McKinley captures Division I title

Associated Press

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Laneisha Lennon hit the go-ahead free throw with 18.1 seconds left to give Canton McKinley a dramatic 49-47 win over Toledo Waite in the Division I championship game Saturday night — a contest that wasn’t decided until after time had expired.

After Ameryst Alston made a free throw for a two-point lead with 6.6 seconds to go, Waite (24-2) brought the ball up and had a final chance off an inbound pass with 0.9 seconds to play. Shanice McNeal took the inbounds pass and was fouled by Lennon as time expired.

McNeal was left alone at the foul line as the teams gathered near their benches. Her first shot hit the rim and bounced away and she crumbled to the court in tears.

Alston scored 22 points and Sydnee Penn 15 for McKinley (25-3).

Natasha Howard had 23 points, 14 rebounds, eight steals and four blocks in the loss.

Shaker Hts. Hathaway Brown 48, kettering alter 35

Kettering Alter got a taste of what it often does to opponents in terms of relentless defense and turning a game around when needed.

Victimized by a slow start, Alter rallied to within one of Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown into the third quarter only to see the Blazers pull away for a second straight Division II title.

“They did to us what we do to a lot of people,” Alter co-head coach Kendal Peck said. “For a two- or three-minute stretch of the first period we couldn’t even make a pass. We do that sort of thing to a lot of teams. They turned the tables on us.”

Mylan Woods had 16 points and seven rebounds to help Hathaway Brown defend its title. The senior was also part of the state runner-up teams in 2007 and ’08.

Woods, the Associated Press Division II Player of the Year, also had four assists and three steals, including one during a key stretch early in the fourth quarter.

findlay liberty-benton 64, middletown madison 44

Amanda Hyde and Caite Craft combined for 42 points to nearly outscore Middletown Madison as they led Liberty-Benton to its first state title in Division III.

Hyde, an Associated Press first team All-Ohio selection, had 13 of her 23 points in the first half in the first meeting of unbeaten teams in a final since Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame beat Dayton Chaminade-Julienne in the 2004 Division championship.

Craft scored 11 in the second half to increase the Eagles

(27-0) four-point halftime lead. She finished with 19 and Amber Peterson added 13 points.

Brittany Shields had 13 points and Ally Malott 10 for Madison (27-1).

Liberty-Benton made six three-pointers to give it 235 for the season, second-most in Ohio girls history to the 241 by Lima Bath in 2004-05.

harvest prep 45, berlin hiland 41

Cheyenne Rose sank two free throws with 37 seconds left and Shicole Watts added two more from the foul line to give Harvest Prep a Division IV title in its first tournament appearance.

Berlin Hiland (25-3) got 19 points from Hilary Weaver, but the Hawks lost in the championship game for the second straight season.

Watts had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors (27-1), who were up 41-39 when Noelle Yoder stole the ball near midcourt and passed ahead to Weaver for a layup to tie the score.

Harvest Prep brought the ball up and Weaver was called for blocking after Rose dribbled into her in the backcourt. After a timeout, Rose sank both free throws for a 43-41 lead.