After Coffman squandered a big lead to Westerville South, Ellie Vacccari knocked down a pivotal three-point shot late in the game, sending the Shamrocks back to the Sweet 16 for a second straight year.
Columbus, OH – It often has been said that styles make fights.
That aptly described a wildly-entertaining Division I girls district championship game Saturday at Ohio Dominican University.
In one corner, there was reigning champion Dublin Coffman, featuring no less than five players six feet or taller, possessing diverse skill sets in a disciplined, open floor motion offense designed to create open shots.
On the other side was youthful, small, quick and extremely gritty Westerville South, which thrives on creating havoc with aggressive defense and getting to the basket with dribble-drive moves.
“The contrasting styles did make for a great game,” said Coffman coach Adam Banks after his team – second-seeded and second-ranked in the final Associated Press state poll – pulled out a hard-fought ,47-42 victory over sixth-seeded South.
“We knew from playing them in the first game of the season and scouting them that they would present different challenges and make us very uncomfortable at times. At the same time, we had some advantages we hoped to exploit, as well, maybe the most important one being our big-game experience with seven seniors.”
South’s Tamara Ortiz guards Coffman’s Taylor Covington.
After a sluggish, feeling-out process, Coffman (23-1) eventually gained its footing and built an 11-point lead midway through the third quarter.
Turning a bevy of steals into open-court situations, South (21-5) embarked on an exhilarating 15-2 run to take a four-point lead with 4:29 remaining.
Perhaps gassed by the run and playing just six players, the Wildcats inexplicably went empty on four straight possessions, missing two ill-advised shots and throwing the ball away twice.
Being the savvy veteran team it is, Coffman answered with a 9-0 surge to regain control. Tessa Grady converted a three-point play and Ellie Vaccari made a three-point shot in the decisive spurt.
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“I’m kind of blank as to what happened at the end, except that Taylor Covington made one of the best cross-court passes ever to get me that wide open shot,” Vaccari said. “The way we practice, we’re ready for any kind of in-game situation we might face.”
Banks said Vaccari shook off a key turnover she committed during South’s temporary onslaught.
Coffman’s Tara Flynn shoots over South’s Nelia Guice.
“She made a really, really big three that may well have been the pivotal play of the game,” he said.
Covington had 13 points, Grady 12 and Vaccari 11 to pace the Shamrocks, who endured an off-night shooting but did make seven treys. Coffman also made nine of 11 free throws in the fourth quarter.
South coach Jermaine Guice was ecstatic about his team’s stirring comeback, but will be haunted by the, “what ifs.”
“In hindsight, we probably expended a lot of energy during that run, but I’m going to kick myself forever about all the layups and free throws we missed and the turnovers,” he said. “While those are on us, it’s also a tribute to Coffman, and their hustle, grit and poise down the stretch. That’s a well-prepared, well-coached veteran team that beat us.”
Nelia Guice scored 11 points, Tamara Ortiz 10 and Zoe Guice nine for South, which went 5-of-12 at the foul line.
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Gahanna 46, Newark 43
Taking advantage of its quickness and defensive tenacity, fifth-seeded Gahanna seized control then withstood a barrage of three-point tries in the waning seconds to defeat fourth-seeded Newark.
Clarke Jackson scored a game-high 15 points, including the final four, to pace the Lions (16-8). She hit a runner in the lane with 35 seconds left to regain the lead and sank two pressure free throws at the 13.3-second mark.
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“They were a lot taller than us, but we were just trying to play our game, not theirs,” Jackson said. “The coaches did a good job putting us in position to find and attack the gaps in their zone (defense).”
Kimora Perkins added 12 points for the Lions, who claimed their ninth title.
“Losing our best player (Bella Ward) early in the season, we faced a lot of adversity with injuries and a lot of people counted us out,” Gahanna coach Ronald Bailey said. “We’re undersized, but we just try to press up, play fast and lean on our defense.
Gwen Stare had 12 points for Newark (17-7), which was denied an eighth consecutive district title. Her last-gasp three-point shot in the waning seconds fell short, as did a half-court heave by Brie Yingras as time expired.
Reynoldsburg 61, Delaware 38
Buoyed by three senior Division I signees, top-seeded Reynoldsburg coasted to its fourth straight district title and 11th in 13 years.
West Virginia-bound Imarianah Russell scored 19 points and Ohio State-bound Mya Perry 18 to pace the Raiders (22-2), who jumped to a 13-4 lead and never trailed.
Westerville South’s Tamara Ortiz gets one off in the lane.
Facing a 2-3 zone, Perry hit four of her six three-point goals in the opening quarter.
“When we saw them in that zone with all of their big girls (three six-footers), we trusted each other to get the ball in the right spots and I was able to hit some open shots to get us going,” Perry said.
Reynoldsburg coach Jack Purtell has referred to this team as, “special,” since the outset of the season.
“Our girls have a little chip on their shoulders after losing in the regional (semifinal) last year,” he said.
Pickerington Central 58, Marysville 39
Berry Wallace scored 15 points, Trinity Wallace 13 and Madison Greene 12 as third-seeded Pickerington Central coasted to an easy win over seventh-seeded Marysville.
It marked the seventh straight district crown for the Tigers (20-6).
Leah Brown topped Marysville (22-4) with 10 points.
Coffman’s Cassidy Lafler tries to block the shot of South’s Nelia Guice.
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Westerville South’s Nelia Guice celebrates her three-pointer at the end of the third quarter, but it wouldn't be enough against an experienced Dublin Coffman team that rallied to take the district title (PressPros Feature Photos by John Hulkenberg).