Girls regional basketball: Highland overwhelmed by St. Vincent-St. Mary star power

ELIDA — Grace Shondel, Emeri Gausman, Rowan Kildoo, Madi Morgan and Kennedy Lawson embraced near center court Wednesday night, tears understandably flowing after one of the most overachieving seasons in Highland girls basketball history ended with a 47-39 loss to St. Vincent-St. Mary in a Division III, Region 9 semifinal. Morgan did her best to smile during that moment. By the time the players were walking into the locker room at Elida Fieldhouse, Shondel, now red-faced but no longer crying, was smiling, too. While disappointed in losing a game they certainly could have won, the Hornets quickly came to the realization they couldn't have played much better. The bottom line was Fighting Irish stars Sydney Ferguson and Melania Cornute, who both will play D-I college basketball on TV in a few years, scored all but seven of their team's points. "I feel like we came into this game ready, and it was definitely a close game the entire time," said Shondel, who had another all-around performance of 10 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals and zero turnovers. "It's just hard (to lose) after spending every day with them and now it's all over. I've spent literally every day with them since, what, November? Obviously, it's my last season and these girls just mean a lot to me. All the credit goes to them for leading all of our success and leading us to this game. I'm so proud of each and every one of those girls. "Our mindset, we came in knowing we were going to make mistakes. It's just that next-play attitude that kept us going and our high-intensity defense and energy." Other than making only 4-of-12 free throws through three quarters, Highland executed on both ends to such a high degree that it had only five turnovers, a nearly-impossible low number to achieve in a high school game. The Hornets made 3-pointers early, mid-range jumpers when they needed to and trailed by only four points midway through the fourth quarter before late free throws by St. Vincent-St. Mary (20-5), which advanced to play Toledo Notre Dame Academy (15-10) in an all-private school regional final, made the final score misleading. The trademark balance was there from the start, as Shondel, Gausman (6 rebounds) and Morgan (4 rebounds, 3 blocks) had 10 points apiece and Kildoo added nine for all 39 points. Highland (22-4) played without fear and had the smallest margin of defeat among the program's six regional teams. The catch was Ferguson and Cornute had the answers. A sophomore standing 6-foot-4 with 3-point range and already loaded with Power 4 offers, Ferguson scored eight of her game-high 22 points and hauled in seven of her game-high 12 rebounds in the fourth quarter, while Cornute was steady from start to finish with 18 points, nine rebounds and four impressive blocks that were critical considering Highland's season-long prowess from mid-range and closer. "We obviously knew they could both drive it, so we tried to stay with them the entire time," Shondel said. "All but seven of their points means they're great scorers and shooters." The score was close most of the night, but a major red flag was flying when Highland failed to capitalize from the foul line in the third quarter. The Hornets, who had been controlling pace by switching to a 1-3-1 zone to take away Cornute's driving lanes, missed four straight at one point and led only 27-26 before Cornute and Ferguson came back alive. St. Vincent-St. Mary had forged a 38-34 lead midway through the fourth when the key sequence took place, beginning with Highland throwing the ball ahead to Morgan for a potential transition layup. Morgan appeared to be pushed from behind as she short-armed the sprinting attempt — no foul was called — and a Kildoo catch-and-shoot 3-pointer in front of her bench agonizingly spun out on the next possession. The Fighting Irish finally gained breathing room when when 6-1 center Taylor Rogers-Williams executed a perfect high-low play to the 6-4 Ferguson for an easy layup. Cassidy Grau split free throws after Kildoo again spun out, this time from 17 feet, and Ferguson's soaring putback was the dagger that moved the score to 43-34. "We played really well tonight," Highland coach James Madison said. "Unfortunately, their best players stepped up in big moments. Ferguson had 22 points. That's why she's one of the best players in the state. She carried them, but our girls fought and gave them everything they could." Horrific starts had plagued Highland in regional appearances under Madison in 2022 and 2025, but that wasn't the case this time. The Hornets shot the ball in rhythm, highlighted by Morgan's 3-pointer and Kildoo's turnaround jumper, and hauled in five offensive rebounds on pure hustle that proved to the Fighting Irish that this was going to be a dogfight. St. Vincent-St. Mary never panicked, though, and stuck to an early game plan that manipulated Highland's switch-everything man defense to get the elite-defending Shondel off Cornute. The Fighting Irish led 14-11 at the quarter break, but the Hornets slowed pace further with the 1-3-1 zone that Madison rarely shows in the regular season. Highland trailed 24-22 at halftime but took a brief lead on buckets by Morgan and the hard-working Gausman, who gave up four inches to Rogers-Williams and seven to Ferguson. The offense became a bit stagnant when Shondel didn't have the ball, however, and St. Vincent-St. Mary's man defense became stronger as the game wore on. The Hornets stayed remarkably upbeat as their trapping 1-3-1 was unable to force turnovers and their odds began to wither over the final 2½ minutes. The players huddled whenever they could, smiling and encouraging each other to fight until the end. Still no longer crying but clearly fighting the urge to afterward, Shondel delivered a fitting response when asked to define this team's legacy. "Definitely our heart, honestly," she said before giving her signature sheepish grin. "And our humor." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com. St. Vincent-St. Mary 47, Highland 39 Division III, Region 10 Semifinal HIGHLAND &emsp;&emsp;14 8 7 10 — 39 SVSM &emsp;&emsp;11 13 7 16 — 47 Highland — Rowan Kildoo 4-10 0-2 9, Madi Morgan 4-10 1-4 10, Emeri Gausman 2-7 6-10 10, Jordyn Caples 0-3 0-0 0, Grace Shondel 4-9 0-0 10, Scarlet Gordon 0-1 0-0 0. TOTALS: 14-40 7-16 39. St. Vincent-St. Mary — Cassidy Grau 0-1 1-3 1, Sydney Ferguson 8-18 4-5 22, Taylor Rogers-Williams 2-2 0-1 4, Tatum Smith 0-4 0-0 0, Melania Cornute 5-9 6-6 18, Kennedy Locke-Shelton 0-1 0-0 0, Kaelin Jackson 1-3 0-0 2, Aubrey Jackson 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 16-38 11-16 47. 3-point goals — Highland 4-14 (Shondel 2-3, Morgan 1-2, Kildoo 1-6, Gordon 0-1, Caples 0-2), St. Vincent-St. Mary 4-17 (Cornute 2-4, Ferguson 2-5, Locke-Shelton 0-1, Grau 0-1, K. Jackson 0-2, Smith 0-4). Rebounds — Highland 20 (Gausman 6), St. Vincent-St. Mary 28 (Ferguson 12). Assists — Highland 7 (Shondel 3), St. Vincent-St. Mary 9 (Grau 3). Turnovers — Highland 5 (Gausman 2), St. Vincent-St. Mary 9 (Cornute 3). Total fouls — St. Vincent St. Mary 11, Highland 18. Fouled out — Kildoo. Records — Highland (22-4), St. Vincent-St. Mary (20-5).