Panthers thwart Crusader comeback
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STEUBENVILLE -- Catholic Central's slow start to senior night saw the Crusaders trail by as many as 17 points at 25-8 early in the second quarter.
The fact that head coach Rocky Bragg's team managed to come all the way back to knot the score at 40-40 to start the fourth quarter was impressive.
Buckeye Local's response to losing said lead was equally as impressive.
Brynn McKeever led all scorers with 27 points and came out on fire to start the fourth as Buckeye pulled away for a cherished 60-48 victory on Thursday at Catholic Central's gym in Steubenville.
When Mary Rohde received the ball in the high post and alertly dumped off the ball to Anna Arai to start the fourth, it completed the Crusaders' monumental comeback.
That came with 7:25 showing in the fourth.
Roughly two minutes later, McKeever accounted for nine of game-high total as Buckeye raced out on a 14-0 run.
Rohde stopped the bleeding after grabbing a defensive board and racing to the opposite end for a lay-in with 4:42 remaining.
But that's as close as SCC got the rest of the way.
Buckeye played aggressive. It played mad. The Panthers weren't about to give this one away.
I told Brynn and (Pam Kandrach) that they were our two leaders and we needed them to play like leaders in the fourth," Buckeye Local head coach Bailey McBeth noted as his team improved to 9-7. "They got upset how things were going and they took over the game."
Kandrach scored five in the fourth, but her biggest contributions came on the glass as the Panthers senior became a one-woman rebounding machine.
Second-shot opportunities for the Crusaders were reduced to nil. If the first shot didn't drop, Kandrach, who totaled 12 rebounds--in the second half alone--ensured there wouldn't be a second.
"They came out with a lot of intensity and it took us a minute to get into the flow of the game," Bragg noted. "I thought we did a good job coming back and keeping the momentum after halftime that we'd built.
"We fought so hard and I can't give them enough credit for not giving up, keeping their focus. They did a great job, but it just got away from us."
Ella Maragos led Catholic Central with 15 on five 3-pointers, backed by 12 from Rohde. Arai, the team's leading scorer, was limited to 11 and just five after the break.
Kandrach's presence in the paint made life difficult for Ara, who came in averaging 16 a game. Keeping her and maragos under wraps was paramount to Buckeye's game plan.
"That was our game plan, to watch (Nos.) 24 and 3," McBeth said. "They are two really good players and I felt if we could hold them in check, we'd have a chance."
Maragos canned three triples alone in the second quarter to help Catholic Central cut that early 17-point deficit to five at 30-25 by the end of the first half.
With option one corralled in the paint, Bragg was pleased with the effort of his guards in helping cut into that lead and making it a game.
"We had a lot step up, but Anna was still fighting in there," Bragg said. "This game was about the guards because (Buckeye) could match her size and strength in the paint.
"They are a well-coached team and when we'd get the momentum, he'd make and adjustment and I give them a lot of credit."
McKeever and Kandrach both hit for double figures, with Kandrach adding 12 for a double double. But McBeth was equally impressed with some of his role players, including Lizzie Stock, who finished with 10 points including three big buckets in the fourth quarter.
"She's embraced that sixth-man role off the bench and those layups in the (fourth) were huge," McBeth said. "She came up big."
Buckeye Local 60, Steubenville Catholic 48
Buckeye Local 24 6 10 20 - 60
Steubenville Catholic 8 17 13 10 - 48
B - McKeever 10 5-8 27; Ankrom 2 0-0 4; Dailey 1 0-0 2; Kandrach 3 5-8 12; Roset 1 0-0 3; Hornyak 1 0-0 2; Stock 5 0-0 10; Totals: 23 10-16 60.
S - Rohde 5 2-2 12; Cherepko 1 1-2 3; maragos 5 0-0 15; O'Karma 3 0-2 7; Arai 5 1-2 11; Marcino 0 0-0 0; Delaney 0 0-0 0; Totals: 19 5-8 48.
Three-point Goals: McKeever 2, Kandrach, Rosset. maragos 5, O'Karma.