Hazel Francis got them started…the Raiders got off to a 22-9 start by halftime and never trailed in the second half. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
They fought nerves and stretches of scant offense to do it, but Russia relied again on its defense and advanced to title day with a Division VII semi-final win over Seneca East.
Fairborn, OH – They, like their male counterparts a year ago, will long remember their first win in the OHSAA Final Four…because they won!
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The Russia Raiders girls left little doubt over who the better team was Friday, in fact, with a convincing 45-30 win over the Seneca East Tigers from Seneca County.
And aside from the score, their biggest win was probably the simple fact of getting their feet wet – familiarity.
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They showed some nerves at times – missed a lot of bunnies at the rim. And senior Kylie Doseck would later explain that she had to prove to herself that she could do it. And she did…successfully.
The offense would not be confused with lightning striking, or the 50-mile wind outdoors, but coach Mike Bashore was not concerned when asked about it, post-game.
“That’s how we play,” he said with a shrug. “We rely on our defense.”
So much so that Russia fans are want to admit…if the Raiders score 40, they’re going to win!
Cami Schafer came off the Russia bench at the start of the second quarter and hit back-to-back three-pointers.
That’s exactly how it went on Friday, and while not officially ‘Good Friday’, it was the best of Friday’s for now 25-3 Russia. They got their 40 points.
And, they won.
As it turned out, the points came easier than you might have expected in the first half. An early basket proved that the rims at the state tournament were just like the ones at home…and from there Callie Goubeaux proceeded to hit a deep three-pointer from the corner.
Celeste Borchers drove the lane for an easy bucket.
Hazel Francis got there, too, along with Aryanna Cordonnier.
And all the while their defense was giving Seneca East fits at the other end – turnovers, missed shots, confusion. By quarter’s end the Raiders led 10-6. And it was about to get better.
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Sophomore forward Cami Schafer came off the bench to start the second quarter and drained back-to-back three-pointers without grazing the rim. And by the 6:50 mark of the quarter the Raiders had added an 8-0 run to their lead and were firmly in control.
Aryanna Cordonnier busts through a pair of Tiger defenders to score during the Raiders’ 8-0 run in the second half.
Seneca finally scored on an offensive rebound at their end at 3:57, but by quarter’s end five different Raiders had accounted for 22 points, and a commanding 22-9 lead…more than halfway to 40 points!
“First of all, congratulations to Seneca because four years ago they won one game,” said Mike Doseck, later, talking about the Raiders’ start. “So their seniors put in a lot of work to get here.
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“And we just play defense. Our girls really dug in, and that’s what we’ve been doing all year. You look at the bumps and bruises on these girls’ arms and legs, they never give up and never concede a rebound or loose ball. They’re diving on the floor every single day. They just play hard, despite being around my grumpy butt.”
To his point about Seneca, their first trip to the Final Four, and nerves, there’s no question that Russia won that battle, too. Seneca was visibly taken by their surroundings, tip-toeing through the first half, while suffering at the height disadvantage owned by the Raiders.
Hazel Francis gets caught up in Seneca’s pressure defense during the fourth quarter.
And while coaches consistently give credit to how you play in the first four minutes of the second half, the Raiders won that, too.
Celeste Borchers got to the rim on the first possession of the third quarter for a three-point play.
A moment later Aryanna Cordonnier did it, too, for another three-point play.
Hazel Francis followed with a drive in the lane for a bucket, but failed to convert on the three-point play.
But the 8-0 run pushed their lead to 30-13 and gave them a new sense of confidence. The floor really was 94 feet long, the baskets were 10 feet high, and 18 inches wide. Just like at home.
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Seneca finally loosened up enough to cut into the Russia lead, but importantly, their defense, and full-court pressure, began to impact the Raiders. Those eight early points would be the only Raider points for the first twelve points of the second half.
Seneca started the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run, helped in part by a pair of turnovers and a couple of questionable state tournament calls. Suddenly the lead was 9.
Faith York stepped in, hitting a pressure-relieving three-pointer from the corner to pad the lead back to double digits. Then, another dry spell while Seneca was getting inside the Russia defense and scoring at the rim. A three-pointer Seneca’s Madi Smith cut the lead to 10 again, while the Raiders’ offense suffered from a pair of turnovers and some missed shots at the rim.
Seneca’s full-court pressure forced Russia to stop and think…look for an open man. The Tigers took advantage, trading baskets, trying to scratch and claw their way back to within striking distance. But ten points was as close as they came.
Finally, a 3:00 Kylie Doseck scraped up a rebound, stuck it in the rim, and got to the line. From that point on the Raiders lived at the line as Seneca was forced to foul. Good teams make hay in those situations and the Raiders are a good team…hitting 13 of 16 for the game, and 6 for 7 during that critical stretch in the fourth, led by Hazel Francis and York.
Kylie Doseck got to the rim for two of her seven points in the game’s final moments.
Time ran out on Seneca, while serving as a valuable tool for the Raiders, who did their best to soak up what it felt like to be successful on the state’s biggest court of all. Actually, that will come tomorrow at 10:45 AM, at UD Arena.
Russia finished by shooting 36% from the field and 33% from three-point range. Thankfully, they did hit all those foul shots, finishing with 81.3% – the actual difference in the game. Aryanna Cordonnier led the with 9 points, Kylie Doseck and Celeste Borchers had 7, Hazel Francis had 6, and Faith York finished with 5.
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As a testament to the Russia defense, Seneca shot 29% from the field, and 33% from three-point range. And as proof of the importance of getting to the line, the Tigers hit just 4 of 9 from the charity stripe, 44.4%.
“These kids play hard, because they want to,” Bashore reaffirmed in the post-game presser. “And down the stretch they got rebounds and didn’t turn the ball over. They were fantastic, and I thought that really helped seal the deal.
“We had a few turnovers there in the second half against their press, but overall I’m super proud of these kids. We weathered the storm when they got it to ten points, and then we got it right back to where it was [15 points].
“But we just play hard. If you want to know what our formula is…we just play hard.”
They’re going to play Strasburg-Franklin tomorrow in the Division VII title game, another team making its first Final Four appearance, and like Russia, a team that has relied on its defense. Likewise nicknamed the Tigers, Strasburg surrendered an average of just 20 points against six tournament opponents on their way to the Final Four.
Kylie Doseck admitted nerves, but smiled and said, “I think tomorrow will be better.”
Truly, like gunfighters in the Old West used to say, “The first is always the worst.”
After that, it comes a lot easier.
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