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PERRYSBURG INSIDE GAME HALTS LADY BEES RUN
By dipasqua | March 10, 2010 | 
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LATE COMEBACK NOT ENOUGH AT NORWALK
By Dom DiPasqua / Staff Writer
Wednesday morning, March 10, 2010
NORWALK - Brecksville-Broadview Heights head coach Joe Zenir had about a perfect of scouting report on Perrysburg as one can get in two days.
The bill of goods on the Yellow Jackets was right on the money.
“They will play a slow down game and be very patient on offense, trying to control tempo that way. On defense they will play you tight. They are fundamentally sound, they box out and like to control the boards.” Was the popular opinion of the coaches that have faced Perrysburg this season.
The story could end right here because that is exactly what the Yellow Jackets did in their, 44-36, victory over the Lady Bees here last night in a Division I Regional semi-final game.
The nightcap win sends the Jackets into a regional final game here on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 PM against Toledo Waite, a huge (73-34) blowout winner over Lorain Southview in the evenings opener.
“Perrysburg is very good. Their physicality was different than what we are used to. We’re going to have to hit the weight room this summer. Skill-wise I don’t think there was much difference.” Said Zenir immediately after the game. “Their post players killed us. Their guards were physical too and we’re not used to that.”
The game started out in Perrysburg’s favor. Lady Bee junior post Beckie “The Nigerian Nightmare” Famurewa picked-up her second personal foul at the 4:06 mark on the first quarter. Brecksville was extremely tentative at their offensive end of the court, turning the ball over instead of taking shots and or driving to the hole. And Brecksville became foul-happy too, committing their seventh team foul late in the opening frame which sent the steady shooting Yellow Jackets to the free throw line early and often.
“We were nervous and we were in foul trouble from the time that we got off the bus.” Said Zenir. “They are very good and they deserved to win.”
Perrysburg (19-6) led, 13-4, at the end of the first quarter and maintained a, 22-12, lead at halftime despite a three- point field goal by senior point guard and captain Courtney “Ace” Clark off of an assist from Alex “The Red Bull” Ryan which made the score, 13-7, Jackets.
The ten-point halftime deficit felt like 30, especially against a team like Perrysburg that can run time off the clock with the best of them.
But the Bees, out of the Southwestern Conference, took it to the Jackets to open the third stanza. Two quick buckets by Famurewa and by Ashley King, another junior post, brought the Bee Nation crowd to their feet as the comeback was on.
To the chants of DEFENSE! DEFENSE! Brecksvile battled their way back into the game.
Famurewa tallied twice more inside on gifts from Clark and junior guard Leah Haught got going by swishing a three-ball off of another Clark helper to cut the Yellow Jackets lead to, 25-22, with 1:35 to play in the third set.
“That’s what we wanted the game to look like, We wanted to press the issue. We won the third quarter by six.” Zenir said. “That’s what we envisioned doing throughout the game, but they are a lot stronger than we thought.”
A quick, 4-0, run by The Yellow Jackets, out of the Northern Lakes League, to start the fourth quarter was a factor and when Perrysburg’s Nicole Delas scored on a put-back to raise their lead to, 33-23, you could feel the wind go out of the Bees sails.
Clark, the poster girl of the Lady Bees program, fouled out with 56 seconds to play. She received a standing ovation from the Bee Nation faithful and was met with hugs and high five from her teammates and coaches at the bench. Thus ending a tremendous ride for Clark and marking the end of an era in Lady Bee basketball history.
“I think that we were definitely tentative with the ball and what we were doing on offense. We let them dictate our game and you are seldom going to win when that happens.” Said Clark. “I can’t say that I was nervous, but I wasn’t as aggressive as I should have been.”
Haught was sensational for the Bees who struggled offensively. Haught, a 5-7 guard, landed 14 points and dealt three assists. Clark ended up with three points, eight helpers and a trio of steals in her Brecksville swan song.
Famurewa, came back and remained out of foul trouble. Beckie-Fam concluded her solid night with a dozen points, five rebounds and three blocked shots. King added five digits and four caroms.
Perrysburg got 16 points and 12 rebounds from Delas, a 5-10 junior. Both were game high’s as the strong Yellow Jacket post controlled the paint at both ends of the floor for ther majority of the game.
Erin Mesker, a 5-11, senior post, added 14 points and four boards. Sharpshooting Kelsea Newman, a 6-0 sohomore wing, was held to eight points, but she did her damage in the all important first half when she tallied all her points, two baskets coming from downtown.
“We definitely passed up shots that we have been making lately. We passed up some looks early. This is a different environment, but I am proud of our kids and this is part of the process of the building of our program.” Zenir said. “If you would have told me back in November that we’d finish tied for ninth in the state with a bunch of other good teams I would have taken it. That’s not a bad place to be.”
“There are a bunch of juniors in that locker room that hopefully will learn from this and come back next year. like Perrsyburg did, and figure out what it takes to get over the hump.” Said Zenir. “The talent is there. We’ve got to hit the weight room in the off-season.”
The Bees finished with an overall record of 18-6. The win total, if not a school record for one season, certainly came close to tying the mark. This was the farthest that a Brecksville squad has gone in the post-season since the 1996-’97 group made it to the same level before falling to eventual state champion, Wadsworth.
