by Macedonia, Ohio – The Laurel Gators defeated West Branch, 51-39, to secure the Nordonia district championship Saturday afternoon.
The two teams finished the first quarter knotted at 14 a piece. West Branch jumped ahead, 4-0, early on, mainly behind the efforts of Sophia Gregory and Livvie Showalter. They combined for 11 points in the first.
However, once Saniyah Hall got going, it was hard to slow her down. Hall, ranked #3 in the Class of 2026, scored nine points in the first quarter. The Gator sophomore cashed in a triple early in the second to give Laurel the lead, and they would not relinquish it.
Although West Branch kept it close, Laurel was able to answer, fending off any Warrior comeback attempts. In the third quarter, four different Gator players found the scorebook, including Tristian Williams, Nyla Edwards, and Sydnee Robinson. Schneider and Hall each hit a triple, the latter pushing the Laurel lead to double digits.
West Branch advances to the Barberton regional to take on Gilmour Academy, Tuesday, March 5th. The Lancers defeated Aurora, 52-39, in the Woodridge district championship Saturday afternoon.
West Branch ends their season at 20-3. The Warriors were led by senior guard and Youngstown State commit Sophie Gregory, who finished with 24. Her fellow classmate, another YSU commit, Livvie Showalter, finished with nine. Gregory had 17 of the Warriors’ 19 second half points in her final game.
Check back later for video highlights.
