Trojans have slow start, fall to Polar Bears

WOOSTER – Findlay played hard Saturday in the Division I district final against Massillon Jackson.But a cold offensive start did in the Trojans, who fell to the Polar Bears, 50-40, at Wooster High School.Massillon Jackson – which came into Saturday's game with a 23-3 record – never trailed, scoring the first six points of the game and holding Findlay scoreless for the first 5:15 of regulation.FHS missed its first six field goal attempts and shot just 1 of 12 in the first quarter.Kaylee Mangas' layup put the Trojans on the board, but they trailed 10-3 at the end of the first quarter. Findlay's offensive picked up some in the second quarter, but it faced a 27-14 deficit at the half.Trojans coach Brian Rosendale said Findlay had opportunities but didn't capitalize."We missed a lot of layups," he said. "We missed six, seven layups in the first half."In the third quarter, the Polar Bears opened with an 8-1 run, going up 36-15 on Lexi Pizor's driving layup."We always preach in the locker room at halftime, it's that first couple minutes of the third quarter that kind of decides if you're gonna run away with it a little bit or let the other team back in," said Jackson coach Michael Coon. "I think we came out and really set the tone and did that well."The Trojans – who were playing without starter Addy Rood and had four players not even travel to the game because of the flu – had trouble with Jackson's defense most of the way.Trojans' leading scorer Davinee Harris was limited to just four first-half points."The girls have been playing really good defense all year," Coon said. "I think they execute the plan tonight pretty well."We knew with Davinee we were gonna have our hands full," he said, "Obviously she was the main part of our focus, but they're a good team, they're well-coached."Findlay ended the third quarter on a 5-0 run, getting a 3 from the corner and a layup from Abanna Dotson, and trailed 38-22 going to the fourth.In the final period, Findlay was able to cut into the lead. A drive by Maggie Crates was followed by a 3 from Harris, and the Polar Bears lead was cut to 46-35 with 1:23 left. A 3 from the wing by Mihaya Saito brought Findlay within eight, 48-40, but that was as tight as things got."I can never fault the effort these girls give," Rosendale said. "That's what's special about this group of kids. They don't give up."Findlay ended its season at 15-8. Harris finished with a team-high 13 points, while Dotson had six and Saito five. Ava Stechschulte had eight boards to go with three points.The Trojans will lose three seniors: Ryan Boes, Saito and Sienna Robinson."Great group," Rosendale said. "Great group of kids." Jackson, meanwhile, won its third consecutive district title and fourth in five years. Ava Kouri scored 14 to lead the Polar Bears, while Maddie Lepley, who came in with more than 1,300 career points, scored 11 and grabbed seven rebounds."She does everything for us," Coon said of Lepley, a senior. "She's not just a scorer. She's really taken on more of a facilitator role this year and stepped it up in terms of rebounding and defense, which is part of the reason we've had such a great year."Now, the Polar Bears will advance to next week's regional."We're playing good basketball right now," Coon said. "We're just looking forward to the next one." FINDLAY (15-8)Crates 3-0—7; Mangas 3-0—6; Saito 2-0—5; Dotson 2-1—6; Harris 4-4—13; Stechschulte 1-1—3. TOTALS: 15-43—6-9—40.MASSILLON JACKSON (23-3)Russell 2-1—6; Dolan 1-1-3; Kouri 5-2—14; Lepley 5-1—11; Pizor 4-0—8; Helle 2-2—8. TOTALS 19-48—7-11—50.Findlay 3 11 8 18 –40Massillon Jackson 10 17 12 – 503-POINT GOALS: Findlay 4-16 (Crates, Saito, Dotson, Harris); Massillon Jackson 5-18 (Helle 2, Kouri 2, Russell).REBOUNDS: Findlay 34 (Stechschulte 8); Massillon Jackson 36 (Lepley 7, Pizor 7)TURNOVERS: Findlay 5; Massillon Jackson 5