Sunday, January 24, 2010
Ursuline played well but the Royals added another victory to the one-sided rivalry.
By JOE SCALZO
Vindicator sports staff
YOUNGSTOWN — When Ursuline High girls basketball coach Sean Durkin first heard that South Euclid Regina High would close its doors at the end of the school year, he had two thoughts (not necessarily in this order):
UGee, that’s too bad.
UWhy couldn’t it have happened earlier?
“You hate to see a school close, but you kind of look back at what would have happened if they weren’t around for the last 10-12 years,” said Durkin following Saturday’s 61-48 home loss to the Royals.
When asked how many Division III state titles he would have if they weren’t, Durkin smiled and said, “More than one.”
Regina coach Pat Diulus chuckled at the answer and said, “He’s probably right about that.”
From 1999-2005, the teams met six times in the regional tournament. Ursuline lost five of them. The lone win came in 2004, with the Irish eventually capturing their lone state crown. Regina won titles in four of the five other seasons.
“It’s kind of been a one-sided rivalry,” said Durkin. “When I first got here, the first time we played Regina, they kind of set the bar for us. They were way better than us.
“It was obvious we had to get to that point if we ever wanted to be a state contender. It’s just been something for us always to shoot for.”
This season is no different. Despite a solid performance from the Irish, Regina (12-2) rolled up an 18-10 advantage after one quarter and was never really threatened.
Senior point guard Tay’Ler Mingo, a Florida State recruit, scored 23 points to go with six rebounds, six assists and five steals for the Royals.
“She’s definitely the best player in the state and the best point guard I’ve ever coached,” said Diulus.
Six-foot-2 junior Therany Dunnigan added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Royals, who held a 37-21 edge on the boards.
Sophomore guard Aurielle Irizarry scored 15 points with four assists — both team-highs — to lead the Irish (7-6), who fell behind by 21 late in the fourth quarter.
“I thought we battled,” said Durkin. “There were some good things, along with some things where, if we’re fortunate enough to see them again [in the tournament], we’ll have to fix.
“There’s definitely some positives coming out of tonight.”
Dominique Jenkins added 14 points with five rebounds and four steals and the Irish forced 23 Regina turnovers.
“The reason why [the rivalry] has been great is because I know every year we come out to play Ursuline, whether it’s regular season or a playoff game, that they’re going to be a great team, they’re going to be very well-coached,” said Diulus. “It’s been a very, very healthy rivalry that’s obviously coming to an end soon.”
scalzo@vindy.com