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Ursuline, United advance for Round 3 showdown
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Ursuline's Courtney Powell muscles her way between Lisbon defenders #20 Anna Dunn and #12 Julie Gauntt, while on her way to the basket.
By Tom Williams
MINERAL RIDGE
After the Ursuline and United high school girls basketball teams cruised to sectional victories to set up their third straight district showdown, Eagles coach Roger Zeigler said his squad will need to step up.
“It’s going to be an interesting game for us,” said Zeigler after the Eagles ousted Waterloo, 53-38, on Thursday at the Division III tournament at Mineral Ridge High. “We’re going to have to play a little bit better than we have the last couple of games.”
On March 3 at 6 p.m., the Eagles (18-4) and Irish (14-7) will face off in round three. Two years ago, the Eagles defeated the Irish in the district final. Last year, the Irish avenged that loss with a district semifinal win.
“We both know each other pretty well,” said Ursuline coach Sean Durkin after the Irish defeated Lisbon, 51-26.
Right from the start, the Blue Devils (10-12) had no answer for Ursuline’s 6-foot post player Courtney Powell, who scored eight of her 15 points in the first quarter. Sydney Beasley connected for two 3-pointers as the Irish raced to a 16-5 lead.
“They shot the ball well,” said Zeigler of the Irish start. “Powell is strong inside, [Aurielle] Irizarry and Beasley were shooting [well] from the corners.”
Durkin said Lisbon’s pace wasn’t a problem.
“We played a pretty diverse schedule, we’ve played some teams that are really quick but we’ve played some good teams that like the slow tempo, too,” Durkin said.
When the Irish led 27-10 at halftime, Powell had 11 points and Beasley 10. Powell finished with 13, six rebounds and a block while Beasley scored 12.
“They are two important parts of our offense and we expect both of them as well as a couple of others to contribute,” Durkin said.
Powell said she feels the Irish ”do a good job at adjusting. I think that we play better when we are playing fast but we can accommodate to go at a different pace.
“We tried to push the ball as much as we can because we knew they were a slow team,” Powell said.
Katie Snoddy led the Blue Devils with 11 points.
Asked about the United rematch, Powell said she “would love to” play the Eagles again and expects a challenge.
“It’s always good to see teams that you’ve beaten before,” Powell said. “The second time, they’re coming at you two times harder than they came at you before because now they want revenge.”
Crystal Richards led the Eagles with 13 points while Sierra Parks and Rachel Sell had 12 apiece against the Vikings (14-8).
Zeigler said the Eagles will be tested by Powell because they haven’t faced a player like her.
“We’ve played a couple of good post players but no one as big and as strong as her,” Zeigler said. “It will be a challenge for everyone in this tournament because I don’t think anyone can match up with her inside.”
Parks ignited the Eagles’ solid start against the Vikings by scoring six points and making three rebounds in the first quarter as United jumped ahead, 13-8. Sell made four steals and hit a 3-pointer in the second quarter as the Eagles opened up a 31-16 lead.
“It’s just another test for us,” said Parks, a 5-10 senior, of Ursuline. “It will be a big rematch. It always means a lot when we go against them.”
Of defending Powell, Parks said she’s “more powerful than the other girls in our league. It will be interesting to see how we play.”
Zeigler said that the Irish will give the Eagles, co-champions of the Inter Tri-County League Tier One with South Range, plenty to defend.
“They are quick, they defend passes, they play up-in-your-face defense, so it’s going to be tough,” Zeigler said. “Here we go again a third time — we’re happy to be here.”