Hathaway Brown wins on late run
In that loss to OttawaGlandorf in a Division II semifinal in 2016, the Blazers failed to score in the fourth quarter after leading by three points.
On Thursday, Hathaway Brown regained its bearings just in time in pulling off a sensational comeback to edge Miami Trace 48-40 in a semifinal at Value City Arena.
The Blazers (18-10) will play for their sixth championship and first since 2013 against Kettering Alter (27-2) at 10:45 a.m. Saturday.
For much of the game, it appeared the Panthers (24-5) would be playing in their first championship game. They led for all but 2 minutes, 48 seconds.
“To fight back, I’m proud of the way they came back in the second and fourth quarters,’’ Hathaway Brown coach Mike Coreno said of his players.
Miami Trace led 14-3 with 6:21 left in the first quarter on a layup by junior guard Tanner Bryant. A basket by junior forward Victoria Fliehman made it 22-13 with 1:26 left in the first half.
But Hathaway Brown, which lost seven of its first 11 games playing a challenging schedule that included teams from New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland, got within 30-28 on a three-point play with 36 seconds left in the third quarter by senior forward Dani Lawson.
The Blazers took a 40-38 lead with 3:15 remaining on consecutive jumpers by junior guardforward Hanna Harlor.
Miami Trace pulled into a tie, but it was all Hathaway Brown after that, beginning with a basket by junior guard Jackie Carmen and ending with two free throws by freshman guard Kaydan Lawson with 17 seconds left that made it 48-40.
Hathaway Brown was taller, with Purdue recruit Dani Lawson standing 6 feet 2 and Harlor 5-10, and that translated to a 46-26 edge in rebounding. Nineteen rebounds were at the offensive end, with Lawson getting seven, Sydney Radke five and Harlor four.
“We’re not a great rebounding team, but we’re better than what we were today,’’ Miami Trace coach Ben Ackley said. “A lot of that had to do with their size and physicality. I thought they wore us down a little bit in the second half and that truly was the difference in the game.’’ The Blazers scored 26 points in the lane and had 18 secondchance points. Bryant led Miami Trace with 17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals. Fliehman had 12 points and five rebounds. Dani Lawson had 16 points and 14 rebounds and Kaydan Lawson 10 points and two steals.
Waterford 37, Jackson Center 35
A layup by junior forward Hayley Duff with one second left gave the Wildcats (25-3) a chance to win a second straight Division IV championship.
Waterford will play Berlin Hiland in the final at 2 p.m. Saturday. Jackson Center (23-5) trailed by 14 points entering the fourth quarter, but scored 12 straight points to trail 32-30 with 1:32 left after a threepointer by Kamaryn Elchert.
The Tigers made it 35-35 with 20 seconds left on a three-pointer by Cassie Meyer. Junior forward Alli Kern led Waterford with 17 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.
Berlin Hiland 44, Ottoville 41
Kennedy Schlabach made a three-pointer at the buzzer to give Berlin Hiland (27-1) a victory over Ottoville (24-3) in a Division IV semifinal.
Ottoville's Bridget Landin hit two free throws to tie it at 41 with eight seconds left.
Angela Troyer scored 18 points for Hiland, which trailed 32-22 late in the third quarter. When it fell behind Miami Trace by 11 points a little more than 1½ minutes into the first quarter, Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown was playing almost as though last season’s state tournament never ended.