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Ursuline beats rival Mooney on third try as Poland returns playoff favor to West Branch
Ursuline beats rival Mooney on third try; Poland returns playoff favor to West Branch
By Greg Gulas
AUSTINTOWN
The No. 1 seeded Poland Bulldogs have been the class of area Division II girls’ basketball all season, looking to extend their undefeated season with a district title and a trophy that has been devoid of their case since the 2000 tournament.
To do so, they’ll have to get through the 2017 Division III district champion Ursuline Fighting Irish.
The top seeded Bulldogs (24-0) held No. 4 seed West Branch (17-7) scoreless in the third quarter and 10:10 overall, turning a 21-17 halftime deficit into a 30-21 advantage for a 34-26 victory over the Warriors Monday at Austintown Fitch High School.
In the nightcap, No. 3 seed Ursuline (17-7) got 26 points from Dayshanette Harris and 12 points from Destiny Goodnight for a 59-37 victory over No. 2 seed and arch-rival Cardinal Mooney (16-6).
The two teams will meet for the district championship Thursday at the Falcons’ Gymnasium at 7 p.m.
It was vindication of sorts for the state’s top-ranked Bulldogs, who lost to the last season’s top-ranked Warriors (47-35), also in the district semi-finals.
“Coach [Nick] Blanch told us at halftime to pick up our defensive intensity,” said Poland’s Sarah Bury, who led the Bulldogs with seven points. “We communicated much better in the second half and that was the key. It’s special to be undefeated and 24-0, but we’re not done yet.”
Poland led 9-5 at the quarter, only to be outscored 16-8 in the second period and find themselves on the short end of a 21-17 score heading to the intermission.
A 13-0 run gave Poland a 30-21 advantage and a lead the Warriors could not overcome.
“We were overexcited in the first half,” Poland’s Jackie Grisdale said. “In the second half we knew what we had to do, settled down and then just did it.”
Blanch said his team rose to the occasion when their backs were against the wall.
“We played our worst half of defense all year,” Blanch said. “We were caught up in the moment and just needed to calm down. Teams can focus on one player, but we’re a team and play for each other.”
In the nightcap, the Fighting Irish led for all but 87 seconds to advance to their second district championship game in three seasons as they defeated the Cardinals for the first time in three tries this season — they lost to Cardinal Mooney the first time, 59-49 and 96-13 on February 16.
Five points by Harris and triples by Destiny Goodnight and Jamie Nelson staked Ursuline to a 13-6 lead after the first eight minutes of action.
Lindsey Bell scored eight points in the second quarter her only points of the game, increased the Ursuline advantage to 34-10 at the intermission.
“We just wanted to go out and play our game, which is play hard from opening tip to final buzzer,” Harris said. “We knew that they were excellent outside shooters, so the game plan was to contest them at all times. We played a nice game offensively, but defensively this was our best game of the year. We’re looking forward to Thursday’s match-up with Poland. It should be an excellent game.”
Eight points by Harris and Cardinal Mooney’s (16-6) Conchetta Rinaldi made it a 49-25 score after three periods before Harris’ six points in the final period put a cap on their 22-point victory.”
“We knew that they would be ready to play. We came ready as well,” Ursuline head coach Vanessa Dixon said. “Our defense did a great job of executing the game plan. Poland is a good team and they’re undefeated for a reason. It should be a great game on Thursday evening.”