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Rebels win nail-biter; Lowellville cruises
By matthew peaslee
BEAVER TWP
Ask Western Reserve’s April Lude if she’d rather take a 25-foot jump shot or an easy look right by the basket and she’ll opt for the former.
So will her coach.
“She’s not the most confident layup shooter,” Josh Scott admitted with a laugh.
However, with the Division IV district semifinal on the line on Wednesday, Lude found herself with the ball, under the basket and she converted.
Lude’s layup, and only points, with 15 seconds remaining gave the Blue Devils a 50-49 come-from-behind victory over Crestview.
“Yeah, I’m never very good at layups,” Lude said, “but the game was on the line and finishing it was pretty awesome.”
And watching the South Range High gymnasium hit all zeros was “glorious,” according to Lude.
“To cap it off like that was amazing,” she said.
Western Reserve (20-3) trailed by 10 early in the second quarter when Colleen Kennehan was whistled for a technical foul.
She got into a scruff with Rebels point guard Ashley Harrison. Harrison proceeded to make both of her free throws for the double-digit lead.
“Colleen is a competitor,” Scott said. “She’s done a real good job of trying to channel that into more positive things. They’re two great players going at it.
“It was just a battle and I guarantee Harrison will be the best player around here next year.”
The Devils cut the lead to two with under two minutes left until halftime and opened up the second half with no deficit greater than six.
With five minutes remaining in regulation, Linley Mamonis missed the back end of two foul shots but corralled her own rebound in an open lane and sunk a layup. That cut it back to two, 43-41.
“That’s one of those basic fundamentals of basketball where you have to box out the shooter,” Crestview coach Rick Gates said. “We didn’t.”
On Reserve’s next possession, Sissy Stubbs tied it with a mid-range jump-shot. Kennehan went on a 4-0 run by herself in the next 30 seconds and the Devils were up 47-43.
“They went on a roll,” Gates said. “We just didn’t stay consistent.”
But Harrison hit a 3-pointer with 1:21 left, a minute later Marissa Leon did the same and the Rebels were back up, 49-48 before Lude’s layup decided it at the end.
“I knew this was going to be an absolute dogfight and it was,” Scott said. “We kept telling them that shots are going to fall and eventually — they did.”
After going 12-for-42 from the field in the first three quarters, WR shot 6-for-10 in the fourth.
“I never doubted us,” Lude said. “Our team always manages to find a way to win.”
Kennehan finished with 14 points and four steals, while Stubbs had 11 points. Hannah Mowery scored 12 points with 15 rebounds.
Harrison had a game-high 19, as Leon and Morgan Newbauer each added nine for Crestview (16-7).
lowellville 55, lisbon 19
The Rockets used their 55-19 blowout of Lisbon to tune up for the eventual district championship.
“I really don’t have to try to urge them on to anything right now,” Lowellville coach Tony Matisi said. “They’re pretty focused.”
The Rockets (21-2) forced 32 turnovers.
“They don’t leave anything open,” Lisbon coach Jason Thompson said. “I think some of our girls got intimidated quickly. That did set the tone.”
Kaye Solak had a game-high 15 points for Lowellville, while coming up with six steals. Pam Pierce had nine points for Lisbon (13-9).