“This is one of my toughest losses in 42 years,” Beavers coach Ed Zink said. “We told the girls, ‘Be disappointed in the loss, but don’t walk out of here with your head down.’ They did a great job. Their effort was outstanding.”
The win sends Lakota West (24-2), the No 2 team in the Associated Press Division I statewide poll, into a regional semifinal Wednesday at Fairmont’s Trent Arena against fifth-ranked Mason. The Firebirds have won 11 in a row.
That was one of three district final losses by Greater Western Ohio Conference teams. Also losing district finals were Wayne and Springboro. Mason defeated Ursuline Academy in another.
The 5-foot-6 Jones finished with a game-high 19 points and the 5-10 Prohaska was right behind her with 18 for a Lakota West team that shot a blistering 78.6 percent (11-of-14) from the field in the second half, including 3-of-4 on 3-pointers.
“It’s a bit surreal,” Lakota West coach Andy Fishman said. “As long as I’ve been doing this, I’ve learned never to panic. You want to stay as positive with the kids as possible and give them the opportunity to make plays. We executed down the stretch. So did Beavercreek. It was a great game.”
Junior Cori Dilsavor led three Beavers (17-9) in double figures with 12 points. Junior forward Lexi Moore added 11 points and senior guard Keaira Youngblood scored 10.
Cin. Mount Notre Dame 50, Wayne 48: The opener appeared headed to overtime but MND caused a Wayne turnover and drew a foul in the final seconds. ND answered by converting two free throws for an unlikely finish. Wayne (20-5), which had a 10-game win streak snapped, beat MND in the regular season, 60-57. Mount Notre Dame (22-4) will play McAuley in Wednesday's D-I regional semifinals at Fairmont's Trent Arena.
Cin. McAuley 43, Springboro 27: The Panthers (20-6) had an offensive meltdown and were held to a season-low point total and had a four-game win streak snapped. McAuley improves to 23-2.
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