Replay | OHSAA girls basketball state tournament: Northwest defeats Proctorville Fairland
Years of hard work combined with years of dreaming big culminated in a memorable experience Thursday for the players and coaches on the Northwest High School girls basketball team.
Northwest made its first appearance in the Ohio High School Athletic Association state tournament Thursday afternoon a memorable one. Northwest routed the state's No. 2-ranked team, Proctorville Fairland, in a Division II state semifinal at UD Arena in Dayton.
The 56-34 win extended Northwest's winning streak to 17 games, as it improved to 27-2 by giving Fairland its first loss of the season. Here's how the game unfolded Thursday:
More on Northwest's state semifinal win:Title game time - Northwest girls advance to OHSAA Division II state championship game
Northwest to play for state championship
Northwest's special season will end in the Division II state championship game.
Ashley Cudnik scored 16 points and Lily Bottomley finished with 13 in a convincing 56-34 win over Fairland. Northwest will play Cincinnati Purcell Marian on Saturday at 10:45 a.m. for the state title.
It was Fairland's first defeat after 27 straight wins this season.
Northwest regroups after Fairland's quick third-quarter start
Signs of a Fairland run surfaced when the Dragons scored the first four points of the third quarter.
It concerned Northwest head coach Kevin Lower enough to take a timeout. His team quickly regrouped.
Northwest added to its halftime lead and carried a 42-29 advantage into the fourth quarter. Ashley Cudnik scored six points in the third quarter for Northwest.
Late first-half run gives Northwest 11-point halftime lead
Northwest scored the final nine points of the first half to grab a 29-18 halftime lead.
Northwest outscored Fairland 16-4 in the second. Delanie Carmany capped the half with a buzzer beater from the corner.
Carmany has a game-high seven points.
Northwest survives with Lily Bottomley in foul trouble
Lily Bottomley picking up two fouls in the first three minutes was not good news for Northwest. The team was able to survive without her and trailed 14-13 after one quarter. Bottomley returned for the start of the second quarter.
Northwest’s starters for OHSAA Division II girls basketball state semifinal
No. 3, Ashley Cudnik
No. 4, Ashlyn Stark
No. 12, Gianna Kuhn
No. 20, Gwen Lower
No. 55, Lily Bottomley
Proctorville Fairland’s starters for OHSAA Division II girls basketball state semifinal
No. 4, Reece Barnitz
No. 22, Bree Allen
No. 23, Tomi Hinkle
No. 24, Kamryn Barnitz
No. 44, Kylee Bruce
When does Northwest play Proctorville Fairland in the OHSAA state tournament
Tipoff is 1 p.m. Thursday for Northwest's game vs. Proctorville Fairland. It's the second of two Division II state semifinals Thursday. In the first game, at 11 a.m., Cincinnati Purcell Marian plays Bryan.
Where is the 2023 OHSAA girls basketball state tournament?
All four divisions will play the state semifinals and finals at UD Arena on the campus of the University of Dayton. Games are Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
When is the OHSAA Division II state championship game?
The Northwest-Fairland winner plays Purcell Marian at 10:45 a.m. Saturday in the Division II title game at at UD Arena. Purcell Marian beat Bryan 61-47 in Thursday's first game.
A Coach Lower returns Northwest to an OHSAA state basketball tournament
Northwest girls basketball head coach Kevin Lower becomes the second generation to lead a basketball program from the school to a state tournament. Northwest's last trip came in boys basketball in 2004 under the direction Jim Lower, Kevin's dad.
Northwest girls basketball:'Dream come true': Girls state tournament run a special time for Northwest's Lower family
How did the Northwest girls basketball team reach the OHSAA state tournament
Northwest won six tournament games over the previous three weeks to reach the state final four in Division II, taking out two top-seeded teams along the way.
Northwest was the No. 6 overall seed in the super district format for Northeast-West. It knocked off No. 1 seed Copley in the district final. Two games later, Northwest beat Canfield, the No. 1 in Northeast-East. Northwest also beat CVCA, the No. 4 seed in Northeast-West and team it lost two twice in the regular season.
Here's a look at Northwest's tournament scores, by round:
Sectionals
Northwest 52, E. Cle. Shaw 4
Northwest 66, Orange 22
District tournament, at Lake High School
Regional tournament, at Barberton High School
Northwest girls basketball wins with defense
There's no secret to Northwest's success. It simply does not let teams score against it. Northwest enters Dayton having limited five of its six tournament opponents to 29 or fewer points. During the 22-game regular season, 11 teams failed to crack 30 against Northwest.
In 28 games overall, only six teams have scored 40 or more points on Northwest. The most it's allowed this season is 47, first in a 67-47 win over Louisville to end the regular season and again in a 51-47 district final win over Copley. CVCA is the only team to eclipse 40 and beat Northwest, winning 43-36 Jan. 4. That's the last time Northwest lost a game.
The other teams to break 40 on Northwest are Hiland, Alliance and Massillon. Northwest won all three by double digits, including a 56-40 win over Hiland, a Division IV state semifinalist, back in November.
Is Ohio Ms. Basketball Dee Alexander playing in the OHSAA girls basketball state tournament
Cincinnati Purcell Marian features sophomore Dee Alexander, who won the award earlier this week. A 6-foot-1 forward, she is averaging 25.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
Alexander is only the second sophomore to be named Ohio Ms. Basketball, joining McKinley's Kierstan Bell (2017). Bell won the award three times on her way to the WNBA.
Alexander scored 34 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Purcell Marian's win over Bryan on Thursday.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Northwest girls basketball live score updates | OHSAA state tournament
