by Parma Heights, OH- Holy Name Girls Basketball survives Padua’s late game advances to win the Parma Holy War 50-49 behind 16 points from Claire Coljohn and a defensive clinic down the stretch.
The first quarter started off slow for both teams. Padua and Holy Name traded possession and backcourt violations in the opening two minutes. The first points of the game came from the free throw line as Coljohn knocked down both of her shots. Padua would take an early lead as the team converted 3 free throws along with a few field goals. The field goals came from Ally Tonsing, Ashley Rypaik, and Ella Figliano. With Holy Name down, Nalani Simon would convert Holy Name’s first bucket from the field to restore a narrow advantage. The only other bucket from the field came via an Emmalee Majoros triple. However, the story of the quarter remained Coljohn as she went 5 for 6 at the line. This led the Green Wave to an early 12-9 lead heading into the second.
The second quarter was dominated by Holy Name. Mary Rispoli along with Coljohn buried their only triples of the game. Fouls also spelled trouble for the Bruin defense as they surrendered 10 shots at the line during this quarter. However, the Green Wave only went 3 for 10 in this frame. Padua went 1 for 3 from the line while their other 6 points of the quarter came from the field as Rypaik along with Darlene Jaidah and Sophia Spade each scored 2 points. Overall, Holy Name outscored the Bruins 16-7 this quarter, giving them a 28-16 lead at the break.
Entering the third quarter, Padua Head Coach Jason Lantz has his Bruins firing on all cylinders. They would begin the second half with a 15-2 run which included the game’s only kill shot. Both points allowed during this run came from Coljohn free throws. The Bruins would convert their only triples of the night in this quarter as Spade scored one and Michela Cario converted the other two. Spade would end up posting 8 of her total 18 points in the third. However, the resiliency of the Green Wave saw them regain the lead with dominance inside the paint. Centers Honesti Williams and Layla Rudolph scored 9 of their 16 combined points in this quarter. Coljohn continued her career day from the line as she went 4 for 4 in this quarter. On the night, the freshman went 13/18. These rivals brought a tight contest into the fourth with the Green and White leading 43-38.
The fourth quarter saw plenty of opportunities for Holy Name to pull away and Padua to take the lead. However, it would be the Namer defense that prevailed. They forced turnover after turnover and grabbed board after board. However, the biggest rebound of the night came as Majoros corralled the basketball with less than 5 seconds left after a missed shot by the Bruins. Holy Name was unable to make either of their foul shots, so Padua had 1 last chance to set something up. However, no shot was able to get off as Coljohn capped off her 16-point performance with one final defensive stop. She leaped in between a few Bruins and snatched the ball out of the air to seal the 50-49 Holy Name win.
Holy Name defeated their archrivals for the first time since February 15, 2020. The Green Wave left Padua with a 33-31 win to begin the playoffs that year but haven’t had success since then against the Bruins. Holy Name Head Coach Chris Petitti’s squad now finds themselves with a 5-3 record with Lake Catholic up next to close out the 2023 part of their schedule. Padua has Rocky River and North Olmsted to close out 2023. The Green Wave now have as many regular season wins as they did all of last year. The future is bright for Holy Name Girls Hoops, but the team echoes that the focus is on the next game.
Padua Key Players:
#2 Ally Tonsing: 10 Points
#11 Sophia Spade: 18 Points
#23 Ella Figliano: 7 Points
Holy Name Key Players
#2 Layla Rudolph: 7 Points
#25 Honesti Williams: 10 Points
#35 Claire Coljohn: 16 Points
Player of the Game: Claire Coljohn
