by Devan Matthews
Correspondent
Perry Township -- The St. Peter Chanel girls basketball team's goal of reaching the state tournament fell a bit short, as the Firebirds lost in a Division IV regional championship game March 1.
Chanel dropped a 57-45 decision to Berlin Hiland at Massillon Perry High School, ending its season. The Firebirds finished with an overall record of 18-8. The Hawks, meanwhile, improved their mark to 25-1 and advanced to Columbus.
According to Chanel head coach Hugh McMahon, Hiland is a very physical team, which made it difficult for the Firebirds to create scoring opportunities close to the basket.
"They try to hold their ground, while knocking you off yours," said McMahon. "We had to adjust to that, but it took its toll on us, too."
The Hawks shot to a 9-4 lead by the end of the opening period. They extended their advantage to 24-14 at intermission.
Both teams scored 13 points in the third frame. As a result, Hiland held a 37-27 lead at the outset of the fourth frame.
The final period was a high-scoring affair, as the Hawks tallied 20 points and Chanel notched 18 points, accounting for the 12-point margin of victory.
"We cut the lead to 10 points at halftime and 10 points at the end of the third quarter," said McMahon. "Then we got it down to five at the beginning of the fourth before [Hiland's] Jena Stutzman hit three three-pointers in a row."
Stutzman, who's headed to Kent State University on a basketball scholarship, finished the game with 13 points.
Chanel had three players in double digits. The Firebirds were led by senior forward Ashley Davis, who poured in 14 points.
In addition, junior guard Jazz Kellon contributed 12 points and junior guard Courtney Cook added 11 markers. Rounding out Chanel's offensive attack were junior forward Aly Sarosy (six points) and junior guard Morgan Russell (two points).
Stutzman was the only Hiland player to reach double figures. Kristi Yoder was next for the Hawks with nine points.
Berlin Hiland made 16 field goal attempts, but it was at the free throw line that the Hawks held a huge advantage. Hiland knocked down 17-of-26 shots at the charity stripe (65 percent).
Chanel, on the other hand, only made three trips to the free throw line the entire game. In fact, through three quarters of play, the Firebirds had attempted only one foul shot, while the Hawks had hoisted 19 charity stripe tries.
Chanel made all three of its free throws. However, the Firebirds attempted 23 fewer than Hiland and made 14 fewer, and they lost by 12 points.
"It was kind of a weird day," said McMahon. "I don't know how you'd say the game was officiated, but we're more of an inside team, while they're a three-point shooting team. But they attempted 26 free throws and we attempted three. They hit eight three-pointers, too."
Chanel knocked down 19 of its field goal attempts.
According to McMahon, emotions were running high at the end of the game, especially for the seniors on the squad.
"It was emotional after the game, knowing you're not going to be able to coach players like Courtney Cook and Ashley Davis again," he said. "But you know that they'll make us all proud when they move on to college. It was a tough loss."
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