by Mentor Cardinal Head Coach James Hrusovsky Wins GCC Coach of the Year at KOS
The 2nd seeded Mentor Cardinals beat the 10th seeded Whitner Panthers by a final score of 55-39 in the district final round of the 2026 OHSAA Girls Basketball Ohio State Championships. The Cardinals played as a complete team the whole game both on offense and defense. You could feel the energy from every player while they all fed off each other. So many girls got involved but they were led by sophomore guards Keira Coleman and Hayley McClintock. Coleman finished with 12 and McClintock with 15. The Cardinals will celebrate this big win but will also look ahead as they’ll fight to go deeper into the bracket.
Both teams came out of the gate playing fast and physical basketball. It was Mentor who got things started with a quick 7-0 run to start the game. But Whitmer responded with an 8-2 right after that. It wasn’t until late into the opening quarter when Cardinals sophomore guard Hayley McClintock caught fire from beyond the arc. She drilled back to back 3 pointers and led her squad to an 18-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. McClintock scored 10 of their 18 first quarter points.
The Second quarter was much faster paced than the first. Both teams were settled into the game and it looked like the Panthers were having a start to a great quarter. They made back to back buckets and started to shift some momentum. But Mentor would not give it up so easily. The tightened up on defense making it really difficult for any Panther player to drive to the lane. They then turned that defense into a great team offense. They had superb ball movement and were constantly helping each other get open. The leader of the Cardinals second quarter success was sophomore guard Keira Coleman. Coleman came into the second quarter as an absolute spark plug. She had so much energy and her teammates were feeding off of it. Whether it was driving to the lane or taking a charge on defense, Coleman was in absolute control of the game. She went into the half with 10 points and was playing great physical defense. She led the Cardinals to a 35-21 lead going into the locker room.
The third quarter continued the trend of the first two. Whitmer was playing hard but just couldn’t keep up with the Cardinals. Every girl was feeding off each other causing everyone to make plays. Senior guard Nina Rodriguez put on a defensive masterclass in the third. She forced 3 turnovers and had a blocked shot in the quarter. She was also a great point guard on offense. She was making pass after pass and was a perfect facilitator. The Cardinals went into the final quarter up 48-33 and the Panthers desperately needed a momentum shift to claw their way back in the fourth.
Mentor’s game plan for the fourth quarter was clear. Slow the game down and do not allow a comeback. And not that’s exactly what they did. They played great keepaway on offense and continued to not give any space on defense. The Panthers fought very hard throughout the game and in the final quarter, but in the end they just couldn’t fight their way back. Mentor won the game 55-39 and got to cut down the net as district champions.
They’ll continue their way through the bracket as they’ll play the winner of Strongsville vs McKinley. The game will be held at Barberton High School on Wednesday March 4th.
Mentor Cardinal Head Coach James Hrusovsky Wins GCC Coach of the Year at KOS
