Struthers jolts Mooney, will challenge Canfield

By John Kovach

Dana Mathews and Helen-Marie Hird helped the Wildcats rally past Mooney, 59-41.

AUSTINTOWN — The Cardinal Mooney High girls basketball team held a 24-20 halftime lead over Struthers Saturday afternoon, but wound up losing the game, 59-41, in a Division II sectional final at the Austintown Fitch High gym.

So, what happened?

Well, Cardinals’ turnovers and Wildcats’ points are what happened.

Pressure defense and turnovers beginning in the third quarter turned the tide in favor of Struthers, by translating into a lot of scoring from Dana Mathews and Helen-Marie Hird that helped to sink any Mooney comeback hopes.

Mathews, a 5-foot-6 junior, fired in 27 points with 17 coming in the second half, while Hird, a 5-9 junior, added 17 including 15 in the final two quarters, to lead the Wildcats (17-5) to the win and into a district semifinal Thursday against Canfield (14-8) at 7:30 p.m.

Canfield advanced with a 62-30 victory over Southeast on Saturday, and Salem rolled to a 66-22 win over Niles to qualify for Thursday’s other district semifinal at 6 p.m. against Kenston (13-8).

“We were stopped by their pressure defense. They pushed us out offensively and when we would set up [on offense] people weren’t handling the ball well,” said coach Jack Bermann of Mooney (10-12), whose Cardinals fell behind 42-32 after three quarters. “Their big girl [Sally Phillips, a 6-1 senior] didn’t let us in the inside too often. It was hard to penetrate to the inside.”

And when Mooney went on the offensive attack to try to catch up, the Cardinals’ shooters couldn’t find the hoop.

“On our first possessions, we didn’t get a decent look and didn’t make our shots,” said Bermann, who lauded Struthers and the versatile and talented Mathews.

“It was a game of runs. When they made their run, we didn’t answer.” But, “That’s a good team. Dana Mathews is tough.”

Katie Griswold, a 5-8 senior, scored 14 points to lead Mooney, eight of them coming in the second half when the Cardinals managed only 17 points.

Struthers coach John Grandy said that defense and Mathews’ scoring helped to win the game, just like they did last Thursday in the Wildcats’ win over Lakeview behind turnovers and Mathews’ 27 points on 13 baskets.

But this time though, Mathews got great scoring help from Hird, while Phillips and Ashley Baron excelled in rebounding and Katelyn Ardale on defense.

“We are not a one-girl show. We have great players,” said Grandy. “When we play defense, we can win. We played some great defense in the third quarter. We turned it up a notch. Our conversion [on turnovers] was good.”

And, “We were making it tough for them to score.”

Grandy said it was a strong team effort.

“Helen Hird did a tremendous job even though she was in foul trouble,” said Grandy. “Sally Phillips came through for us on defense in the second half. Ashley Baron did a good job off the glass, and she is only 5-5. Katelyn Ardale played well on defense.”

Grandy said his teams have had success the last several years.

“Not many people may know this, but this is [our] fourth district appearance in five years, and our third in a row,” said Grandy, in his sixth season.” But, “We never got beyond the first round in the district,” although he gave the impression that may change this year with his talented bunch that turned around the game in the second half.

With the Wildcats trailing 24-20 at the half, they applied the defensive pressure, got the turnovers and reeled off a 20-4 scoring advantage behind Hird’s nine points.

Then Mathews scored five points in a row to give Struthers a 45-32 lead early in the fourth, and Mathews added five more and Hird four to expand the Wildcats’ advantage to 54-37.

kovach@vindy.com