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Newton Falls recovers after frantic Ursuline comeback
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By Brooke Meenachan
NEWTON FALLS
The matchup between Newton Falls and Ursuline looked like it was over before it even finished.
The Tigers held the Irish to just two points in the third quarter and led by 10 heading into the fourth Monday night.
Even the Tigers thought they had the game won.
“We let off the gas a little bit because we thought we could coast through the fourth quarter,” said Kayla Barreca.
But the Irish weren’t ready to call it quits and scrambled to force overtime before the Tigers recovered for a 55-48 victory.
Ursuline trailed 39-31 with 4:42 left in the game. They forced back-to-back turnovers, which cut the deficit 40-35.
A clutch shot behind the arc from Destiny Goodnight pulled the Irish within two with 1:37 left.
Newton Falls (18-4, 11-1 All-American Conference, Blue Tier) responded with a bucket from Izzy Kline and a foul shot from Hannah Harnichar to give the Tigers the 43-38 upper edge with less than a minute remaining.
But Dayshanette Harris drove to the basket and laid it in to put the Irish within three. Harris then stole an inbounds pass and scored again to make it a one-point game, 43-42.
Ursuline (11-10) was forced to foul with 12.5 seconds left. Barreca hit one of two foul shots to make it 44-42.
Harris got the ball with just under 10 seconds to play. She drove left, drew a foul and hit both free throws to force overtime.
Harris scored 14 of her 25 points in the fourth quarter.
“At the end of the game, when we’re down by two and a chance to tie the ball game, there’s no one better than her to be at the line. She pulled us through to overtime and we just didn’t get the job done,” said Ursuline head coach Vannessa Dickson.
But Newton Falls outscored the Irish 11-4 in overtime.
Harris averages nearly 30 points, but the word means nothing to her.
“It’s what I’m here to do. Age is only a number. It’s all about the heart,” she said.
Kline, a junior, can tell Harris plays with her heart on her sleeve.
“It’s great to play against her. She’s such a great player and it was a good defensive challenge. I have nothing but respect for a player like that,” Kline said.
The Tigers held Harris to just seven points in the first half.
“We said coming into the game that she was someone we needed to know where she was at at all times,” Newton Falls coach Mark Baker said. “Credit to my girls who play at the top of their zone because they really got after it and did a fantastic job up against her.”
Kline led the Tigers with 23 points. Newton Falls used a high-low game with Kline and Barreca.
“We have a buddy system that we work on at practice,” Baker said. “We have a great group of guards that get them the ball in the first place, but a lot of teams defensively key in on our post players, so we have a buddy system. So, if Izzy is getting double-teamed, Kayla is going to benefit and vice-versa.”
Kline and Barreca agree their chemistry is strong.
“We work really well together,” Barreca said. “If we get collapsed on, we can kick it out to our great shooters, so I think it’s just a great unit overall.”
Barreca and Harnichar each scored 11 points.
“We walked into this game expecting it to be big and I think our team really delivered,” Barreca said. “We didn’t play as individuals, we played as a unit, as a team together.”
Kline added: “It was definitely the most competitive game we’ve had all year, the most exciting. I think both teams competed well. It’s a big confidence booster. We all realize what we can do.”
The Tigers clinched the AAC Blue Tier title with their win over Brookfield on Saturday. They weren’t allowed to cut down the nets on the Warriors’ home court, so they brought out the scissors after beating the Irish.