Girls basketball: Avon Lake puts defensive clamps on late, downs Unioto to advance to regional final

ZANESVILLE — In a season filled with great defensive performances, Avon Lake saved its best for the fourth quarter of Wednesday's Division III regional semifinal against Chillicothe Unioto. The Shoregals took the lead on a Izzie Polinko basket with 7:50 to play and then proceeded to hold the Shermans to three fourth-quarter points as they pulled away for a 47-37 win at Zanesville High School. "We did a great job of scouting them and we played great team defense against them," Shoregals senior Bre Jones said. "We really wanted to win, we were determined. Once the momentum shifted in our favor, we weren't going to let them win." Avon Lake (21-5) led 10-4 early but through the first three quarters neither team was able to gain much of an advantage. The Shoregals led 15-12 after one quarter but Unioto (22-5) led by a point at the end of the second and third periods. A layup from Molly Milligan and back-to-back baskets from Olivia Miller capped an 8-0 Avon Lake rally and allowed the Shoregals to take a 41-34 lead with 5:13 remaining in the game. "We knew they had really good shooters so we had to help and get back really quick on defense," Miller said. "It feels really great to be in the regional final. It's the first time our school has been there in a really long time. I'm so happy I can do this with these girls, I love them all." The win sends Avon Lake into the regional finals for the first time since 2001. The Shoregals will face St. Vincent-St. Mary with a trip to the state tournament on the line. The Fighting Irish defeated Bloom-Carroll, 42-39, in the nightcap Wednesday at Zanesville. The Shermans came in averaging 68 points a game but Avon Lake held them to almost half of that number. Prior to Wednesday, Unioto had been held under 50 points only once this season, in a 53-45 loss to Laurel. "We wanted to not let them hit a bunch of threes," Avon Lake coach Paul Appel said. "We were great defensively and offensively, we shared the ball and did what we do. We played the right way offensively. I was so proud down the stretch that every girl made the right decision with the ball." As has been the hallmark of this Avon Lake team, the Shoregals shared the scoring load up and down the lineup. Miller had 12 points while Jones and Tobin had 11 each. Unioto's Milee Smith, who came in averaging 25.7 points, was the game's leading-scorer with 15. Both teams did a remarkable job of handling the pressure of playing on the biggest stage of the season. Avon Lake committed just seven turnovers while the Shermans only gave the ball away four times. Thanks to 12 rebounds by Jones and eight each from Miller and Milligan, Avon Lake had a nearly 2-to-1 edge on the boards. "The difference in this game was the excitement we brought and the energy we consistently bring," Polinko said. "Of course, we let down at certain points but we always know how to get back up. We take a lot of pride in our defense and we knew we gave up too many points in the first half and we had to do better." After allowing 23 first-half points, the Shoregals held Unioto to 14 in the second and to just four second-half field goals. "Every game in the playoffs we've held our opponent to a season low in points," Appel said. "Their previous low was 45 so our goal was to hold them to under 45 points. It's been a complete buy-in from the girls all season and a total commitment to follow the game plan and give total effort on defense." If the Shoregals are going to hold their next opponent to a season low in points they'll have to improve on their own work. They held St. Vincent-St. Mary to a season low when the teams met last month in a game the Fighting Irish won, 37-34. Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Avon Lake 47, Unioto 37 AVON LAKE (47): Olivia Tobin 4-2-11, Izzie Polinko 2-1-5, Olivia Miller 5-1-12, Evelyn Ritt 1-0-2, Alyssa Jones 0-2-2, Bre Jones 3-4-11, Molly Milligan 2-0-4. Totals 17-10-47. UNIOTO (37): Magnolia Holbert 1-4-6, Jade Stewart 1-0-3, Keyairah Beard 1-0-2, Aidyn Danison 1-0-2, Mya Hamilton 2-1-7, Kendal Walker 1-0-2, Milee Smith 5-5-15. Totals 12-10-37. Avon Lake&emsp;15&emsp;7&emsp;11&emsp;14&emsp;—&emsp;47Unioto&emsp; 12 &emsp;9&emsp;11 &emsp;3&emsp;—&emsp;37 Three-point goals: Avon Lake (B. Jones, Miller, Tobin), Unioto (Hamilton 2, Stewart). Field goals: Avon Lake 17-44 (39 percent), Unioto 12-38 (32 percent). Free throws: Avon Lake 10-16 (63 percent), Unioto 10-14 (71 percent). Rebounds: Avon Lake 39, Unioto 21. Turnovers: Avon Lake 7, Unioto 4. Team fouls: Avon Lake 8, Unioto 12.