SIDELINES

Notre Dame, Rogers make Toledo history

Both reached state semis; Eagles 3rd year in a row

3/27/2014
BY STEVE JUNGA
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
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    Notre Dame junior Tierra Floyd, an All-Ohio first-team pick, is surrounded by teammates to celebrate defeating Wadsworth in a Division I regional.

    THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH
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    • Local history was made this season when two Toledo girls basketball teams reached the state semifinals in the same season for the first time.

    One of those teams — Three Rivers Athletic Conference champion Notre Dame (24-4, 13-1) — made additional history by becoming Toledo’s first basketball team (boys or girls) to reach the state final four in three consecutive seasons.

    Coach Travis Galloway’s seventh-ranked Eagles were led by two standout 6-foot-2 juniors — All-Ohio first-team pick Tierra Floyd and second-team selection Kaayla McIntyre. They lost to top-ranked, eventual state champion Cincinnati Princeton 60-52 in the Division I semifinals.

    City League champion Rogers (24-5, 10-0) reached the D-II state semifinals. The Rams were led by All-Ohio second-teamer Sasha Dailey, a senior, while coach Lamar Smith was named D-II state co-coach of the year.

    Rogers, which was ranked 12th, lost to unbeaten, second-ranked Kettering Alter 50-47 in the semifinals.

    Perrysburg (22-4, 14-0) won its third straight Northern Lakes League title and was ranked No. 6 in the final D-I state poll before ending its season for the third straight season against Notre Dame.

    Coach Todd Sims’ Yellow Jackets, who were led by All-Ohio second-teamer Sarah Baer, lost to the Eagles in a district final.

    Elmwood (16-6, 13-1) captured the title in the Northern Buckeye Conference. Coach Doug Reynolds’ Royals were led by two-time NBC player of the year Kristen Curtis.

    The Toledo Area Athletic Conference title was shared by defending champion Toledo Christian (17-7, 13-1) and Ottawa Hills (18-5, 13-1), who split two TAAC meetings.

    The Eagles of coach Tandy Bradford were paced by senior Division IV all-district second-teamer Darian Westmeyer, who shared TAAC player-of-the-year honors with senior teammate Faith Johnson.

    Coach Sean Mercer’s Ottawa Hills team was led by senior Allie Dewire.

    For the second straight year Archbold (24-3, 8-0) advanced to the Division III regional final before losing to Columbus Africentric, the eventual state champion.

    Coach Brian Ziegler’s fourth-ranked, Northwest Ohio Athletic League champion Blue Streaks were led by senior Cassidy Wyse, an All-Ohio second-team pick.

    Oak Harbor’s Tom Kontak was named Ohio D-III co-coach of the year.

    In Divsion IV, Green Meadows Conference co-champion Holgate (23-5, 6-1), coached by Jim Niese and led by All-Ohio second-teamer Marissa Myles, reached the state semifinals before falling to Zanesville Rosecrans 55-40.

    In Michigan, Lenawee County Athletic Association champion Blissfield (21-1, 12-0) closed the regular season at 17-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class C.

    Coach Ryan Gilbert’s Royals, who were led by senior Claire Denecker, advanced to the state quarterfinals before falling 50-47 to Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett.

    Bedford (19-5, 13-3) placed second in the Southeastern Conference Red Division before winning three district tournament games and eventually falling to Southgate Anderson 52-36 in a Class A regional semifinal. Coach Bill Ryan’s Mules were led by juniors Nicole Rightnowar and Rachel Lewandowski.

    Contact Steve Junga at: sjunga@theblade.com, or 419-724-6461 or on Twitter@JungaBlade.