by Elyria — The Canfield Lady Cardinals outscored the Avon Lake Shoregals 27-13 in the second
half en route to a 54-37 win in the Division 3 Northeast 4 District Championship.
Both teams took some time to feel each other out early on, and neither was able to create much
separation in the opening quarter.
Late in the period, Avon Lake’s Molly Milligan converted an
and-one to give the Shoregals momentum and help them take a 13-8 lead after one. Lorain
County Division 1-3 Player of the Year Olivia Miller paced Avon Lake with six of her team-high
12 points in the quarter.
Early in the second quarter, following a made basket from Canfield, Avon Lake went on a 6-0
run thanks to three-pointers from Miller and Frankie Persia, giving the Shoregals their biggest
lead of the game at 19-11.
That’s when Canfield turned up the pressure.
The Lady Cardinals brought a press that Avon Lake struggled to handle. Carly Fleming sparked
the shift with a steal and an and-one to halt the Shoregals’ run. Her tenacious defense ignited a
15-6 closing run for Canfield, which took a 27-25 lead into halftime. Senior Jenna Triveri, a
Youngstown State commit, scored six of her game-high 13 points in the quarter.
In the third quarter, Canfield’s defensive pressure continued to create problems and allowed
them to extend their lead. The Lady Cardinals held Avon Lake to just six points in the quarter.
Canfield scored nine themselves and carried a 36-31 advantage into the final frame.
In the fourth quarter, the press appeared to wear Avon Lake down as Canfield seized full
control. Three-pointers from Triveri and senior Sofia Castronova pushed the lead to 11, and
from that point on, Canfield never led by fewer than 10 points. The Lady Cardinals outscored
the Shoregals 18-6 in the final quarter to capture the district title, 54-37.
With the win — their 14th straight — the Lady Cardinals advance to face Copley in a Division 3
regional semifinal on Thursday, March 5th.
Player of the Game — Canfield’s Carly Fleming:
The senior finished with 11 points, but her impact went well beyond the box score. Fleming
ignited the defensive pressure with multiple steals that led to easy baskets. At times she found
herself defending one-on-three situations but still forced Avon Lake to make difficult passes.
Without her presence, the comeback would have been far more difficult for the Lady Cardinals
Lady cardinals looked stellar last night great job on the win vs a very very good Avon Lake team. I knew we were in good shape when the couldn’t handle the press … they looked stunned! Way to go ladies