Cornerstone headed to D-IV state final four

The Cornerstone Christian girls basketball team is headed back to the state tournament.

Using a ferocious defensive effort, the Patriots built a 25-12 lead in the third quarter and held on for a 35-29 victory over Dalton in the Division IV regional championship game at Massillon Perry on March 9.

The win puts Cornerstone in a state semifinal game at 1 p.m. on March 15 against Minster, a 43-29 win over Fort Loramie in the Vandalia Regional championship game.

“I’m so thrilled for these girls,” Coach Lisa Stopp said. “They have worked so hard. This coaching staff has worked so hard. It’s neat to see them blessed for their efforts.”

Cornerstone (23-4) was led by Riley Stopp’s 11 points. Kailey Tyna had eight, while both Madison and Michaela Cloonan had six. Senior Lauren Harris had four.

Tyna had a game-high 11 rebounds, Madison Cloonan had eight boards and Riley Stopp led a defensive effort by holding Ashland recruit Makenna Geiser to 14 points.

“It was a total team-effort win,” Stopp said.

The low-scoring defensive battle saw Cornerstone

take a 19-8 halftime lead, with Stopp and Tyna accounting for 13 of the Patriots points.

Dalton (22-6) rallied with a 13-4 run in the third quarter. A buzzer-beating 3 at the end of the third cut Cornerstone’s lead to 25-21 going into the fourth, but the Patriots never surrendered the lead.

“Both teams really focused on defense,” Stopp said. “It was a matter of being patient.”

Cornerstone was held to one 3-pointer — Stopp said they average 8-9 per game. But she was told after the game that all of her team’s field goals, aside from the 3-pointer, came on layups.

“I don’t know if that’s true, but that’s what I was told,” Stopp said.

With the win, Cornerstone advances to the final four for the first time since 2015.