High school basketball: Midview girls fall to Medina in district semifinal

MEDINA — Midview's defense was mostly airtight Tuesday night. But when Medina found an opening in the third quarter, it capitalized, building its lead and holding on for a 45-37 win in the Northeast 4 district semifinals. Fourth-seeded Medina (18-6) will face third-seeded Highland in the final Friday. "The outcome of the game wasn't what we planned, but you've got to give it your all every second you're in there," said Midview's Izzy Patarini, who tied for the team high in points with 11. "We put everything we had into that defense and we were practicing it every single day. I think overall that stood out for us." Points were at a premium in the first half as the Middies (7-10) and Bees both shot less than 30 percent from the field, scoring 38 combined field goals. Two big reasons for the strong defense were forwards Sarah McKee and Olivia DiFranco. McKee led Medina with 11 points, but did most of her damage from the free-throw line as the Middies, with DiFranco as the primary defender, limited her to 2-of-8 from the field. McKee did her part to help contain DiFranco, who also scored 11 points, but was 5-of-14 from the field. She did, however, grab a game-high 18 rebounds — 13 on the offensive end. "We just had to keep our heads in the game and do what we had been practicing all the time," DiFranco said. "We worked a lot on keeping the girl in front of us and just stuck to the game plan." The first 5:39 of the third quarter proved to be the difference as Medina mounted a 10-1 run to open a 13-point lead. Junior Leora Owings gave the Bees some strong minutes off the bench, scoring three straight field goals — two coming off offensive rebounds — to give the Bees a 32-19 lead. Medina ultimately outscored Midview 13-3 until Autumn Vance's jumper at the buzzer cut the lead to 14. "We talked about how we were a half step slower and they took the momentum from us a little bit and needed to come out and set the tone in the second half," Medina coach Karen Kase said. "They really listened and we were on our home court so we buckled down on defense, were a little bit faster on our feet and getting to the ball, getting more rebounds and being more aggressive." Midview, however, did not go quietly, forcing eight Medina turnovers in the fourth quarter. The Middies trailed 39-27 with 2:23 left, but mounted a 10-3 run in 1:30 to bring themselves within five points at the 51.9-second mark. Emma Barnes scored five of her seven points during that span with a layup and a 3-pointer. Patarini missed the second of her two free throws that would have brought the deficit to four, but McKee fell while securing the rebound and the ball rolled out of bounds, giving Midview a shot to get back within a possession. Patarini missed a 3-point attempt and while DiFranco secured the offensive rebound, the Medina defense forced a turnover and sealed the game by going 3-of-4 from the line. "These girls are an amazing group of kids," Midview coach Jessy Bendik said. "When I walked into Midview, I walked into something special. That was one thing they've always had, that fight, and they're fighters. They're never going to stop, and that's the beauty of it. They're going to give it their all, they're going to play with heart and that's what's going to help them persevere through." Contact Chris Sweeney at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeneyCT on Twitter. Medina 45, Midview 37 MIDVIEW (37): Izzy Patarini 3-4-11, Mya DiFranco 1-0-2, Olivia DiFranco 5-1-11, Emma Barnes 3-0-7, Autumn Vance 3-0-6, Maddie Huge 0-0-0, Jordan Reddinger 0-0-0. Totals 15-5-37. MEDINA (45): Shannon Wojciak 1-1-4, Alysen Dwyer 1-2-4, Sarah McKee 2-7-11, Elizabeth Stuart 3-0-9, Hailey Tripp 1-3-6, Kate Bobey 1-1-3, Leora Owings 3-0-6, Regan Todia 1-0-2, Mylie Roberts 0-0-0, Kayla Joyner 0-0-0. Totals 13-14-45. Midview&emsp;&emsp;5&emsp;&emsp;11&emsp;&emsp;5&emsp;&emsp;16&emsp;&emsp;—&emsp;&emsp;37Medina&emsp;&emsp;9&emsp;&emsp;11&emsp;&emsp;13&emsp;&emsp;12&emsp;&emsp;—&emsp;&emsp;45 Three-point goals: Midview 2-16 (Barnes, Patarini), Medina 5-18 (Stuart 3, Tripp, Wojciak). Field goals: Midview 15-57 (26 percent), Medina 13-46 (28 percent). Free throws: Midview 5-11 (46 percent), Medina 14-21 (67 percent). Rebounds: Midview 36 (Olivia DiFranco 18), Medina 36 (Dwyer 10). Total fouls: Midview 17, Medina 13. Turnovers: Midview 11, Medina 14.