CANTON – The fourth-ranked Twinsburg Tigers survived a scare from the Brush Arcs Tuesday night in the Canton Division I Regional semifinal Tuesday night, outlasting a late Brush rally to win 53-51.
It was sophomore center Malina Howard’s in-close shot with 1.2 seconds remaining that sealed the win for the Tigers. Howard, who scored 16 points, put herself in perfect position after junior guard Katie Fox broke away from Brush with the ball. A quick pass to sophomore guard Leah Fechko, just outside the 3-point line, was relayed to Howard underneath just in time for the winning score.
This regional semifinal paired Northeast Ohio Conference Valley Division champion Twinsburg against NOC River Division champion Brush. The game showcased the power of the 18-school league.
The Tigers (23-1) led by nine as the fourth quarter began, but the Arcs weren’t going to go quietly. Brush turned several long defensive rebounds into easy opportunities at the other end and was able to grind its way back into the contest.
With four minutes left, Brush senior guard Natachia Watkins dropped a game-tying free throw. From there the intensity increased as Twinsburg, after leading the entire game, saw its chances for a state title slipping away.
Twinsburg coach Julie Solis said her team fought hard, and despite having trouble getting the ball to Howard in scoring position during the second half, they executed perfectly in the clutch moment.
“When we needed to, Leah Fechko looks to her gun and she got (Malina Howard) the ball and wins us a basketball game,” Solis said.
Solis said the Arcs’ (20-5) ball pressure and defensive intensity accounted for her team's trouble finding Howard in the post.
“Whenever you’re playing in a game like this, there is always a lot of emotion involved, and that’s a good team,” Solis said of Brush. “I mean, they have three Division I athletes on that team. To me, that’s a good win for us. I think that they’re very talented. I think (Brush coach Chuck Collins) has done a nice job with them this year.”
The Tigers return to the Canton Memorial Civic Center at 7:30 p.m. Friday to play Canton McKinley in the regional championship game. McKinley defeated Green on Tuesday evening in the other semifinal 82-53.
The winner of that game will advance to the OHSAA state semifinals on Mar. 18 at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus.