West Branch puts away Howland for sectional victory

February 22, 2019 at 12:08a.m.

West Branch reaches district semifinals

BELOIT

Peyton Alazaus’ 13 points led three West Branch players in double figures as the No. 4 seeded Warriors defeated No. 5 Howland 49-44 in a Division II sectional final.

Carly Scarpitti added 12 points and Grace Heath 10 as West Branch (17-6) advanced to a district semifinals against Poland (23-0). The Bulldogs defeated Mantua Crestwood, 73-20 Thursday night. The two sides will meet on Monday at 6 p.m. at Austintown Fitch.

West Branch also defeated the Tigers (17-7), back on December 28, 29-27.

“We knew coming into the game that they were a hot team, having won 10 in a row so the game plan was to have a balanced attack,” Alazaus said. “We wanted to shoot from the outside if we had the opportunity, but felt like we needed to drive inside as well. They are an excellent team, so the game plan was to be tough at both ends of the court.”

The game featured three ties and 11 lead changes with nine of those lead changes coming after intermission.

A desperation heave from beyond the arc by Heath with time running out in the period then found the bottom of the net as the Warriors cut the deficit to 37-33 heading to the final period.

“I felt things changing at the end of the third period when that three-point attempt fell through with time running out,” said Tigers’ head coach John Diehl. “They then came out and scored the first two-points of the fourth quarter to cut our lead to two points so that five-point swing was big.

“We had good looks but missed a lot of shots underneath. They just wouldn’t fall. It was a district atmosphere for a sectional game. I thought this team had the potential to make a run, it just didn’t happen. It’s an early exit for a good team.”

Carpitti’s bucket to start the quarter pulled West Branch to within a hoop, but a triple by Alyssa Pompelia and free throw by Maria Dellimuti helped Howland open a 41-37 margin with 3:09 remaining.

Two free throws by Scarpitti and a bucket by Heath off her own miss gave the Warriors a 43-41 lead, but Pompelia’s triople, her second of the period and third of the game, gave the Tigers their final lead of the game, 44-43.

Scarpitti’s bucket at 1:21 gave the Warriors the lead for good, 45-44 as they scored the final six points of the game for their fourth win in a row as they improved to 9-2 at home this season.

“We had to stop their inside game and stay tight in the lane. That helped us execute defensively,” Scarpitti said. “It was a game of streaks and after a bit of a lull in the third period, we pushed through to finish strong in the final quarter.”

Warriors head coach Walt DeShields was pleased with his team’s overall effort and resiliency.

“Coach Diehl and I are good friends and I knew that he would have his team ready to play. Howland is a great program and I highly respect John, so this is a great win for our program,” DeShields said. “We knew that it would be a battle. It was a great game for the fans to watch.

“Midway through the fourth quarter we were able to hit some big shots. When you place three players in double-figures and have a balanced scoring attack like we did tonight, you’re going to be hard to beat. Plus, our defense is pretty good.”

The Tigers placed two players in double figures with Ochman’s 15 points and Pompelia‘s 11.