JUMPER — Big Red's Anya Warner shoots a jumper over Carrollton's Bray Rudebush during the Division II, East 1 District championship game Saturday at Harrison Central High School. –Andrew Grimm
CADIZ — When you play a really good team, a slow start can be hard to overcome.
That was Saturday's championship game for the Division II, East District 1 Big Red girls basketball team.
Carrollton set the tone with a 3-pointer on the first possession of the game and never trailed, eventually winning 66-46 and ending Steubenville's memorable run. Ta.
“Carrollton came out and made some quick threes right out of the gate and jumped out ahead right from the start. Meanwhile, our shots weren't falling and we couldn't get anything going.” Big Red head coach Angie Forte said. “The hole was getting deeper and deeper. We tried to get out of the situation several times, but we couldn't gain any momentum.
“The girls played hard and Carrollton followed the game plan… They made shots and we didn't. Things didn't go our way. Carrollton. You have to give credit to them. They were on fire and played well in all aspects, not just shooting.”
While the fourth-seeded Warriors connected on half of their eight treys in the first quarter, the Big Red got off to an icy start and was on the floor until 2:31 of the second quarter. He scored all five points in the first quarter without connecting. From the foul line.
Adding to the early shooting woes, there were 10 turnovers in the first quarter, several of which led to points on the other side of the floor.
“We knew they had shooters and we knew it was going to be a challenge.” Forte said. “We talked about putting our hands in their faces and getting back in transition, and sometimes we did that and they still knocked down shots.
“They were the better team (Saturday).”
Carrollton led 16-5 after one game and was up by as many as 16 points in the second quarter, but Big Red went on a 7-2 run late in the quarter and was within 11 points at the break. .
Steubenville (17-9) finally got going offensively in the third quarter, scoring 22 points, but Carrollton's shooters held on, piling up 27 points and falling just short.
With a 12-point lead midway through the third quarter, the Warriors heated up again, scoring 10 straight points and quickly increasing the lead to 22 points.
Madeline Criss, who led the Big Red with 16 points in her final game for the Crimson and Black, hit a couple of second-half 3s late in the third to narrow the gap to 16 points. He advanced to the fourth game, but his points did not increase. They got within 14 points over the final eight minutes as Carrollton maintained a gap and pulled away.
“We told the girls that they have to play just as well whether they’re 10 points up or 10 points down.” Warriors head coach Nick Schweickart said. “Steubenville is well-coached and I have a lot of respect for (Forte) and her program. Even when we got up, I knew they would continue to play hard, so , we had to keep going. They had a great group and we knew they were capable.
“It's very exciting to advance to regionals and it's only the second time in school history. I'm really happy for the girls.”
Big Red's ability to get to the line and foul shoot (17 of 21) was a bright spot, allowing him to stay at the line, but the stops and big runs he needed didn't materialize.
Nyla McShann had a double-double for the Big Red with 14 points and 11 rebounds despite playing the final quarter and a half with four fouls. Senior Anya Warner scored 10 points and fellow senior Sabria Jones finished with four points.
Carrollton's Hilary Baker had four triples and a game-high 27 points, Demi Leary had 13 points and three long-range shots, and nine different players found the scoresheet for the Warriors. .
The Warriors advance to the regional tournament and will face Sheridan on Wednesday at Zanesville High School.
“This was an amazing group of young women who overcame a lot of adversity to get here.” Forte said. “Not many people would have picked us to come this far, especially after losing our starter (Paige Mattson) at the beginning of the year.
“This group of girls included themselves when others might have excluded them. They pushed each other and got us this far. . I am proud of each and every one of my children.
“My seniors are an amazing group of young women and we will miss them terribly.
“We have a new standard for our returning girls…The EDGE program is doing a great job. We have a strong middle school program and on top of our returning girls we have three Injured players will come back.'' The future is bright. ”
OHSAA Division II East 1
district championship
at Harrison Central High School
4th place Carrollton 66, 7th place Big Red 46
Steubenville 5-12-22-7 – 46
Carrollton 16-12-27-11 – 66
Steubenville (17-9): Warner 4 2-2 10; Chris 5 3-3 16; Jones 0 4-4 4; McShann 3 8-12 14; Beal 0 0-0 0; Scully 1 0-0 2; Cooper 0 0-0 0; Thomas 0 0-0 0; Moore 0 0-0 0; Lombardo 0 0-0 0; Pierce 0 -0 0. Total: 13, 17-21; 46.
Carrollton (21-5): Leary 5 0-0 13; Baker 10 3-5 27; Davis 0 0-0 0; Ridditch 4 2-5 10; Schaefer 0 1-2 1; Rudebusch 2 2-2 7 ; Leslie 1 0-0 2; Hanenkrath 1 0-0 2; Shaw 0 0-0 0; Pitman 0 0-0 0; Miller 0 0-0 0. Total: 24, 10-16; 66.
3-Point Goals: Steubenville 3 (Chris 3); Carrollton 8 (Baker 4, Leary 3, Rudebusch). Assists: Steubenville 11 (Beal 4); Carrollton 18 (4 and 3). Rebounds: Steubenville 28 (McShann 11); Carrollton 27 (Shafer 5). Turnovers: Steubenville 23; Carrollton 11.
