D-III District Girls Basketball: Avon Lake's tourney run ends as Canfield pulls away in second half

ELYRIA — The bubble burst on a potential second straight trip to the state final for Avon Lake. Canfield (23-2) won its 14th straight game Saturday by pulling away from the Shoregals in the second half to win 54-37 and secure a second straight Division III district championship. Avon Lake finished at 16-8. It wasn't like Canfield was a dark horse. The Cardinals won a district title last year before bowing out in the regional semifinal. The Shoregals made an impressive run all the way to the state final. "They're a good team," Avon Lake coach Paul Appel said. "They were able to get in the passing lanes. We just didn't take care of the ball. They were really active defensively and were able to get out and run. They made some good plays." Appel knew all about Canfield's 2-3 zone and the havoc it could cause. It's not a packed-in, stable zone like a conventional one. This one was active, causing an un-Shoregals-like 23 turnovers. "We think we're pretty quick," said Matt Reel, Canfield's coach of more than 20 seasons. "We like to be aggressive out of it. We were especially active, especially after that first quarter." For better than half the game, Avon Lake played right with the Cardinals. The Shoregals led 13-8 after one and trailed by only two at halftime, but eventually Canfield's quickness in its zone paid dividends. Avon Lake led 29-28 off a Molly Milligan patented short jumper in the lane, but Canfield answered with a six-point run before Milligan scored again to make it 34-31. Canfield finished the third quarter hitting two of four free throws for a 36-31 lead. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Carly Fleming and Brooke O'Palick started the Cardinals flying in the fourth quarter. They went 7-for-10 in the quarter and sank both free throws to outscore Avon Lake 18-6 to put away the game. Fleming must have had a dozen steals herself as Canfield's defense wore down the Shoregals. She and Jenna Triveri, Canfield's Youngstown State-bound, 1,000-point scorer, combined for 24 points. Canfield outscored Avon Lake 27-12 in the second half. "She was everywhere for them in their zone," Appel said of Fleming. "She hit a huge three in a big moment. She was probably the MVP of the game." "When we hit those back-to-back threes and we eventually got up by about 12, we knew we could spread them out even more than we were trying to," Reel said. "We know what a quality program (Avon Lake) has. We were just thrilled to get a victory." Avon Lake's stellar senior, Olivia Miller, was held to 12 points in her final appearance in a Shoregals uniform. She did add seven rebounds to the mix. Milligan and Riley Koury each scored 10 points. "They made some big shots for them," said Miller, who's headed to Wayne State next year. "We just weren't being that strong with the ball. They got several breakaway layups. "We definitely were not used to that kind of 2-3. They're just really active, taking away the middle and taking away the high and low, wings." "Olivia's been just about everything," said Appel. "She's been a varsity player for four years. We've kind of grown up as coaches and she's been a part of it. She's the ultimate team player." Contact Tim Gebhardt at (440) 329-7135 or timothygeb@msn.com. Canfield 54, Avon Lake 37 AVON LAKE (37): Riley Koury 4-0-10, Frankie Persia 1-0-3, Olivia Miller 5-1-12, Evelyn Ritt 0-0-0, Molly Milligan 4-2-10, Mariela DiTullio 0-0-0, Erin Dean 1-0-2, Rachel Besaw 0-0-0, Bri Droke 0-0-0. Totals 15-3-37. Canfield (54): Lorieone Jannone 3-1-8, Sofia Castronova 4-0-9, Jenna Triveri 3-5-13, Carly Fleming 4-2-11, Ceci Muckleroy 3-0-6, Jenna Havrilla 0-0-0, Noelle Sahli 3-1-7, Brooke O'Palick 0-0-0, Amara Watson 0-0-0, Harper Venrose 0-0-0, Sydney Rakers 0-0-0. Totals 20-9-54. Avon Lake&emsp;13&emsp;12&emsp;6&emsp;6&emsp;—&emsp;37 Canfield&emsp;8&emsp;19&emsp;9&emsp;18&emsp;—&emsp;54 Three-point goals: Avon Lake 4-8 (Koury 2, Persia, Miller), Canfield 5-11 (Triveri 2, Jannone, Castronova, Fleming). Field goals: Avon Lake 15-35 (43 percent), Canfield 20-47 (42.5 percent). Free throws: Avon Lake 3-5 (60 percent), Canfield 9-13 (69 percent). Rebounds: Avon Lake 26 (Miller 7), Cabfield 25 (Triveri 7). Turnovers: Avon Lake 23, Canfield 9. Fouls: Avon Lake 14, Canfield 9.