The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Chardon tops Mentor, advances to face North
The team that couldn’t win a close game all season did when it mattered most.
Sydney Feller hit six 3-pointers, Grace Bradley made six of seven free throws in the fourth quarter, and a Chardon team that lost five games by four points or less this season ousted Mentor, 62-58, from the Division I sectional tournament on Feb. 22.
When the final seconds ticked off the clock, Coach Cullen Harris pumped his fists in the air and celebrated emphatically with his players, who had been on the short end of so many other close calls throughout the season.
“We told the kids every time they lost those close games throughout the season that our biggest thing was ‘as long as we learn from them, it’s OK,’” Harris said.
“Every time we had one of those close losses, we learned every possession is important, the first quarter is just as important as the fourth quarter and overtime ...
“We were 2-6 at one point — 2 and 6! — and our kids kept pushing. They kept grinding. They kept working. We’ve gone 12-4 in our last 16 and we’re the first team in The News-Herald area besides Euclid to beat Mentor in eight years.”
With the win, Chardon (14-10) advances to a Division I district semifinal in Perry on Feb. 26 to play Western Reserve Conference champion North. The Rangers (20-3) defeated Euclid, 67-49, in another sectional final on Feb. 22.
“It’s honestly such a good experience,” said Bradley. “The crowd was super hyped. We played a lot of close games that came down to the wire, and I think that prepared us for today.”
Even though Chardon led for the final 9 minutes, 50 seconds of the game, the Hilltoppers were never able to fully pull away from the Cardinals.
When Bradley made four straight free throws with less than a minute to play, Chardon had a seemingly invincible 59-53 lead. But a drive by Aleksa Tatarunas and a three-point play by Teagan Ochaya cut the gap to 59-58 with 20.9 seconds remaining.
Harris said he “absolutely” thought history was repeating itself and his team might be on the cusp of another close loss.
But Lindsey Nichols drained two free throws with 17.5 seconds remaining, and then Bradley iced the win by splitting two charity shots with 2.2 ticks on the clock to give the Hilltoppers an insurmountable 62-58 lead.
“Honestly, it was very nerve-racking,” said Bradley, who scored nine of her 15 points from the line. “We prepare a lot for that in practice and go through a lot of those close-game situations. We were definitely prepared for it.”
Chardon’s win avenges a 63-62 overtime loss to Mentor in the regular season.
Mentor (9-14), the tournament’s fourth seed, got off to a rough start when forward Ochaya injured her ankle on the opening tip and missed the first three-plus minutes of the game.
Ochaya eventually returned and finished with a team-high 16 points and game-high 18 rebounds, but was a focal point of Chardon’s defense all night.
“We figured if we kept Teagan under 20, we had a chance,” Harris said. “We gave ourselves a chance. That’s all we can ask for.”
Mentor got 15 from guard Carolyn Wochele, but no one else had more than eight points for the Cardinals.
Mentor’s last lead of the game was 43-42 on a Wochele bucket with 1:50 left in the third quarter.
The Cardinals twice had possession inside of 30 seconds with a chance to tie or take the lead, but turned the ball over both times.
“We kept saying ‘keep fighting. It’s a two-possession game. Get stops,’” said Mentor coach James Hrusovsky of his team’s comeback effort. “At the end of the day, we made some mental mistakes that hurt us and key turnovers when we had a chance to tie or take the lead.”
Hrusovsky credited Chardon for its shooting, both at the free-throw line (where Chardon was 21-of34) and from the 3-point line (where the Hilltoppers made seven triples — six from Feller.
“I just felt it early tonight,” said Feller, who finished with 19 points. “I’ve been staying after in the gym to get shots up. At the beginning of the season, my shots weren’t falling much. At the end of the season, they’ve been falling. It’s awesome.”
Harris noted that neither The News-Herald nor Cleveland.com predicted the Hilltoppers to be contenders in the Division I district in Perry. With an elusive close win under the Hilltoppers’ belt, he’s not about to bet against his team going forward.
“I love the mentality our kids have,” Harris said. “I’m so lucky to be part of their lives. They work their tails off. I’m really proud of the effort and of finishing today.”
North wins
If defense wins championships, then the North girls basketball team is well on its way to its goal of a Division I district championship.
The top-seeded Rangers gave up the first basket of the game against visiting ninth-seeded Euclid, but dominated from there in a 67-49 win in sectional final on Feb. 22.
The win puts the Rangers (20-3) in a district semifinal on Feb. 26 against Chardon. The fifth-seeded Hilltoppers (14-10) defeated fourth-seeded Mentor, 6258, in another sectional final.
“I think we played hard on the defensive end. We made them work,” said North coach Paul Force. “They took 80-to-85 shots. Earlier this year when we played them, they beat us on the boards. Tonight we outrebounded them by seven.
“It was a good win for us.”
The Rangers extended their lead to 39-21 at the half and cruised from there.
Samantha Pirosko had 24 points and 15 rebounds. Destiny Leo had 23 points and four assists, which shared team-high with Pirosko. Anaunda Lyons added 15 points.
“There was a lot of energy,” Force said. “The girls fed off the crowds. We got the lead early and (Euclid) never led after it was 2-0.”
Constance Chaplin had 25 for Euclid.
“It was a good win. But it’s over,” Force said. “We have to focus on Chardon on Monday. It’s a quick turnaround. We have to be ready.”