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Ursuline speeds up, wears out Girard
By Joe Scalzo
WARREN
Ursuline High boys basketball coach Keith Gunther put together a brutal regular-season schedule so his Irish would learn how to play fast in the tournament.
Then, in the first quarter of Friday’s Division III district final, they forgot.
“That first quarter we were playing slow and I told our kids, ‘That’s not our style,’” Gunther said. “If we play slow, they’re able to play with us.”
The Irish got the message, blitzing Girard over the second and third quarters to pull away for a 62-36 victory at Warren Harding.
Gunther has won six district titles in 11 seasons — and his team has played for two others — but he said it’s the first time Ursuline has won back-to-back district titles in school history. It’s also the first time the Irish (21-5) have won 20 games in a season.
“At least that’s what they’re telling me,” he said, crediting (or blaming) assistant coach Carey Palermo for the information. “I could be wrong.”
Wright State recruit Mark Hughes was predictably terrific, scoring 17 points with 12 rebounds and three assists, but senior guard Greg Parella was the X-factor, scoring a game-high 20 points with seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Dave Collins added 14 points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals.
“When we’re all clicking, we’re so deadly,” Parella said.
Added Girard coach Craig Hannon, “To me, as good as Mark Hughes is — and he’s great — when the other guys step up and play well, then what do you do? Any team that’s as balanced as that is tough to guard.”
Ursuline jumped out to a 7-1 lead but Girard stayed close the rest of the way, cutting the deficit to 16-11 on Mark Standohar’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter. But then the Irish picked up the pace, outscoring the Indians 34-17 over the next 16 minutes to take control.
The Indians shot 12 of 46 from the field (26 percent) and finished with just three assists as they were forced to create tough shots off the dribble, rather than running crisp sets.
“I thought a lot of it [Girard’s struggles] had to do with, we just couldn’t get a good shot off,” said Hannon, whose Indians also lost to Ursuline 73-63 in last year’s district final. “And even the good ones we did, I think we rushed them. They forced us into a game where we were really rushed.
“Their schedule does help that style of play and we weren’t ready for that tonight. If you don’t see that until this point, you’re not going to be ready.”
Ursuline blanketed Girard standout Dylan O’Hara — usually putting the 6-foot-3 Hughes on him, for starters — and he finished with just 10 points, although he did pass the 1,000-point mark on a 3-pointer late in the second quarter. O’Hara also had eight rebounds.
“He’s meant everything to this program,” Hannon said. “Not just in the points he scores but how hard he works. He’s a model for young people.
“I was lucky to coach him.”
The Irish advanced to Wednesday’s regional final at the Canton Fieldhouse, where they’ll play Canton Central Catholic, which lost to Ursuline 58-48 on Jan. 17.
“We beat them, but it was a battle,” Gunther said. “It was a tight, tough ballgame. We’ve got our hands full.”
Girard (19-6), meanwhile, finished off its third straight winning season. It also advanced to its second straight district final after a 13-year drought.
“This senior class put Girard basketball back in the forefront,” Hannon said. “They have nothing to hang their heads about. If you get beat by someone that’s better than you, hold your head high and move on.”