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Raiders ousted by unbeaten Chipps
By Tom Williams
CUYAHOGA FALLS
After a 61-37 loss to top-ranked Doylestown Chippewa on Wednesday night, South Range senior Jordan Youngs said she wouldn’t trade the experience of two regional games in as many seasons for anything.
“It’s been a ride,” Youngs said after her Raiders finished 22-5. “Oh my gosh, I can’t even put it into words how much this means being here and being with this group of girls.
“I think we pushed our ride pretty well. Even though we didn’t win, we’re glad we got the chance to play against a No. 1 team. We did the best we could.”
Last year — in head coach Tony Matisi’s first season — South Range advanced to the regional for the first time in 20 years.
Matisi said hard work earned them a second trip.
“It’s the way that we worked after we got her last year, knowing how much better you have to be to play here,” Matisi said. “I know we closed the gap, I was hoping the gap wasn’t as big as it was.
“I thought we took a big jump for one year.”
In last year’s regional game, the Raiders lost to Smithville, 44-16. Against the 27-0 Chipps, the Raiders went on a 7-2 run to open the second quarter to reduce the Chippewa lead to 18-14.
But not long after that, South Range’s 6-foot-3 Sara Durr committed two fouls trying to stop 6-1 Ashley Richardson. With Durr on the bench, Richardson continued to dominate underneath.
Durr, a senior, was assessed two more fouls in the third quarter, Richardson finished with 25 points, five rebounds and four blocks.
“I don’t think I’ve ever played anybody that good in my life,” Durr said. “I’ve played people my height, but none with the skill that she has.”
Matisi said, “Any time at will they wanted to score, they were going to look for her. She moved well from both sides.”
The Chipps’ size frustrated the Raiders.
“I thought we would be able to get more looks than we did,” Matisi said. “I thought we would be able to skip and get looks. But they cover so well and were quick to the ball.”
Senior Ashley Sharp agreed.
“We thought we’d able to do skip-passes but their defense was really sound,” she said.
When the Chipps weren’t scoring underneath, Carly Koncz was connecting from outside. She finished with 19 points, three blocks and three rebounds.
“We had to limit second and third shots — we didn’t do too good of a job on that,” Matisi said. “And they slashed to the bucket well. They are a very nice team to watch.”
Freshman Madison Durkin led the Raiders with 12 points and junior Morgan Czopur scored seven.
Youngs said she feels her team grew from their trips to Cuyahoga Falls High School.
“Last year, we knew we needed to step it up a level,” Youngs said. “It was our first time at regionals, everyone was in awe of the place, the teams, seeing how much different they were from home.
“We knew we had to practice harder. We made sure we did the best we could to improve.”
Youngs said she’s going to miss her teammates and coaches.
“I can’t say enough wonderful words about Coach Matisi and Coach Mike [Kollar] and the staff,” Youngs said. “They have pushed us beyond our wildest dreams. We couldn’t have made it anywhere we have been without them.” Youngs said. “They are a gift from God for us.”