by Padua’s Jake Lantz Named North Coast Conference Coach of the Year at KOS
A great effort by Padua, charged by senior Darlene Jaidah, was not enough for the Bruins.
The St. Vincent-St. Mary Irish will go to Elida to take on the Highland Hornets on Wednesday night in Elida in the regional semifinals. They take down the Padua Franciscan Bruins 64-53 after a sluggish first quarter, akin to their next opponent earlier today.
Trailing 9-8 towards the end of the first quarter, SVSM eventually woke up and found themselves scoring the last six points to pull ahead 14-9 upon the period’s conclusion. In the second quarter, Melania Cornute and Tatum Smith took command of the game, combining for 11 points in the second and springing the Irish to a 32-16 lead. However, the Bruins would get back with a Jaidah buzzer beater at the half.
When it was the second half, Jaidah started to shine and carry the Bruins on her back. After having single digits in the first half, she caught fire and brought the Bruins to single digits several times during the game. However, the lead was too insurmountable for Padua to recover from, as they began to resort to fouling throughout the fourth.
All but two of the Irish’s 16 came via the free throw line, shooting 14 for 18 in the fourth quarter alone. Cornute had eight points in the fourth, all of them coming from the line, as it was their concentration that won it. Sydney Ferguson, the 6’4″ sophomore sensation for SVSM, scored 10 points, with none of them being in the seccond.
The Irish improve to 19-5 on the season, and will prepare for the two and a half hour trip to Elida to take on the Highland Hornets. The Bruins end their season with a 20-5 record, with big wins over Copley, Magnificat, and Keystone this season.
Padua’s Jake Lantz Named North Coast Conference Coach of the Year at KOS
