentum in the world," Irish coach Sean Durkin said. "We were playing hard and we had the tempo to our liking.
"Then it fell apart."
Plain City Jonathan Alder, which lost to Ursuline in the state semifinals two years ago, scored 13 straight points to take the lead and never lost it, upending the Irish 55-49 at Ohio State's Value City Arena.
"Once they took the lead, they were rolling," Durkin said. "All the credit in the world goes to Jonathan Alder. They were well-coached and came prepared to play us."
Irish senior Tyra Grant, Ohio's Ms. Basketball, set a Div. III championship game record with 30 points, but Ursuline couldn't find a secondary scoring threat to counter Alder's balanced offense.
Hot shooting from outside
"I think the team played pretty well," said Grant, who also tied a championship game record with five 3-pointers. "I know we tried to fight back and we never gave up."
Grant also had nine rebounds, seven blocks, six steals and three assists for the Irish (22-5), who the state title two years ago against Oak Hill.
"I feel like I gave everything I had," said Grant, the Mahoning Valley's all-time leading scorer. "Especially since this is my last game in an Ursuline uniform. I'm content with how I played.
"I wouldn't do anything different."
Alder (26-2), which won its first state championship in school history, was victimized by Grant's 3-point shooting in the first half as the Irish took a 27-18 lead at the break.
Down the stretch
Grant made her first four 3-point attempts, but went 1-for-6 the rest of the way as the Pioneers made sure to have a hand in her face at all times.
"We knew she was going to get her 30," said Alder coach Terra McDaniels, who is 74-6 in three seasons at the school. "But we look at ourselves as a team.
"Tyra got hers, but we wanted to outscore her as a team."
Alder junior Lauren Prochaska led the Pioneers with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while senior Jessie Adams added 12 points and nine rebounds, and senior Erica Wehner had 10 points.
Solid defense
Ursuline senior Tiffani Miller, the team's best defender, did a solid job on Prochaska (she shot just 4-of-12 and had three turnovers), but the 5-foot-11 guard was able to find her teammates inside whenever she was double teamed.
"I thought Tiffani did a great job on [Prochaska]," Durkin said. "Their surrounding cast really is what beat us."
After falling behind 6-0 over the first four minutes, Ursuline outscored the Pioneers 25-10 the rest of the half. Ursuline prides itself on being a good defensive team and it showed in the first half as the Irish held a 13-0 edge in points off turnovers.
Reversal of fortune
The second half was a different story. The Irish had several defensive breakdowns in the third quarter fell behind by as many as nine in the fourth, although they cut their deficit to five with 30 seconds left and had a chance to get closer.
But after a steal, Grant missed an off-balance 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining and Prochaska grabbed the rebound and was fouled. She made one of two free throws with 23 seconds to go to put the game away.
"We had a lot of wood to chop," said Durkin, when asked if he thought his team had a chance in the closing minutes. "It's a shame the fairy tale ride had to end here."
scalzo@vindy.com