Wildcats put down late comeback by rival Blue Devils
- Newark took control with a big second quarter, forcing nine turnovers and hitting four 3-pointers
- Freshman Adrian Crockwell made four first-half 3s, including three in the second quarter.
HEBRON – Newark knew it would get rival Zanesville's best shot Tuesday at Lakewood, and the Blue Devils didn't disappoint.
The Wildcats, however, were disappointed with their own performance despite advancing to another Division I girls district final with a hard-fought 54-49 win.
The 16th-seeded Blue Devils (19-6), with nary a senior starter, trimmed a 10-point deficit to 52-49 with 23.6 seconds left only to fall just short against the second-seeded Wildcats (24-1). Newark knows it must step up its game in the district finals at Ohio Dominican Saturday at 7 p.m. against the Upper Arlington-Logan winner.
"We only beat them by eight the first time, so they had that extra motivation," said Kym Royster, who led Newark with 16 points and seven rebounds. "We're 24-1, but we're not satisfied. We haven't played our best game, and it's still yet to come."
Zanesville shot a blistering 15-of-26 from the floor (58 percent) the second half to stay close, hitting tough shots from a variety of angles. Ali Cartnal's two foul shots with 3:19 left pushed the Wildcats up 50-40. But Destiny Johnson made a runner from the lane, and Kylie Newsom's 3 from the right wing suddenly pulled the Blue Devils within 52-49.
But Zanesville, which made only 6-of-14 from the line, missed a one-and-one with 16 seconds left. Cartnal and Tana Barrett were able to split four free throws to keep the Blue Devils at bay.
"It's a big rivalry, and they're a tough team," Cartnal said. "We're still kind of disappointed with how we played. We have to play better defense, not give them straight line drives to the basket. And we have to get them boxed out."
The Blue Devils scrapped to a 24-16 margin on the boards, as junior Devyn Bonner had 10 rebounds and continually muscled her way inside, scoring 13 of her 20 points in the second half.
"Other than Bonner, we really didn't give them easy shots," coach J.R. Shumate said. "They were hitting runners in the paint, 10-footers in the paint, and those are the mid-range shots that are usually so difficult for teams to make.
"They're a reflection of coach (Jeff) Moore. You know that they'll be intense and fight you."
Newark took control with a big second quarter, forcing nine turnovers and hitting four 3-pointers to take a 27-15 halftime lead. Freshman Adrian Crockwell made four first-half 3s, including three in the second. Sophomore Emily Paul added the other one and assisted Royster on a pair of inside baskets as Crockwell's shooting forced Zanesville out of its triangle-and-2 defense on Cartnal and Crockwell.
Crockwell added 14 points, Paul had nine points, six assists and four steals, and Taylor Henson made a pair of 3s for the Wildcats. Newark shot 44 percent from the field, including 7-of-16 on 3-pointers, and just 61 percent at the line on 11-of-18. Despite missing its first seven shots of the game, the Blue Devils were a solid 21-of-41 for 51 percent.
"Our guards have really done a good job all year taking care of the ball, but we had a lot of turnovers tonight," Shumate said. "The feeling in that locker room is, we really didn't take care of our business tonight."
Royster said the 14 turnovers were too many.
"We have to make better decisions with the ball," she said. "We have to be more patient and make that extra pass. I know when we step on that court Saturday, we're going to be ready."
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