ASHTABULA–Madison’s Zoey Deligianis scored a game-high 29 points in her final high school basketball game on Monday, leading the Blue Streaks to a 61-52 win over host Edgewood, and clinching the Chagrin Valley Conference Lake Division championship.
Deligianis scored 15 points in the first half and added 14 more in the second half to help secure the conference title.
“I was just having fun with it,” Deligianis said about her performance. “I knew it was my last game, and I just wanted to come out and have a great time with my teammates and savor all of it. I let the game come to me. I’m never concerned about stats, and I just come out here and have fun.”
Carly Kray gave Edgewood an early 4-0 lead with a layup and two free throws, then Deligianis took over with 10 first-quarter points. Gianna LaMarco and Leah Brock each added four points for a 22-11 lead after the first quarter.
Deligianis added five more points in the second quarter with a LaMarco 3-pointer, giving Madison a 31-19 lead at halftime.
Faith Vencill led Edgewood in the third quarter, scoring nine points and helping the Warriors cut into Madison’s lead with a 20-15 advantage in the frame. Annie Johnston and Avery Vencill also hit 3-pointers.
Madison held on to a 46-39 lead after three quarters, thanks to six more points from Deligianis and five from Maddie White.
Vencill scored six more points in the fourth quarter, and Kray added four, but Deligianis responded with back-to-back 3-pointers followed by a layup, sealing the win for Madison.
Deligianis, a Tiffin commitment, closed out her four-year career as Madison’s all-time leading scorer.
“She’s irreplaceable, a great athlete and basketball player, but an even better person,” said Madison head coach Heather Reho on Deligianis. “I sent her a message yesterday and told her to live in this moment and continue to play hard so we can have happy-sad tears afterward. She’s my go-to, and she’s led this team this far.”
Deligianis led all scorers with 29 points on 12-of-19 shooting, LaMarco added 10, and Brock and Kendra Smith contributed six each.
Edgewood’s season ended at 16-7. Last year, the Warriors won the conference title, and though they lost two key seniors, they had another shot at it this season.
“They adopted the ‘Next-man-up mentality,’ they came in every day and worked hard, and set goals,” said Edgewood head coach Randy Vencill. “We fell just short of it, but we’ve had an awesome season, so there’s nothing to hang our heads about.”
Edgewood’s youth was on display, with sophomores Vencill and Kray combining for 37 points in a big game.
“This is where all the work is done,” Coach Vencill said about the next steps. “This is where you get better and improve, and this is when you get better than other teams. We’ll see if they’re up to the challenge.”
Faith Vencill finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds while Kray added 17.
