Stowsentry.com - Walsh Jesuit girls cagers run past Stow at home

by Dean Raymond

Correspondent

Cuyahoga Falls -- A fast start helped send Walsh Jesuit to a 59-46 win over visiting Stow-Munroe Falls Jan. 27.

Thanks to six points from senior center Nneka Offodile and five points by senior guard Kara Goliat, the Lady Warriors (14-1) got out to a 13-0 with 2:59 remaining in the first quarter.

Walsh Jesuit increased their advantage to 17-3 when freshman guard Sandra Yu laid the ball in with 0:32 left in the opening period.

Lady Bulldog senior guard Kendra Mossor then tripled 11 seconds later as the Lady Warriors eventually had to settle for a 19-6 lead after one quarter.

Stow played much better in the second quarter despite a 6-0 run by Walsh Jesuit that gave the Lady Warriors a 23-6 lead as sophomore forward/center Liz Reeves connected on 1-of-2 free throws with 7:06 to go in the second period.

The Lady Bulldogs responded with a 10-0 run, including four points by sophomore guard Alex Shaver and trailed just 23-16 with 3:02 remaining in the second quarter.

Walsh Jesuit led 29-19 at the half as Sandra Yu scored on a layup with15 seconds left in the second period.

Stow was within seven points again at 32-25 when Shaver hit 1-of-2 charity tosses at the 3:59 mark in the third quarter before a three-point goal and a 15-foot jumper from sophomore guard Rachel Theriot helped the Lady Warriors to 39-30 advantage after three periods of play.

The Lady Bulldogs still had a chance for a comeback win when senior guard Jillian Francis converted a running eight-footer with 7:19 to go in the fourth quarter as Stow was down just 41-32 but mini runs of 4-0 and 8-0 gave Walsh Jesuit a 56-37 advantage. Goliat capped the 8-0 spurt by the Lady Warriors with a layup at the 3:10 mark in the fourth period as the home team led comfortably by 19 points.

Mossor (two triples in the game) and senior guard Alex Madonia canned trifecta's in the final 2:44 for the Lady Bulldogs.

Stow led in three-point goals, 5-4. Theriot had a pair of triples for Walsh Jesuit.

"We played well at the beginning but we have to keep it up the rest of the game," Lady Warrior head coach Pete Zaccari said. "Stow is a good team and they are well-coached. We had confidence we could turn it on later in the game. Rachel and Cheryl Yu have been injured and they are a little rusty. I was disappointed in our rebounding tonight."

Meanwhile, Lady Bulldog head coach Bob Podges is used to playing talented teams.

"Walsh is a very good team and you can't give them a 13-0 lead," Podges said. "We've played top teams in the area all season long. That makes us better. However, we need more consistency on offense."

Shaver led Stow with 14 points, including 10 in the second half while Offodile (11 points with eight coming in the first quarter) and Theriot (10 points (all in the second half and seven in the third period) paced Walsh Jesuit.

The Lady Bulldogs were 15-of-54 from the floor for 28 percent, including 6-of-12 in the fourth quarter and 11-of-17 at the line for 65 percent.

The Lady Warriors ended up 23-of-61 from the field for 38 percent, including 9-of-13 in the first period and swished home 9-of-17 free throws for 53 percent.

Walsh Jesuit is now on a 13-game winning streak.

E-mail: stowsports@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3113