Ursuline falls in regional semifinal

By JOE SCALZO

scalzo@vindy.com

CUYAHOGA FALLS

South Euclid Regina has given Ursuline High girls basketball coach Sean Durkin plenty of nightmares over the years.

But Durkin was dreaming of one more chance against the Royals.

Alas, the Irish came up short at the hands of Smithville senior Jenna Pew, who poured in 26 points to go with 12 rebounds as the Smithies dropped Ursuline 57-45 in a Division III regional semifinal Wednesday at Cuyahoga Falls High School.

“We certainly would have loved the opportunity to play one game with a chance to go to Columbus but we lost to a very good basketball team today,” said Durkin, whose team would have met Regina in Saturday’s final. “We knew we were going to have our hands full.”

Pew, a first team All-Ohioan, controlled the game offensively and defensively, putting Ursuline’s front line of Courtney Powell and Dominique Jenkins in foul trouble while serving as a huge impediment to the drives of Irish sophomore Aurielle Irizarry.

“We knew she was a heckuva player,” said Durkin. “She’s a big, strong kid and she has good feet. She’s a load down there.

“She certainly was a huge difference in the game.”

Jenkins picked up three fouls in the first half as the Irish fell behind 24-21 at halftime.

The game’s crucial stretch came in the first three minutes of the third quarter, as the Irish picked up seven fouls by the 4:45 mark. Smithville led by just seven at that point, but with the 6-foot sophomore Powell forced to the bench with four fouls, Ursuline was forced to adjust its game plan.

“We put ourselves in some bad spots,” said Durkin. “One thing we’ve harped on all year is our tendency to get a little lazy on defense and lose our focus.”

Irizarry kept the Irish in the game, scoring 18 points, but the Irish never got closer than eight points in the fourth quarter. Smithville did its damage from the line, making 18 of 21.

The Smithies (24-1) avenged a 2004 state semifinal loss to Ursuline, who went on to win their only state title that year.

“It’s great to play a program like Ursuline and come out on top this time,” said Smithville coach Mike Miller.

Senior point guard Alex Leister added 13 points for the Smithies.

Jenkins, a senior, had nine points and six rebounds for the Irish (13-10) before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.

“My seniors hadn’t gotten to this point before and I was glad they got to experience it,” said Durkin. “Hopefully we can build on that experience.”

Durkin will return his two best players, Irizarry and Powell, along with junior guard Ja’Niece Whitehead.

“We like the way our future looks,” Durkin said.