KIRTLAND—Lauren Snyder scored a game-high 17 points and Jenna Sayle added 12 to lead Kirtland to a 55-28 win over visiting Wellington in a Division III sectional championship game on Saturday.
With the win, the Hornets advanced to the North Ridgeville District tournament for the third straight season.
“All in all, I was very pleased with our performance,” Kirtland coach Bob Bell said. “The philosophy going in was we wanted to establish a good, solid defensive game in the first half and maybe start mixing up the presses in the second half. We try not to throw everything out there in the first half. The girls responded really well.”
The Hornets made it very difficult for the Dukes even before adjusting their defensive pressure in the second half.
Wellington never scored more than nine points in a single quarter and leading scorer Jalen Gibbs finished with just 12 points, well below her average of 18 points per game.
“We wanted to make sure we kept a lot of pressure on No. 10, Gibbs, because she’s such a good player and she’s long,” Bell said. “She’s bigger than anybody we have and if she is able to get down on the middle on you and get to the basket you’ve got problems. I thought Jenna Sayle did a phenomenal job of guarding her and the help side was there.”
The Hornets took a 24-14 lead into halftime but that advantage could have been bigger had they shot better than 3-for-14 from the free throw line.
In the third quarter, defensive pressure led to more offensive opportunities and Snyder took advantage.
She led three separate runs that helped the Hornets pull away from the Dukes.
She began a 5-0 run with a 3-pointer, a steal and a layup then ignited a 9-0 run with another 3 and steal but this time she finished off that play with an assist to Macy McIntosh.
Kirtland also ran off seven straight points to finish the quarter.
“As any coach will tell you, we establish the defense first and that’s really what it’s all about,” Bell said of the runs.
Julia Camino contributed to the win with nine points and Amber Yurick finished with seven.
Grace Wolfe and Lauren Lutz pitched in with six and two points, respectively, but their greatest contributions came in the paint where they helped hold off Wellington’s three 6-footers.
Lutz pulled down seven rebounds and Wolfe grabbed five.
“Lauren really did a great job on the boards and did an outstanding job defensively,” Bell said. “She played well, she really did and Grace played well inside.”
Led by Lutz and Yurick with five each, Kirtland recorded 22 steals in the game. Snyder recorded four of those thefts.
The third-seeded Hornets, who improved to 18-5, will play No. 7 Lutheran East, who upset No. 2 Independence, in a district semifinal on Wednesday at North Ridgeville. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:45 p.m.
Kirtland 55, Wellington 28
Wellington (16-7): Damiano 6, Gibbs 12, Wright 2, Frenk 6, Paramore 2
Kirtland (18-5): Snyder 17, Camino 9, Sayle 12, Lutz 2, Wolfe 6, Yurick 7, McIntosh 2
Wellington 5 9 7 7 — 28
Kirtland 14 10 17 14 — 55
Free throws: Wellington 8 of 21, Kirtland 12 of 25; 3-pointers: Wellington 0, Kirtland 3 (Snyder 3); Rebounds: Wellington 18, Kirtland 25 (Lutz 7); Assists: Wellington 2, Kirtland 6 (Camino 3)
