Girls state basketball: Winton Woods rolls over Anthony Wayne in D-II title game

DAYTON — What some considered the marquee matchup of the state girls basketball tournament Friday turned out to not be much of a game at all. That wasn't because Whitehouse Anthony Wayne played poorly. Winton Woods was simply that good. Behind a game-high 28 points from freshman sensation Strawberry Blankumsee, who already holds an offer from Ohio State, the Warriors pulled away in the second half for an impressive 70-55 victory over the Generals in the Division II title game at University of Dayton Arena. Winton Woods (27-0), which captured its first championship, led 37-33 after an action-packed first half and took control with a 13-7 third quarter. With all five players able to create separation above the 3-point line and finish at the rim, the Warriors made 22-of-44 field goals (50%) and 23-of-30 free throws (76.7%) to offset 26 points and 13 rebounds from Anthony Wayne forward Elise Bender, a Villanova recruit. Blankumsee was a big part of that, as the point guard made 7-of-11 field goals and 13-of-15 free throws while drawing a whopping eight fouls. Daniah Trammell (17 points), Whitley Davis (11) and Niyala Harmon (10) also reached double figures on a night when Winton Woods had only four assists, proving its one-on-one dominance. The Generals, who beat Hudson in the Barberton Regional final, were supported by Brooke Bender (10 points, 11 rebounds) and Leah Pike (14, 4) but were outscored 36-22 in the paint and committed 26 turnovers. In other games: Division III Cincinnati Purcell-Marian 72, Avon Lake 44 The four-peat is complete, as the Cavaliers (23-6) made 20-of-26 shots from inside the 3-point arc to demolish the overmatched Shoremen (23-6). Three-time Ms. Basketball and Cincinnati recruit Dee Alexander, ESPN's ninth-rated senior in the country, led all players with a physical 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists and powered Purcell-Marian to a 38-point lead with 2:33 to go in the third quarter. Alexander, who was complemented by lights-out 3-point shooters Trinity Small (16 points, 5-of-9 3-pointers) and Ky'Aira Miller (11, 2-of-6), as well as 6-foot-3 center Samaya Wilkins (11 points, 6 rebounds), kicked off the running clock on a pair of free throws with 5:10 left in the third. Avon Lake, which upset St. Vincent-St. Mary and Brush to reach the title game, was led by 12 points from Olivia Miller and 11 from Izzie Polinko, who handled most of the point guard duties after Olivia Tobin sustained an ankle injury in the opening minutes. The only Ohio school to defeat Purcell-Marian this season was Pickerington Central (47-46), which will play Princeton tonight for the D-I crown. Division IV Bellevue 40, Archbishop Alter 29 Led by a 15-for-18 effort (83.3%) at the foul line, the Redmen (28-1) captured a championship in their first state appearance by winning a hard-to-watch game that saw 30 of the 69 combined points come in a desperate fourth quarter. The teams combined to make 21-of-77 field goals (27.3%) and 4-of-26 3-pointers (15.4%), and the Redmen meticulously maintained leads between six and 12 points with a clock-chewing flex offense in the second half. Hailey Rees led Bellevue by making 9-of-11 free throws en route to 16 points, emotional leader Audrey Turner scored seven of her 11 in the first quarter and 6-3 center Kaitlyn Turinsky was a defensive force with eight points, eight rebounds and seven blocks. The Knights (19-9) got 12 points from Northern Kentucky recruit Maddie Moody, but the six other rotation players scored 17 points on 6-for-34 shooting. Alter began the game 0-for-19 from the floor but only trailed 13-6 when Moody cashed in a left-handed floater with 1:32 left in the first half. Turner, who operates a small coffee shop out of a homemade trailer, outscored Alter 7-6, but all other players combined to make 2-of-33 shots inn the first half that ended with Bellevue ahead 13-6. Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.