Long-range shots ground Warren JFK

March 4, 2012 at 12:00a.m.

By BRANDON JUDEH

Rootstown

The Windham High girls basketball team lived up to its nickname in Saturday’s Division IV district final victory over Warren JFK.

The Bombers hit eight 3-pointers and shot well from the perimeter as they ousted the Eagles, 73-53, at Rootstown High.

“I now know why they call Windham the Bombers,” Warren JFK coach John Baytos said. “That second quarter was one of the best things I have ever seen.”

When the bracket was released, not many pictured these two teams playing for the regional berth, making the victory much more special for the Bombers.

“It feels great, honestly it does,” said freshman Jessica Isler who scored 25 points. “I feel pretty good about our chances going on to the next round, we have been playing well.”

Isler and her sister Caitlyn were on fire from the start, Caitlyn, a senior, scored 23.

With Windham (16-7) already up by eight at the start of the second quarter, Caitlyn Isler said her team wanted to come out and gain momentum so that they could put the Eagles (14-10) away.

“We just needed to calm down, relax and stay focused and our shots were going in,” Isler said. “Usually when a team is focused, more shots go in,” Isler said.

She also mentioned that one of the things her team talked about before the game was to attack the basket and draw fouls.

The Bombers did just that, quickly causing the Eagles to get into foul trouble. The Bombers went to the free throw line nine times in the quarter and built a commanding 39-17 lead at intermission.

“Our kids fought until the end and I could not be more proud of them.” Baytos said.

The Bombers continued to launch shots from behind the arc in the second half and continued to connect as their relentless offensive assault was too much for JFK. Three of the Eagles’ eight players fouled out of the game.

For Warren JFK, Laurencia Lee led her team with 21 points, RaiShein Gaston grabbed 12 boards and Calli Kowach added 10 rebounds.

Despite his team’s lackluster shooting performance, Baytos said he couldn’t be more proud of his girls.

“These girls have played their hearts out all season long,” Baytos said.

“We have a special group of kids here, we only have eight girls in the basketball program and we won three playoffs games. It’s something I will never forget,” Baytos said.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock and tears of frustration streamed down the faces of the Eagles seniors, tears of joy erupted from the Bombers.

“It felt good to cut down the net,“ Caitlyn Isler said. “I was actually thinking about that all morning, about what it would feel like to get to do that with my teammates and coaches.”

Also having a solid outing for the Bombers was Dari Heller with 12 points and 12 rebounds.