The Lady Tigers triumphed once again in the district tourney. They traveled up to Elyria to take on Cleveland Heights in the district championship game and took down the Heights Tigers 75-57. The win is the 21st on the court this season for Coach Joe Pierce’s squad– the most in program history. It is also the Tigers’ first district title since 1994.
1st Half
The Tigers crashed into a physical game right from the tip. Hannah Nicola put Massillon on the board first with a layup. The Tigers mustered 12 more points (14 total) in the first period to Heights’ 10. Bodies were flying, and a wall met the Tigers on both ends of the floor as Heights played a tough, physical game. The Tigers had their share of toughness as well. They crashed the boards aggressively and took the ball at the hoop to draw fouls, which came by the bucketload. Twelve fouls were called in the first quarter alone, with 22 being called in the first half. At the 6:20 period of the second quarter, Massillon led 18-10 with Delaney Pierce scoring 10 of those points. The Tigers poked the ball away and stole passes repeatedly, piling up fastbreak points and taking a 36-18 halftime lead. Delaney Pierce remained the leading scorer with 21 points.
2nd Half
Cleveland Heights went on a 7-0 run to start the third, but that did not phase the Tigers, who poured it on to go up 47-25. By the end of the third, Massillon led 59-33. Lania Moore took control on the floor and drove her way through the heights defense for shots and rebounds. Kynslie Williams also turned up the heat in the third. She was all over the paint for rebounds and all over the floor on defense, diving for loose balls and picking the Heights’ hoopers pockets. The Lady Tigers finished off the Heights Tigers in the fourth and ended the contest with a 75-57 victory. Delaney Pierce was the leading scorer for the Tigers– she hit 30 points with a free throw late in the fourth quarter.
Stats
Points– Delaney Pierce had a phenomenal game with 30 points. Hannah Nicola added 15, Lania Moore put up 14, Kynslie Williams had 6, Rylee Adams scored 5, and Jaryn Wolff had 5.
Postgame Comments
Coach Pierce: “It feels good. I’m glad for everybody that worked hard… it’s amazing. We have two days to prep for the next round and keep everybody fresh. We have to keep our mind together. This was a mentally draining game– they saw Olmstead Falls cutting down the net and that’s when the nerves hit. We just have to focus on what we do.”
Delaney Pierce: “It feels pretty amazing. We haven’t done this in so many years so it feels amazing– having sisters and family here too makes it amazing.”
“We always love to get extra possessions [through aggressive play] so we can score. That’s what we’re about. I have pretty good confidence in this team even though it’s nerve-wracking with ‘win or go home’.”
Up Next…
The Lady Tigers will now advance to the regional round of the tournament. They will take on 2 seed Olmstead Falls (19-5), who took down 15 seed Austintown Fitch 61-43. They will clash in Medina on Tuesday– tip is at 6:00.
Photos and Highlights
Moore goes for another layup
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