“This has been so much fun and so exciting to come this far with this group of girl’s. I’m proud of everyone and happy with our season.” Clark said. “It hasn’t begun to sink in yet what the last four years have meant to me. I would just tell the younger players to work hard, listen to the coaches and enjoy every minute of your basketball career because it comes to an end sooner than you think.”
OFFICIAL GAME STAT TRAKKER:
The Bees ..… Brecksville went five of six from the free throw line for 83% and committed 20 turnovers.
Perrysburg …. The Yellow Jackets went 20 of 28 from the free throw line for 71% and committed 18 turnovers.
LINE SCORE:
BEES 4 8 11 13 = 36
Jackets 13 9 5 17 = 44
OFFICIALS:
Adrian Foster, Tim Gibson and Angela Spiegel. (Foster is a Southwestern Conference official.)
LONG DAY, BUT ONE FOR THE SCRAP BOOKS:
Most of the Lady Bees punched their alarm clocks at 6:00AM, got ready for school, attended their classes and met with their coaches in the media room off of the high school library for another last minute scouting report on Perrysburg around 2:45PM.
They then boarded the yellow school bus for the 1:30 trip to Norwalk. The Bees enjoyed a pre-game meal at Berry’s Restaurant. Berry’s is a landmark building in Historic Downtown Norwalk. The place hase been serving up home style meals since 1902. It features a counter in the main dining room and has an old-fashioned, typical mid-western feel to it. The tin ceiling is the original, dating back to 1902 and probaly holds the water out better then the roof in my former condominium.
The Bees enjoyed dinner, their choice of; chopped sirloin with potato, grilled chicken breast with potato or spaghetti with meat sauce. Plus a salad and beverage.
“It was a lot of food.” Said Sarah Coronel, a freshman who was called up to varsity team for ther tournament run. Others were not overly thrilled with the spaghetti entree, but no one complained or succumbed to indigestion.
Brecksville then re-boarded the bus for the five minute ride to Norwalk High School, “Home of The Truckers”, to watch the Lorain Southview – Toledo Waite contest. The team, as usual, seemed loose and ready to play. Soon enough it was tip off time.
Berry’s was chosen as the pregame place to dine courtesy of a scouting trip that assistant coach Mike “Gally” Gallagher and his wife Margie took on Sunday afternoon from their ranch/home outside of Wooster. Gallagher used to live just a few blocks from Berry’s, with three other teachers, when he was a rookie teacher at nearby Collins Western Reserve High School.
Berry’s had such a down home feel to it that if you would have blindfolded me upon hitting the road I would have thought that we landed somewhere in Iowa. Lot’s of farm-field flannel, alpaca sweaters worn by old-timers and John Deere hats. Think of the movie “Field of Dreams”.
In the locker room after the game, each coach and player got to share their words on what the season meant to them. There were tears and hugs and many heart-warming thoughts. The team also voted (privately) on team captains for next year’s squad.
Brecksville’s bus returned to the Bee Hive parking lot at around 11:30 PM. It’s days like this that make tournament play so memorable and so indescribably delicious. That’s why they call it “March Madness”.
MEDIA ONSLAUGHT:
The pair of games were broadcast on Fox Sports Ohio. There were dozens of local and daily newspapers on hand as well as as many small town radio stations and websites beaming the game back to their locales. Joe Zenir knew that the media crush was going to happen, but probably didn’t expect to have the color commentator from Fox Sports Ohio ask him dozens of rapid-fire questions on his team ten minutes before tip off. The scene was a little chaotic, but Zenir, a master with the media, handled it all in stride.
LADY BEE NATION:
Hats off to the many parents, family members and friends who made the mid-week trek to Norwalk. From superintendent Thomas Diringer, to BBHHS Assistant Principal Todd Rings, to Athletic Director Dan Kalinsky. The Bees had great support on the road.
The Bees basketball team was their enmasse and a dozen or so students traded barbs with the Perrsyburg student section, who had decidedly more bodies.
Last, but not least, you have to give it up for Lady Bee “Super Fans” Rex Mack and Kenny Ganley, who have truly become fans of girl’s basketball and huge supporters of Joe Zenir’s Lady Bee program.
There are many, many brighter days ahead with this program and the direction that Zenir and his fantastic staff of assistants have it going.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU:
Thanks so much to head coach Joe Zenir, all of the assistant coahes and the Lady Bee players themselves for allowing me almost total access to their program. It remains a treat to cover a team and a group of young ladies who represent our communites so well.
Thanks for putting up with all the silly jokes and non-stop questions. Hopefully I’m never in the way.
And to Courtney Clark, one of the best Lady Bees of all-time, I truly wish the best. I won’t know Lady Bee basketball, without having Courtney around, she has had that much of an impact on the program. But she’ll be a winner at Notre Dame College and in her chosen field of Nursing, that much is for sure. Thanks for all your time and the countless interviews over the years Courtney, and good luck to you in the future!
NEXT UP:
The BBHHS winter sports awards ceremony Tuesday evening, March 16th, in the high school auditorium.
See You At The Bee Hive!
To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.
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