MASSILLON — The Buckeye Central girls basketball team is headed to the state tournament.
The Buckettes added to the school’s rich athletic history on Saturday night by storming from behind with a furious rally in the fourth quarter to dump Dalton 55-47 in a taut, Division IV regional championship game at Massillon Perry High School.
“It’s a great, great feeling and a great great tribute to the kids and to the coaching staff,” B.C. coach Greg Moore said. “They just believed from day one. All they wanted to do was get two percent better each day. I believe they did that.”
This will be the sixth time the Buckeye Central girls have reached the Final Four, but the first in more than a quarter century. The Buckettes won the school’s lone state championship in 1985, finished state runner-up in 1982 and 1992, and made the state semifinals in 1986, 1990 and now 2018.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” senior Jenna Karl said.
B.C.’s All-Ohio point guard is a key reason this squad is heading to Columbus. She poured in a team-high 18 points, including a 10-of-10 effort at the foul line. Her accuracy from the stripe helped hold off the Bulldogs down the stretch.
Junior forward Courtney Pifher added 15, including a crucial three-point play in the final period, and sophomore post Lexi Evak chipped in 12 points. The Buckettes (26-1) needed all of that because Dalton got very comfortable very early.
The Bulldogs (22-5) forged a 12-10 first-period lead, and opened a 17-12 advantage in the second quarter before Moore’s club closed to within 23-22 at the half.
“They got the lead and they shot the ball really well,” Moore said. “We never got our heads down; we just played basketball.”
Indeed, Dalton drilled eight treys in the game, accounting for more than half of its points. Sophomore point guard Makenna Geiser was the main culprit. She canned four triples on the way to a game-high 22 points.
“We got to close out on her,” Moore said. “I thought we did a good job in the second (half). I think we did a good job getting tight on them.
“We just had to get down to business, block out and hold them to one (shot).”
Still, the contest remained a seat squirmer through the third period, with B.C. grabbing a 40-39 edge heading to the final eight minutes.
Dalton had one last push, and it was a dangerous one. The Bulldogs moved on top 47-42 midway through the quarter, but B.C.’s defense was unyielding after that.
“I just told myself we need to stay focused. The crowd really helped,” Karl said. “They were with us no matter what, even when we were behind they were with us no matter what.”
Buckeye Central finished the game on a 13-0 blitz for the decisive salvo.
Karl netted eight points in the frame, including a 6-of-6 effort at the foul line. B.C. made 16 of 20 free throws in the game, including a perfect 9-for-9 performance in the last period. Meanwhile, Dalton, which lived on the perimeter, managed just three free throws, all in the first quarter.
“(Free throws) were really big, especially there at the end,” Karl said. “We worked on it in practice and it helped tonight.”
Unranked Buckeye Central will play second-ranked Ottoville in Thursday’s 1 p.m. state semifinal at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus. The Big Green (26-2) beat Leipsic 52-29 on Saturday night in the Elida Regional final. This will be the second straight trip to the state tournament for Ottoville.
The other state semifinal features No. 1-ranked Waterford (26-1) vs. fourth-ranked Minster (24-3) at 3 p.m. at The Schott. Waterford was last year’s state runner-up, while Minster was a regional finalist last season.
The two semifinal winners collide Saturday at 10:45 a.m. for the state championship in Columbus.
