by Barberton, Ohio – The Anthony Wayne Generals defeated the Twinsburg Tigers, 58-20, in the Barberton regional semifinals on Tuesday evening.
Anthony Wayne got going on offense early and often, racing out to a 30-5 lead after the first quarter. Senior forward and Villanova commit Elise Bender was a huge part of the Generals’ offense, scoring 16 first-half points, with 12 of those coming in the first quarter. The Generals held Twinsburg to three total field goals in the first half, taking a 42-12 lead into the halftime break.
From there, the Generals would add to their lead, increasing it to 35 points in the third quarter, triggering the running clock for the remainer of the game.
In addition to the efforts from Elise Bender, who finished with 21 points in total, plus her 2000th career point in the third quarter, her sister, who is also a Villanova commit, Brooke Bender, finished with ten points. Junior guard Leah Pike chipped in eight points for the Generals.
Anthony Wayne advanced to the Barberton regional championship where they will take on Hudson on Friday, February 28th. The Explorers knocked off fellow Suburban League conference foe Wadsworth, 45-43, in the other regional semifinal.
Twinsburg, who was making their first regional appearance since 2015, was led by junior guard Taylor Dye, who finished with nine points.
Extended highlights below:
