Staff Photos/Preston Byers Girard’s Makenzie White, right, shooting Gwen Raleigh of South Range with Indian playoff loss at Beaver Township.
Beaver Township – In each of two previous meetings with South Range this season, Girard became the winner. However, in Tuesday’s playoff game, the Raiders were celebrating on their home courts.
South Range avoided a third loss to the Indians in a 37-36 victory before and after a pair of clutch free throws by Gwen Raleigh in the final minute to put the Raiders first.
“I’m proud of the girl” South Range head coach Jeff Fischel said. “We fought, we fought, and we fought, and we fought, and we fought, where we fought, but things didn’t go our way. (We) didn’t stop tonight, we put it together and kept it focused until the very end. We’re really pleased with the girls and are happy that they were able to bring this out.”
Girard got off to an ideal start. The Indians opened the game with a 10-2 run and took a 12-7 lead in the second quarter.
However, the Raiders found a groove midway through the second groove. Meanwhile, the south range enjoyed its own 10-2. Despite keeping Girard scoreless for nearly six minutes, the Raiders surrendered a 3-pointer and two successful free throws in the final 38 seconds of the 3-pointer. As a result, the Indians led 23-22 at halftime.
Girard similarly wrestled in control of the game away from the south range in the third quarter. After making the first basket of the half, the Indians were held without zero for more than four minutes as the Raiders ran 8-0. But like the second, the Indians finished third by outscoating South Range 8-1 to get a 33-31 lead in the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately for Girard, his offensive success and late quarter runs ended in third. The Raiders’ defense tightened Girard over the final eight minutes. This featured only nine points between the two teams.
“A low score game doesn’t bother us.” Fischel said. “We wear hats on defense. I think in the fourth quarter there, we kept them at 3 points. It was our best defensive quarter. So we always He says he has come to win defense.”
After Ceci Foster made a free throw to pair to tie the game with 35 mid-quarter, the Raiders missed Go-Amead Free Throws and layup, with Ally Gassman making a free throw and Girard 1:22 gave the rest of the lead.
The Indian defense produced blocks in the paint, but subsequent travel violations left the Raiders for over a minute to return the ball. About 25 seconds later, Lowry sunk both free throws to regain the Raiders’ lead.
After a foul on the south range, Girard’s potential game winner missed in the final 15 seconds, and the Indians were unable to surround Sofia Lucente, who dribbled for a precious few seconds.
“(Lucente) It was tough tonight, she really was.” Girard’s head coach Joe Bornemis said. “She did a lot of good things for them tonight. We tried another girl with her, but we tried a few different things. But she was pretty much the same In that case, I controlled the game.”
Girard was fouled with 2.2 seconds left, but the Indians were forced to foul again to put the Raiders on the line. When they did, there was only 0.2 seconds left.
Laurie went back to the line again, missing both free throws and chipped the ball on his second mistake to finish the game. The Raiders bench flooded the floor to celebrate the district’s semi-final victory against Raleigh.
“The good thing is I think the pressure felt like it was out of us.” Fischel said he won the third matchup vs. Girard. “Everyone was hoping to win us, so we were playing with home money, so to speak, and that kind of thing is, everyone outside here talks about how we have no chances. They fired the girls who said they had, and they pulled together and they did this for each other.”
For Girard, it is a disappointing end for one of the program’s most successful seasons in decades.
“It’s tough,” Bornemis said. “It’s always hard to lose. It’s really true. There was a class act senior (Makenzee White) who played her last game. She’s been through our entire program since her third year. That’s difficult.”
Despite the team’s disappointment, Bornemis said he hopes thrillers like Tuesday’s South Range will encourage younger girls to join the sport.
“Games like this are very important for girls’ basketball, because it’s on a downward slope. There are two-quarters of teams who only play JVS and can’t even fill the roster. Teams in tournaments. was cancelled. …This type of environment hopes that it will help these young children to see it, and that it will help the overall girls’ program.
The Raiders’ season continues Saturday when they play in Division V in the Northeast 2nd District Final against Norwayne. The game is set to chip-off at Woodridge High School on the Peninsula at 4pm.
