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Catholic Central gets its revenge

Back-and-forth battle concludes with Crusaders splitting series against Madonna

Madonna’s Kennedy Martin puts up a shot past Central’s Hannah Olszewski on Monday. (Photo by Joe Catullo)

STEUBENVILLE — Catholic Central grabbed the lead early, extended it to double digits a couple of times and fought off a furious rally down the stretch to earn a thrilling 55-48 girls basketball victory over Madonna on Monday inside the Mickey Barber Gymnasium.

With the win, the Crusaders (11-5) salvaged a spilt of the season series with their cross-river rivals. Madonna (10-4) posted a 55-51 triumph in December. Both squads remain very much alive in the quest for an OVAC playoff spot. Central entered the week rated third in Class 2A, while the Blue Dons led the Class A standings.

Central led 16-11 after one and 27-20 at the intermission. The Crusaders were up 38-31 heading into the final frame and extended their advantage to double figures, before Madonna rallied thanks to three long-range bombs from senior Andrea Alimario.

Madonna closed to within five on two occasions, but Central senior Christine Dombrowski knocked down six-straight free throws to seal the deal. Jess Looman’s club went to the stripe 15 times during the final period, making nine (all by Dombrowski).

“Just a great win and one that we really needed,” Looman said. “Our girls have been looking forward to this rematch since we lost at their place. Free throws made a huge difference in both of our Madonna games this season. We missed a bunch over there but, tonight, we made them when we needed them.

“Christine was clutch. You expect that kind of performance out of a senior, and she delivered. It really was a dogfight in a great atmosphere just like our first game. Madonna’s a solid team, and we knew they weren’t going to quit. We had girls hit some big shots, and so did they. Credit to my six varsity kids for stepping up under pressure.”

Central used six points from Dombrowski and five from fellow senior Julia Zatta to grab the early advantage. Alimario swished a triple at the buzzer to make it 16-11. Zatta recorded seven points in the second frame, while Rachel Boniti kept the Dons close with six markers.

“We knew coming over that Central would be looking for a little revenge,” Madonna coach Rodney Boniti said. “We know the type of program they have, and we knew they would come back with vengeance. They didn’t want to lose two in a row.

“I’m not sure if it was a matter of what Central did in the first half or if it was a lackadaisical effort from us. We didn’t give our best effort in the first half. It came down to a dogfight. If you are a basketball fan, this was one heck of a game.”

Dombrowski and Zatta scored 19 each for Central. Nine of Zatta’s points came from behind the arc. Junior Bella Oliver contributed nine and snared 10 rebounds.

“We’ve really stressed the need to share the basketball on the offensive end, and I thought we did a pretty good job of that tonight,” Looman said. “Christine and Carly (Fayak) both had four assists, and we found the open player a number of times.

“We ask a lot from our girls. We usually play zone defense, but we mixed it up tonight and played primarily man- to-man. When you don’t have a deep bench, you can wear down pretty fast playing man. We have a few breakdowns but, overall, our girls did the job, and I’m really proud we salvaged them.”

Alimario paced the Blue Dons with 17. Boniti delivered 14, while Jazzy Melnyk and Kennedy Martin evenly divided 16.

“When Central was up by five and went on a 10-2 run, we told our girls we had to shorten the game to 60 seconds,” Boniti said. “We asked them to cut the lead by two or three every 60 seconds, and they did. They came out with real intensity.

“It’s hard to get a team like Central with two strong guards to crack, but I think we got our fair share of turnovers and were able to take Central out of its rhythm several times. Unfortunately, we have to foul. They had a bunch of free throws in the fourth quarter and rightfully so. They did enough to win the game on the foul line.”

Central is idle until Saturday when it travels to Shadyside for a rematch with the Tigers, who lead the OVAC Class 2A field.

“That will be another huge test,” Looman said. “Shadyside beat us pretty good on our floor earlier. I don’t think we competed real well against them, so we’ll work hard and look to do a better job.”

The state-ranked Blue Dons will look to capture the 2018-19 city championship when they host Weir High on Thursday.

“That’s always one of three or four games marked on our schedule,” Boniti said. “Don’t let Weir’s record deceive you. They have a nice team, they play hard and they will come after you. Weir’s hard team to pull always from because they keep coming and keep plugging.

“I think our girls will be up to the task. They know what is at stake, and I think they’ve had their eye on this game for a while.”

GAME NOTES

¯ In the two-quarter preliminary, Central posted a 17-7 victory. Morgan Green had six points for the Crusaders and Kaylee Kirkpatrick five. Marianna Martinez scored four to lead the Blue Dons.

Central 55, Madonna 48

Madonna 11-9-11-17 — 48

Central 16-11-11-16 — 55

MADONNA (10-4): Boniti 7 0-1 14; Ricadonna 0 1-2 1; Staffileno 0 0-0 0; Battista 0 0-0 0; Melnyk 3 4-6 8; Alimario 6 1-2 17; Martin 3 2-3 8. Totals 18 8-13 48.

CATHOLIC CENTRAL (11-5): Harold 1 0-0 2; Zatta 8 0-1 19; Fayak 1 0-0 2; Dombrowski 5 9-15 19; Oliver 3 3-5 9; Olszewski 2 0-0 4. TOTALS: 20 12-21 55.

3-POINT GOALS: Madonna (Alimario 4); Central (Zatta 3).

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