Gilmour moves on, Kirtland ousted in D-III

Gilmour cruises past Trinity in a girls basketball district semifinal, while Kirtland bows out to Lutheran West. On the boys side, Madison wins its 20th game of the season, 69-55 over Chardon.

NORTH RIDGVILLE » As the Kirtland girls basketball team walked dejectedly out of North Ridgeville on March 1, many of the players glanced around the gymnasium before ducking out into the dreary weather outside.

The next time the Hornets are there, Coach Bob Bell said, they plan on things being different.

Lutheran West went on a 9-0 run at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth quarter, erasing Kirtland’s doubledigit lead and riding that momentum to a 40-38 win in the second of two Division III district semifinals on March 1.

The second-seeded Longhorns advanced to a March 4 district final against Gilmour. The topseeded Lancers hammered Trinity, 74-21, in the evening’s opener.

“We’re young and we’re hungry,” Bell said. “We’re green and we’re still growing.”

The Hornets will lose Kara Aquila and Lauren Bottesch to graduation this spring. But everyone else who played in the district tournament returns, including one who didn’t — Katie McCollister, out with a season-ending knee injury.

“I’m very pleased with their effort tonight,” Bell said. “I would have loved a different outcome, but that’s the game (of basketball).”

Kirtland looked to be in pretty good shape midway through the third quarter when Sydney Snyder hit a mid-lane jumper to give the Hornets a 26-16 lead. It was still an eight-point game at 30-22 late in the quarter when the Longhorns made their move.

Abriana Rondin converted a three-point play, and then Julia Ellerbruch hit a shot to make it a 3027 game going into the fourth.

Lutheran West then scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to take a 31-30 lead.

“We didn’t lose the game at the end,” Bell said. “We lost it late third, early fourth quarter.”

Lutheran West stretched its lead out to 39-35 with 10.9 seconds left. When Sydney Snyder swished a 3 from the top of the key, Kirtland only trailed, 3938, with 5 seconds left.

But Carleen Ellerbruch, who scored seven of her team-high 14 points in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, split two free throws, and Sydney Snyder’s midcourt heave at the buzzer was wide left.

Snyder shook off the effects of a sprained shooting wrist to score a gamehigh 21 points.

“She’s good,” Lutheran West coach Trey Senney said. “We didn’t know she was that quick.”

Sayle scored seven to go with nine rebounds, Lauren Snyder had eight points and Lauren Lutz had a game-high 10 rebounds.

“It boiled down to one more shot,” Bell said. “And we had some good looks.”

Kirtland shot 15 of 53 (28.3 percent) for the game.

Gilmour 74, Trinity 21

The state-ranked Gilmour Lancers probably didn’t need a wakeup call against Trinity, but they got one anyway.

Gilmour turned the ball over on its first possession, which led to a Trinity 3-0 lead on a 3-pointer. Message received. The Lancers went on a 12-0 run, Trinity missed 20 of its next 21 shots, and the Lancers pummeled the Trojans, 74-21.

“The signature tonight was defense,” Gilmour coach Bob Beutel said. “We gave up nine in the first half and 12 in the second half. And we played 13 kids.”

Playing primarily halfcourt man-to-man, with a few spurts of full-court pressure, Gilmour forced 27 turnovers and held Trinity to 7-of-46 (15.2 percent) shooting.

Beutel substituted early and often. The starters played only a few minutes of the second quarter and none of the fourth quarter. Beutel said it was important to get the reserves and younger players playing time.

“Every day we preach about team and 13 kids,” he said. “All 13 kids work extremely hard in practice. The younger ones are not working just for this year’s team, but they’re jockeying for position for the future, too. It’s kind of fun to watch these kids compete.”

Naz Hillmon led all scorers with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Emily Kelley scored 16, including four 3-pointers. She now has an Ohio record 357 career 3-pointers with the Lancers.

Gilmour advances to the district final against a Lutheran West team the Lancers defeated in last year’s district final in North Ridgeville.

It’s the next step in a trek Beutel and his team hopes ends in Columbus.