Crusaders fend off Red Riders on home court
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STEUBENVILLE -- Catholic Central built a double-digit lead with an early fourth quarter scoring splurge, then held on down the stretch to earn a 46-39 victory over Weir High Thursday inside the Mickey Barber Gymnasium.
The Crusaders, now 6-3, were up 28-21 after three. They extended their advantage to 15 thanks to six points from Bella Oliver and five more from Carly Fayak.
With less than two minutes to play, Weir turned up the defensive pressure and closed to within five. Bella Aperfine and Sophia Mikula sparked the Red Rider rally. Central put the victory on ice thanks to four consecutive free throw makes by sophomore Katie Zatta.
"I'm really happy with the effort our girls gave tonight," said Central coach Jess Looman. "This was a big win for us against a very good opponent.
"We played hard on the defensive end and smart on the offensive end. We knew we had to contain Mikula and Aperfine in order to be successful. We did that for the most part -- especially early. We had some lapses late but overall, the girls really played good team basketball."
Both teams struggled offensively in the opening quarter. A hoop in the paint by Edy Harold gave Central a 5-4 lead.
The Crusaders got things going in the second as Zatta came off Looman's bench to drain two triples. Oliver also swished one from behind the arc. Zatta finished the quarter with eight points and Oliver five as Central took a 20-13 lead. After three, Looman's squad led 28-21.
"You can't go 6 for 37 from the floor in the first three quarters and expect to compete in a basketball game or win a basketball game," said Weir coach Rick Stead. "You have to be able to put the ball in the hole and tonight we couldn't do that.
"Obviously, Central did that. Oliver and Zatta were shooting lights out. Coming in, we told our girls to close out on Central's shooters, get a hand in their face and contest the shot. Central just did a good job of shooting the ball."
Oliver paced Central in scoring with 17. She also collected 15 rebounds to record another double-double. Zatta added 15. Fayak finished with eight.
"Bella really stepped up tonight and played a very solid game for us," Looman said. "We expect her to be our leader and she didn't disappoint. I'm really pleased with Katie's effort. She's a shooter and her shot was on tonight.
"We finally showed some patience on the offensive end. I think that gave us a boost. We worked the ball well and waited for the open shot. Lately, we've been forcing shots. We actually ran our offenses and that made a big difference with our shot selection."
Hannah Olszewski snared 10 rebounds for the winners while Harold grabbed eight.
"Part of our game plan was to limit Weir to one shot," Looman said. "I thought we did that for the most part. We've really been working on boxing out and also crashing the boards on the offensive end.
"I thought Bella and Hannah did a good job of controlling the boards on both ends. We were able to limit Weir to one shot and also get some extra opportunities on the offensive end."
Aperfine netted 17 to pace Weir, which fell to 3-5. Ten of her points came in the final quarter. Mikula contributed 12, six during the final frame.
"During the last two minutes, our girls came out and played hard," Stead said. "I think we were 9 of 13 shooting. They cut the deficit, stayed with it and never gave up. We got some pressure on the ball and were able to get a few turnovers.
"If we could have put together a whole game like that, there might have been a different outcome."
The victory was the fourth in a row for Central.
"We had some mental lapses early in the season and our shooting was just not good at times," Looman said. "But credit to our girls, they have been working hard in practice.
"If we can stay on this path, we should be OK moving forward. It's going to take a total team effort. They have to keep working together."
UP NEXT
Central: The Crusaders are idle until Dec. 28 when they battle Big Red in the closing game of the fifth-annual Chuck Watt/John Nese Holiday Classic. The opening tip has been moved to 3 p.m. because of the college football playoffs.
Weir: Stead's club returns to action on Dec. 27 with a road game at Grafton.
CLEAN SWEEP
Theresa Kerker poured in 21 points as Central collected a 27-19 victory in the junior varsity contest. Kerker connected three times from behind the arc.
Marissa Howard had six for the Red Riders and Kiara Palavis five.
Catholic Central 46, Weir 39
Weir 4-9- 8-18 -- 39
Central 5-15- 8-15 -- 46
WEIR (3-5): Mikula 5 1-2 12; Bernola 0 0-0 0; Hoover 0 0-0 0; B. Aperfine 8 1-2 17; S. Aperfine 1 1-2 3; Mayle 1 0-0 2; Nutter 1 3-6 5. TOTALS: 16 6-12 39.
CENTRAL (6-3): Zatta 4 5-6 15; Harold 1 0-0 2; Green 0 0-0 0; Fayak 3 0-0 8; Grimm 1 0-0 2; Oliver 7 2-3 17; Olszewski 1 0-0 2. TOTALS: 17 7-9 46.
3-POINT GOALS: Weir (Mikula); Central 5 (Zatta 2; Fayak 2; Oliver).