by Kee On Sports is in need of your support to remain paywall free. You can make a donation to keep paywalls off the site here. Please and thank you!
Donate Here via Paypal – Vince.McKee@keeonsports.com
Click here to donate – https://keeonsports.com/donate-now/
Hartville, Ohio – Thanks to a strong fourth quarter from senior guard Olivia Klanac, Medina defeated Stow, 45-37, in the OHSAA Division I, Northeast 2 District Final at Uniontown Lake High School.
It was a back-and-forth affair in the first quarter as Stow took the lead, 14-12. Three different Bulldogs sank a triple in the stanza.
Medina responded with a 16-3 run in the second quarter, ramping up the pressure on defense. Junior guard Abby Dress, who finished with 14 points, knocked down a trio of triples in the second quarter.
Medina clung to a 32-31 lead after the third quarter, thanks to a 14-4 run by Stow. The Bulldogs took the lead thanks to an Adriana Tichnell layup, followed by an Allie Knouff bucket for their largest lead of the game, 35-32.
Medina responded on their next possession, as Olivia Klanac drained a triple to even the score. Adriana Tichnell split a pair of free throws to give Stow a 36-35 lead. Medina took the lead for good when Olivia Klanac drew contact on the way to the rim. She sank both free throws, and sank a jumper following a Stow miss to increase Medina’s lead to 38-35. From there, the defense would get the job, forcing several turnovers down the stretch.
Klanac would go 8-8 from the charity stripe in the final stanza as Medina outscored Stow 7-1 down the stretch for the final margin. The senior guard and Coastal Carolina commit finished with 28 points, scoring all of the Battling Bees’ points in the second half.
Medina advances to the regional semifinals for the third time in five years. They will take on the winner of Berea-Midpark and Massillon Jackson on Wednesday, February 26th, at 8:00pm.
Stow was led by sophomore guard Adriana Tichnell, who finished with 11 points, followed by sophomore Allie Knoupf with ten.
Extended highlights below:
