by This recap is brought to you by – Robert Gates Legacy Foundation – Rob Gates Legacy, Organ Donation Foundation | Facebook
This Foundation is to raise money to provide relief to transplant recipients, their costs of rejection medications are thousands of dollars per month and they are needed to keep them alive. Also, to provide scholarships in Rob’s name. And to also provide financial relief to living donors as they have to take time off of work for testing work ups, surgery, etc, all to save someone’s life by giving the gift of life.
MEDINA, OH — The regional semi- finals for Division II Girls’ Basketball first matchup between the Olmsted Falls Bulldogs led by head coach Jordan Eaton and the Massillon Washington Tigers led by head coach Joe Pierce was won by the Bulldogs in a thriller behind #25 Emma Schaefer’s 14 points and #22 Jesse Simon’s 13 points. The Tigers were led by #2 Hannah Nicola with 16 and #3 Delaney Pierce also with 16.
The Bulldogs won the tip to start the game but an illegal screen put the ball in the Tigers’ hands. The Bulldogs showcased a full court press on defense as well. #24 Maddie Cerovac of the Bulldogs started off with a block and a steal, as Massillon still looked for scoring opportunities.
A beautiful putback from #3 Avery DeLisio of the Bulldogs opened up the scoring, as Massillon trailed by 2. A trap defense employed by the Tigers led to a smart timeout from Coach Jordan Eaton. Cerovac looked unstoppable rebounding the ball, as she got fouled and nailed both free throws. A three-pointer from #2 Hannah Nicola of the Tigers made the bench ERUPT.
Yet again, Cerovac looked so clean on defense, intercepting a pass and helping her team push the lead to 4 points after a three from #22 Jesse Simon. The game was still rife with turnovers from both sides, but the low score reflected superb defense from both sides. #15 La Nia Moore of the Tigers hit a tough euro step layup that had the Massillon side in AWE. The score at the end of the 1st quarter saw the Bulldogs in the lead 16-9 over the Tigers.
The 2nd frame started with a Cerovac snatching up more rebounds and blocks. But, the Tigers had #11 Kynslie Williams who hit a one-handed mid-range jumper to cut the lead to 5 points. #33 Carli Nagy of the Bulldogs came off the bench to nail a wide open 3-pointer which pushed the lead back up to 8.
With just 4 minutes left in the half, the foul calls were rampant. The Bulldog ball movement was being stifled by Nicola, who despite her short stature looked brilliant rebounding and defensively. The Bulldog bench looked brilliant too, with #44 Addison Mullen nailing a 3 of her own. Speaking of threes, the Bulldogs were RAINING THEM DOWN as Mullen nailed another one pushing the Bulldog lead to 12!
The score at half: 30-20 in favor of the Bulldogs.
The Tigers hit a three pointer from Nicola to start the 2nd half, as #3 Delaney Pierce hit a critical and-1 to keep the Tigers in the game. The Tigers also sped things up a bit, gaining a few points off a pair of fast break opportunities cutting the lead to just 2 points! WOW!
The momentum clearly had shifted, as Nicola hit a corner 3-pointer as the Tigers still trailed by just a single point. #25 Emma Schaefer of the Bulldogs was fouled HARD and managed to make the bucket and the free throw. Mullen looked like Stephen Curry, a quick release and a clean swish from a 3-pointer pushed the Bulldog lead back up to 6.
The rebounding team of Schaefer and Cerovac looked great, but the Tigers were not making it easy on them. At the end of the 3rd quarter the Bulldogs still led by just 5 points, 41-36.
The final frame began with a Simon 3-pointer as the Bulldog lead was now at 6 points. A Cerovac and-1 put the momentum back in the Bulldogs’ favor. The Tigers still trailed by just 6 with 3 minutes left to go in regulation. With only a minute to go, Olmsted Falls led by just 4 points and after a huge offensive foul against the Bulldogs, the Tigers got the ball back with just one minute left.
The Bulldogs held on to win 54-48!
