by Alliance, OH- The start of the OHSAA couldn’t have gone any better for the Marlington Lady Dukes as they took down Holy Name 63-19.
The first quarter started off in favor of the Green Wave. Claire Coljohn knocked down a triple to get the offense rolling. Following this, the Dukes’ defense allowed zero points the rest of the quarter. Chelsea Evanich commanded the offensive for Marlington as she posted 12 points in the first quarter. All of these points came from inside the arc via domination in the paint. Her physicality earned her three trips to the charity stripe where she went 4/6. The only triple of the quarter for the Lady Dukes belonged to Mahlen Lambdin. Allie Gill and Roslynn McCarty rounded out the scoring as Marlington took their 20-3 lead into the second with all 20 points coming without Namer interruption.
Heading into the second quarter, the Dukes continued to dominate. While their 20-0 run was ended by a free throw from Layla Rudolph, they continued to control the tempo of the game. Evanich earned two more trips to the line this frame where she knocked down all four attempts. Heading into the break, she already had 20 points. Ava Clough made a pair of field goals while Zoe Mort added one of her own. Coljohn and Emmalee Majoros each made a triple for Holy Name as they went into the locker room trailing 34-10.
Marlington didn’t skip a beat as they came out of the locker room firing once again. Evanich led the fight once more as she would post 7 points this quarter. However, 5 of the 7 came from the line. Overall, she earned eight trips to the line and shot 13/16. Gill, Lambdin, and Mort combined for the other 8 points the Dukes would score this frame. The Green Wave would convert their only field goal of the game this quarter as Honesti Williams banked one in off the glass for her final career points. Majoros added her second triple to round out the Namer scoring in the third. Heading into the fourth, it was all Marlington as they led 49-16.
The fourth quarter saw the changing of the guard for both teams. The Dukes pulled their starters early in the frame as Evanich left her home floor one final time with 27 points. The only real shock of this quarter was the three ball. In the prior three quarters, Marlington made one triple. However, Mort and Gill knocked down a triple a piece almost back-to-back. The only interruption came from Bre Minch knocking down her final career triple for HN. Outside of this basket, her defense was impeccable as she tallied a few blocks. There’s a reason she’s earned the nickname ‘Money Minch’. With a few minutes left, Coach Petitti pulled his seniors to give them a proper send off. The Green and White’s season came to an end as Marlington took them down 63-19.
This year was supposed to be another season of growth for the Green Wave, but Coach Petitti took it to another level. Including playoffs, he finishes his second season at the helm with a 12-11 record. His team made big strides this year in the right direction. They found their star in Coljohn and the young core has gained chemistry. Watch out for the Namers next season!
As for the Dukes, they were really impressive. Many thought this would be a tight affair, but they had other ideas. I was told how underrated Evanich was heading into the contest. She didn’t disappoint by any means. Her story still has a final chapter to be written. Regardless, I feel it is safe to say that Chelsea Evanich is the Greatest of All Time at Marlington High School! Good luck to her and the Dukes Saturday as they travel to take on Girard with tip-off scheduled for 1PM.
Holy Name Key Players
#00 Emmalee Majoros: 6 Points
#3 Bre Minch: 3 Points + Few Blocks
#35 Claire Coljohn: 7 Points
Marlington Key Players
#2 Zoe Mort: 9 Points
#5 Allie Gill: 11 Points
#11 Chelsea Evanich: 27 Points
Player of the Game: Chelsea Evanich
