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Making themselves at home
By Joe Scalzo
AUSTINTOWN
After playing two tournament games at home, the West Branch High School girls basketball team played Monday’s Division II district semifinal at a neutral site.
It just didn’t feel like it.
Melinda Trimmer had 15 points and 11 assists to lead West Branch to a 64-52 win over Southeast in front of hundreds of green-clad fans at Fitch High School.
It was the Warriors’ 14th tournament game at Fitch over the last five years. They’ll make it 15 on Thursday night when they play Field in their fifth straight district final.
“This is definitely our home away from home,” Trimmer said.
The Warriors (24-1) took control immediately, forcing four straight Southeast turnovers to start the game before rolling up a 27-14 lead entering the second quarter.
“Coming out and putting up 27 points in the first quarter was a clinic,” Warriors coach Walt DeShields said. “They had to call a lot of timeouts and switch their defense and it really didn’t matter what zone they were in.
“We dissected it.”
After a stalemate second quarter, the Pirates finally made a run early in the third, cutting the deficit to six, 43-37, on Emma Rankin’s 3-pointer.
But the Warriors turned up the pressure, forcing six turnovers over Southeast’s next seven possessions while finishing the third on a 15-4 run.
They were never threatened again.
“We called a timeout right there and I said, ‘Hey, we’re letting them use their strengths,’” DeShields said of the crucial stretch. “We had to get back to our game plan and our scouting report.
“That could have been a big turning point for them or us and it turned out to be for us.”
Kaylee Manning scored 16 points and Pavin Heath added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Warriors, who finally got a competitive tournament game after winning their first two by a combined 116 points.
“We love this atmosphere,” said Trimmer, a Youngstown State University recruit who was playing in front of Penguins coach John Barnes. “We’ve been waiting for this time.”
Dunn, the Pirates’ lone senior starter, finished with 15 points. Sophomore Danielle Norquest added 13 points and 12 rebounds for Southeast (21-4), which started three sophomores and a freshman.
“They’ve got a bright future,” DeShields said of the Pirates. “They’re gonna win a lot of games over the next two years.”
In Monday’s nightcap, Southeast (20-5) rallied past Portage Trail Conference rival Ravenna 51-41. Field coach Craig Nettleton said it’s only going to get tougher on Thursday night.
“It’s a huge challenge,” he said. “There’s not a weakness on their team. They have good size, they have shooters, they have a terrific point guard that makes everyone else around her better.
“But every game at this level is a challenge. We’re going to take it the same way we do everything else. We’re gonna plan and try to do the best we can at what we do best and worry about ourselves and try not to worry too much about West Branch.”