Medina, Ohio — Brush (22-3) came in riding high off of their first district final win in 13 years over Rocky River. Brush’s offense came in steaming hot, averaging 65 points in their last eight games. Magnificat (19-6) came in with momentum from a district win of their own, after a dominant 53-31 win over Mentor. With Magnificat coming into the matchup with defense as their calling card giving up less than 40 points in each of their last three games, something had to give. The duo of Reese Roggenburk and Julia Hall combined for 44 points in Magnificat's down to the wire regional semi-final win.
I got to speak with Julia Hall after her 26 point performance, she had this to say about the win.
“Our whole team plays together really well…it’s just finishing and playing together," said Hall. "We just trust each other and used our values to pull out a win.”
Magnificat came out looking to move the ball and get into the paint early. They got out to a 10-0 lead four minutes in behind buckets from Julia Hall and Reese Roggenburk. Hall and Roggenburk continued to do damage slashing to the paint inside. She finished with ten points in the quarter to help Magnificat end the quarter up 18-10.
Brush started to fight back in the second when they started to get stops relying on their full court press throughout the quarter. Brush started to get paint touches of their own as Chaniyra McDowell-Issacs and Tatiana Mason started finding lanes to the basket. They continued to claw at the lead throughout the quarter but Magnificat ended the half leading 38-23.
In the third the Lady Arcs came out desperate and relentless on the defensive end. Brush started to use their defense to allow them to get out in transition and play faster. They made an explosive run late in the period including buckets from McDowell-Issacs, Mason and a three from Brooklynn Vickers. Their tenacious third quarter efforts helped them outscore Magnificat 18-10. Brush trailed 48-41 going into the fourth.
Brush’s momentum and high energy carried into the fourth quarter. Rhianna Williams and Mason both hit threes just a minute in to prompt a timeout while trailing 48-47. After continuing to fight, Brush took their first ever lead in the game after McDowell-Issacs converted a tough finish around the basket. Brush led 53-52 with three minutes to go.
From that point on it was all Magnificat as they closed the game out with a 9-0 run. Julia Hall took the lead back during the run with a sweet finish at the rim. Reese Roggenburk scored down low as well and Hall sealed the deal with a pair of free throws. Magnificat finished on top, winning 61-53 to advance to the Regional Final on Saturday night.
Julia Hall led all scorers with 26 points while Reese Roggenburk ended with 18. Tatina Mason led Brush with 18 points and Chaniyra McDowell-Issacs ended with 16.
Magnificat will be back in action Saturday March 9th, 2024. Both time and place are to be announced.