Williams: Valley’s state title drought continues

Eleven years ago, the Ursuline High girls basketball team won the Division III state championship (defeating Oak Hill, 66-52). Three hours later, West Branch won the Div. II title (Hamilton Badin, 42-39).

Who knew how hard it would be and how long it will take to get another champion?

Since the the Mahoning Valley’s last two basketball championships in 2004, the Value City Arena in Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center has been rough on the teams fortunate enough to make the trip. Only the 2006 Ursuline girls team advanced to the championship game. For everyone else, it was one-and-done.

Friday, West Branch’s return to Columbus ended in a frustrating 51-37 defeat to Toledo Rogers. The Warriors (27-2) struggled to mount an offense against the Lady Rams, with Breylnn Hamton-Bey leading the defensive charge.

“No one has ever played that tough a defense,” Warriors senior point guard Melinda Trimmer said. “I’ve never had that tough of a defender guard me.

“She was physical, she was in my face the whole time and all four of their other defenders were tough on all of our other players, too,” the Youngstown State University recruit said. “It was really hard to get shots tonight.”

Especially in the first half. While the Warriors were doing a decent job containing the Rams’ offense, they were frustrated at the other end, making just four of 25 attempts in falling behind 23-9 at halftime.

Late in the first quarter, Trimmer came out the game for a few seconds after Sydney Petty’s elbow connected with her face.

“It hit my jaw pretty good, but I don’t think it affected me after that,” Trimmer said.

West Branch head coach Walt DeShields said nerves weren’t a factor, but the Rams’ box-and-one scheme was.

“We expected them to try to take Melinda out,” DeShields said Trimmer, one of Ohio’s Division II players of the year. “A few teams have done that against us this year.”

Rogers head coach Lamar Smith said stopping Trimmer was the key.

“We had a great gameplan to take their best player out of the game,” said Smith, adding that Hampton-Bey, Myia McLeod and Lauren Smith did a great job of frustrating her.

“Defense won this tonight,” Smih said.

Considering the relentless pressure, DeShields said Trimmer did a good job “of finding the open girl in the lane or the kick-out [pass]. If we make some of those shots, it could have been a little different.”

DeShields cited missed opportunities — missed jump shots and lay-ups that didn’t fall.

“If those go, instead of being down 14 at halftime, we’re maybe done six or eight,” DeShields said.

The Warriors definitely needed a better start, falling behind 11-0. Junior forward Tanaya Beacham, whose freshman year was at Ursuline, scored nine of the Rams’ first 13 points. She finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Beacham said this was the third time she had played against West Branch. Asked how the first two games went, she smiled.

“Not too good,” Beacham said. “Third time’s a charm.”

The Rams won despite the loss of their co-Player of the Year. In last week’s regional championship game, Akienreh Johnson injured her ACL and won’t be available for today’s championship game against Kettering Alter (29-0).

The game is a rematch, with Alter winning 48-47 in overtime in the first one.

Trimmer and Pavin Heath finish their varsity careers on teams that went 94-13.

“We’ve worked four long years,” Heath said. “It’s an amazing feeling to get here.”

Trimmer said the loss “wasn’t what we really expected, but I’m proud of the way we fought through.”

DeShields credited Toledo Rogers’ experience of playing in the state semifinals last year.

“It’s all about experience,” DeShields said. “Today, they had more than us.”

Tom Williams is a sportswriter at The Vindicator. Write him at williams@vindy.com and follow him on Twitter, @Williams_Vindy.