Girls basketball: Carter McCray's defense, all-around play lead Elyria Catholic past Rocky River and into GLC tournament final

ELYRIA — Carter McCray didn't play basketball at Elyria Catholic until this season. Rocky River probably wishes she would have stayed away. "Carter didn't play basketball for two years," EC coach Eric Rothgery said after the Panthers defeated Rocky River 55-49 in the Great Lakes Conference tournament semifinals. "I'm talking no high school, no AAU her freshman year to this year. Just getting her basketball legs back has been a process." That process took a big turn Saturday. The 6-foot-1 junior had a huge influence on the game with 13 points, 13 rebounds and a half-dozen blocked shots to lead the Panthers to the finals. McCray also had a couple of stickbacks and shot nine free throws. "I love blocking (shots)," McCray said. "When we're in that zone (defense), the offense tries to penetrate in the paint, I can be there. I'm big, long. AK (senior Anika Bredel), too. She's there, a big defensive presence. I just love blocking and defense." "Carter's a presence inside," said Bredel, who had 16 pointsand 10 boards. "It makes teams hesitant to drive on her. We just let her handle the key and us do the shooting. She's been a real big addition to us." "If we can limit her, the game goes in a very different direction," Rocky River coach Elaine Robinson said of McCray. "She did a good job getting rebounds and putting them back up." The game was nip-and-tuck through the first half. The difference may have been a pair of 3-pointers from the left baseline by senior Natalie Palese to start the second half. It sparked a 9-0 run that put the Panthers in front 37-26. EC (16-4) never trailed again. "I've been shooting kind of bad lately so those two threes really put us on top," Palese said. "I really wanted to show my team I can shoot. Give me the ball." Robinson agreed. "They hit those two 3-pointers and they got a little bit of momentum," she said. "When you're playing in your home gym and it's a big game ... I think they take a lot of pride in beating Rocky River, which I think is a compliment. They came out and hit some big shots." "She's a great shooter and she's really worked hard in practice," Bredel said of Palese. "When she hits shots, it makes the inside open a lot for me and Carter." "Natalie wasn't feeling good," Rothgery said. "I knew that from the beginning. Every time you're looking to get Natalie hot. She hit those two. That was big. It stretched things out for us a little bit. Yes, that was big." Isabelle Neiderst and Lexi Pluta combined for 16 points and four rebounds. Palese, at 5-5, even came up with a couple boards as EC won the rebound battle, 34-27. For River (15-5), Natalie Swallow led the way with 16 points. She buried three 3-pointers in the third quarter to keep the Pirates within striking distance. Ava Patti added 10 but to EC's defensive credit, she scored only two points after the first quarter. The Panthers also limited guard Sophia Murray to just seven points. Elyria Catholic will play Westlake for the third time this season Wednesday at home for the championship. The Demons got past Lakewood 47-45 on Saturday at Lakewood in the other semifinal. The Panthers split with Westlake during the season. Saturday was the third time EC has beaten the Pirates this year. "Tough to beat River three times," Rothgery said. "Obviously, they're well-coached. They run their offensive sets and they run about 16 different defenses. You've just got to be ready to be flexible. This conference tournament is pretty tough." Contact Tim Gebhardt at 329-7135 or timothygeb@msn.com. Elyria Catholic 55, Rocky River 49 ROCKY RIVER (49): Sophia Murray 3-0-7, Annika Mocha 2-0-4, Ava Patti 5-0-10, Natalie Swallow 6-0-16, Kelsey Murphy 3-1-7, Mackenzie Russell 2-0-5, Taylor Spies 0-0-0, Emmy Convery 0-0-0, Kylie Crane 0-0-0. Totals 21-1-49. ELYRIA CATHOLIC (55): Natalie Palese 2-2-8, Carter McCray 4-4-13, Emily Vogel 0-0-0, Isabelle Neiderst 4-0-9, Annika Bredel 5-5-16, Lexi Pluta 3-0-7. Navaeh Sawyer 0-2-2, Kenya Simpson 0-0-0.Totals 18-14-55. Rocky River&emsp;&emsp; 14&emsp; &emsp;12&emsp;&emsp;11&emsp;&emsp;12&emsp;&emsp;—&emsp; 49Elyria Catholic&emsp;&emsp;13&emsp;&emsp;15&emsp;&emsp;15&emsp;&emsp;12&emsp;&emsp;—&emsp;&emsp;55 Three-point goals: Rocky River 6-17 (Swallow 4, Murray, Russell), Elyria Catholic 5-20 (Palese 2, Niederst, Bredel, Pluta). Field goals: Rocky River 21-47 (45 percent), Elyria Catholic 18-48 (37.5 percent). Free throws: Rocky River 1-4 (25 percent), Elyria Catholic 14-22 (64 percent). Rebounds: Rocky River 27 (Murray, Murphy 5), Elyria Catholic 34 (McCray 13). Turnovers: Rocky River 17, Elyria Catholic 15. Fouls: Rocky River 16, Elyria Catholic 5. Junior Varsity: Elyria Catholic, 44-37