MILLBURY — No matter the circumstances, Perrysburg’s girls basketball team cannot get by Notre Dame
Academy.
Whether it be a regular-season game or a postseason matchup, over the last three years ND has proven that
it is the superior team with its size, speed and athleticism.
The latest meeting showed more of the same. PHOTO
GALLERY
On
the heels of a hot start and a stifling defense, the Eagles waltzed to a 52-35 win over Perrysburg in
the Division I district final at Lake High School Saturday afternoon.
The Yellow Jackets are 0-6 against ND in the last three years. The two met in the regional semifinals in
2012 and 2013.
Perrysburg, ranked sixth in the final state poll, finished its season 22-4.
“It’s not a level playing field,” Perrysburg coach Todd Sims said. “We have what we have. And I’ll take
them 365 days a year. It is what it is, those are the rules.
“They’re loaded,” Sims said of ND, which is a private institution. “We can’t do the things that they can
do. Preseason, offseason, all that stuff. It’s just not a level playing field, period. I know those are
the rules, and we follow the rules.”
It was the fourth consecutive district final appearance for the Eagles (22-3). They have played in the
state semifinals each of the last two seasons, and are in the regional for the third year in a row.
With standout small forward Tierra Floyd, ND made it evident early that it was going to make things
difficult on Perrysburg.
Leading 5-4 early in the first quarter, Floyd hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to spark a 17-2 run that
ended the first.
The 6-foot-2 Floyd, who scored a game-high 22 points, stroked three triples in the spurt. She finished
4-for-4 from beyond the arc, with all four coming in the first half, where ND built a 32-11 lead.
Floyd is ranked as the No. 1 player at her position in Ohio and No. 10 in the nation by ESPN.
“It was very important for us to get out to a good start. It was something we talked about yesterday and
today going in,” said ND coach Travis Galloway. “After we just beat them two weeks ago, I thought maybe
their confidence would be a little questionable. I thought if we got off to a good start and kept on
them we’d be in good shape.”
It was not the Eagles’ offense that stood out. It was their defense.
ND’s quickness hindered Perrysburg’s ability to move the ball effectively, and the Eagles’ size limited
Perrysburg’s shot-making ability.
The ’Jackets were 12-of-46 from the floor (26 percent) and committed 19 turnovers. Allex Brown led
Perrysburg with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Sarah Baer added 13 points and 13 boards.
“Our kids are really starting to understand how important defensive ball-pressure is and how to funnel
teams away from what they want to do offensively,” Galloway said.
“It’s hard to get the ball down the court. It wears you out,” Sims said. “It’s hard to get into an
offense because you’re having to works so hard. We don’t have players in our program like that, at least
right now, with that kind of speed and quickness.
“Other than just the quickness, their length bothers us,” Sims said. “We could get the ball inside, but
had to shoot the ball over someone taller than we’re normally used to shooting over.”
For Perrysburg seniors Abby Sattler, Kelsey Moore and Baer, they end their careers having won 45 games in
the last two seasons. The ’Jackets were 23-2 last season. Both losses were to ND.
“That’s a lot of wins,” Sims said. “I don’t know that this school has done that. … I think when they
wake up tomorrow they’ll let this go and think about all the good times. But tonight is tough.”
NOTRE DAME 52, PERRYSBURG 35
NOTRE DAME
Copeland, 2-2-3—13; Huth, 0-0—0; Miller, 0-0—0; Delaney, 0-0—0; Ohlinger, 0-0—0; Gaines, 0-0—0; McIntyre,
4-2—10; Goedde, 0-0—0; Worthy, 1-1—3; Jefferson, 1-0—2; Parker, 1-0—2; Floyd, 3-4-4—22. TOTALS:
12-6-10—52.
PERRYSBURG
Sattler, 0-1-1—4; Hunter, 0-0—0; Joldrichsen, 0-0—0; Moore, 0-0—0; E. Baer, 0-0—0; Witt, 0-1—1; DeLong,
0-0—0; S. Baer, 6-1—13; Piezer, 1-0—2; Brown, 4-7—15; Stapleton, 0-0—0. TOTALS: 11-1-10—35.
NOTRE DAME 22 10 14 6 —52
PERRYSBURG 6 5 11 13 —35