CJ went on a 9-0 run to end the game to defeat Copley 62-57 in a state semifinal at the Nutter Center.
They’ll play in the state championship game for the seventh time in program history. The Eagles last made it in 2005, which is also its last championship, and are 3-3 all-time in the title game.
“We’re really excited,” Janae Cain said. “We’ve been working towards this for a long time. From the moment the season started, like during Summer ball, we knew like the talent that we had coming in, and we knew we had to lead them and we knew once we did that, then they would play their game and once we came together as a team, it was wraps from there.”
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
CJ will play Akron St. Vincent St. Mary at 3:45 p.m. Friday at UD Arena. SVSM defeated Unioto 84-38 in Thursday’s other semifinal game.
Copley got a wide open layup by Miranda Stillman with 1:35 remaining to extend its lead to 57-53. A free throw by Mychael Hanson got CJ’s winning run started seconds afterward. Jy’Kyiah Cook scored off an offensive rebound on CJ’s next possession to get the Eagles back within one with one minute left.
A turnover by Copley allowed CJ to throw a quick inbounds to Cook from in front of their bench. She missed a runner off the glass but grabbed her own rebound and scored to put the Eagles in front for the first time since late in the first half.
Cook wasn’t done yet. She immediately deflected the ensuing inbounds attempt, saved it from going out of bounds, and circled her way into the lane for an uncontested layup that sent the home town crowd into a frenzy.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
“I just honestly, like, I wanted to win it all,” Cook said. “I was just putting everything I got on the floor. Everything.”
Copley’s two senior stars, Evelyn McKnight and Zoey Van Voorhis, both had shots at the other end to try and tie the score but hit off the rim both times. Maggie Bush and Hanson forced a tie-up to get CJ possession back.
Cain hit a pair of free throws with seven seconds remaining to secure the victory.
“We knew it was going to be a battle going in, and they have a really great player in Evelyn McKnight and we tried our best to slow her down, but she did a great job of putting her teammates in position,” CJ head coach Logan Allen said.
“I just looked at the stat sheet, Zoey hit 7 of 16 from the three-point line. Unbelievable shooting performance. But our kids did a great job just hanging in there, battling all the way through. We’re certainly proud of them for finishing the game the way they did.”
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
Cook led CJ with 16 points and eight rebounds. Hanson and Bush both had 15 points.
CJ (23-4) went 11-for-15 at the free throw line. Copley was forced into 17 turnovers, seven of which came in the fourth quarter.
McKnight, a Ms. Basketball candidate this season, led all scorers with 24 points to go with seven rebounds and seven assists for Copley. Van Voorhis had 21 points and shot 7-for-16 from three.
Alejandro Morrondo-Garcia, a 6-foot forward for Copley, fouled out with 5:21 remaining. CJ outrebounded Copley 7-4 after she left the game. The Indians were plus-5 on the glass as a team prior to that.
“We’ve been in those situations before,” Hanson said. “Just from experience, we just kept fighting, we knew we couldn’t foul, we just had to play defense and stick it all the way through.”
Credit: Bryant Billing
There were 11 lead changes in total, but 10 came during a back-and-forth first half that was a preview of things to come later in the game. Both squads had answers to stop potential runs from developing throughout the contests.
Copley scored the first five points, but CJ got the next seven to take its first lead late in the first quarter. A stretch of six combined baskets to start the second quarter by CJ and Copley saw the lead flip-flop each time.
Copley grabbed hold of the lead late in the period on Van Voorhis’ fifth 3-pointer of the first half, which the Indians maintain until CJ’s striking comeback.
Bush said she never felt panic from herself or her teammates, even as the Indians built its largest lead at eight a little more than midway through the third quarter.
“Just keep doing what we do. We don’t have to panic on every single shot that they make. Just keep doing what we do, and work hard, and it worked out for us,” she said.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
CJ has made it a habit during its run to the state title game of playing close contests. Each of its last four wins have come by either four or five points and all needed free throws sometime during the final 30 seconds to help pull out each game.
Allen said making things difficult down the stretch for their opponents is what the Eagles strive to accomplish.
They have one more opportunity to repeat the script that’s working.
“I told the girls in the locker room, this was one of the things that I was most thrilled about was what they did for our team, obviously, on the basketball court is great, but what they’ve done for our community, bringing our community out like this, is something that we truly appreciate,” Allen said.
“Everybody that’s been supporting us through the entire season, of course, but certainly in the last week, and it’s been a lot of exciting times down there on Ludlow. We’re excited that we can bring one more game to them.”
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
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