Padua’s Season Ends On Buzzer-Beater; Bruins Fall to West Branch, 45-43

The Northeast Ohio High School Basketball Postseason has not ceased to amaze in Boys or Girls basketball these past two weeks, and Wednesday, March 8 was no exception, as West Branch added another example to the list of thrilling playoff endings, thanks to a three-point buzzer-beater by Brenna Rito.

West Branch buzzer beater

Final score

West Branch 45
Padua 43 pic.twitter.com/htbvjeVNcc

— Matt Medley (@MedleyHoops) March 9, 2017

“The clock was ticking down. 5… 4… I thought it was right where we wanted it,”  Padua coach Dan Brown said.

“But we just over-pursued a little bit and left a girl open in the corner and she hit a phenomenal shot. Credit to her and credit to West Branch.”

It’s was Rito’s first basket of the second half, and the biggest of her season, if not high school career.

West Branch defeated Padua, 45-43, in a grueling four quarter battle, which saw its fair share of physical play, and both teams left everything on the floor at Barberton High School.

Along with Rito, Kayla Hovorka came through in the clutch for West Branch, scoring a team-leading 19 points on the night.

Padua was led by 19 points from senior guard Elena Rauhe, who came up big time and time again down the stretch.

The game started out sloppy, chippy, and kept with that theme the rest of the night.

Neither side scored for the first three minutes of action, but Rauhe ended that drought and got things rolling.

Padua jumped out to a 5-2 lead, but West Branch responded with a 6-0 run to end the first quarter.

The Bruins opened up the second quarter on a good note, as senior Ali Medaglia drained a three to tie the game, stopping West Branch’s run.

It didn’t take long for the Warriors to get going themselves, as West Branch went on a 12-6 run, before senior Alainna Conroy was able to deliver a much-needed basket and make it a three-point game before halftime.

Much needed basket to end the half for Conroy

West Branch 20
Padua 17 pic.twitter.com/BoXb6S5ROd

— Matt Medley (@MedleyHoops) March 9, 2017

Conroy continued to give the Bruins a boost, bringing the margin to one point with another big layup to start the second half.

Conroy makes it a 1 pt game pic.twitter.com/oIApDtO3cP

— Matt Medley (@MedleyHoops) March 9, 2017

Rauhe put Padua back in front for the first time since the first quarter, but the lead was short-lived, as Sarrah Tennefoss knocked down a pivotal three.

Sarah Rapacz knotted the game back up at 23, before Hovorka began to catch fire for West Branch.

The junior forward went on to score the next nine points, scoring in a variety of ways, building the Warriors’ lead up to nine.

Rauhe was able to answer back, but Hovorka came right back with her second three-pointer of the quarter.

Padua’s point guard took her turn lifting her team after that.

Rauhe makes it 35-29 pic.twitter.com/YXx7jJjJ0a

— Matt Medley (@MedleyHoops) March 9, 2017

Rauhe scored the final four points to close out the third quarter, making it 35-31, heading into the final period of play.

Just as she finished the third, Rauhe kept rolling to open up the fourth, knocking down a huge three to make it a one-point game.

Big time 3 for Rauhe 35-34 pic.twitter.com/md8TvJhCSk

— Matt Medley (@MedleyHoops) March 9, 2017

West Branch jumped up to a three-point lead, before an unlikely hero emerged in sophomore guard Addison Conroy, who drained a clutch three to tie the game at 37 with just over five minutes to play.

Addison Conroy ties it at 37 pic.twitter.com/p7MRUGuJgK

— Matt Medley (@MedleyHoops) March 9, 2017

“Huge. Huge. Huge,” Brown said. “The funny thing is in practice she can hit shots and we’ve been begging her all year to come out of her shell. She started to midway through the season. She had a big layup against Hoban (in the conference championship). In the tournament, she’s played monster minutes for us. She’s the future and she’s just done so many great things.”

“We talked to her about eight games deep into the year and we were like ‘Alright, when’s Addison going to start showing up because we gotta’ start seeing you now. Don’t wait your turn.’ – And she’s done that. That three was just tough as nails. Credit to her because that’s a tough shot with a girl in her face. She hadn’t attempted a three in probably five or six games. I’m so proud of her.”

That three seemed to change momentum to Padua’s side, as Rauhe gave Padua the lead back with free throws, and Alainna Conroy stepped up with a mid-range jumper to make it a three-point game.

Conroy makes it 41-38 Padua pic.twitter.com/Xp2J7qLVCx

— Matt Medley (@MedleyHoops) March 9, 2017

Once again, the senior delivered, giving Padua a five-point lead with less than two minutes to play.

Conroy makes it 43-38 pic.twitter.com/JXr0hA33v7

— Matt Medley (@MedleyHoops) March 9, 2017

Just as Padua began to create some distance, West Branch answered, and Hovorka came right back to make it a one-point game with less than a minute remaining.

Hovorka basket makes it a 1-point game

58 seconds left pic.twitter.com/bqoBCgFlho

— Matt Medley (@MedleyHoops) March 9, 2017

Leading, 43-42, Padua needed a stop, and Rapacz rejected a shot with seven seconds to play continuing her impressive performance defending the paint.

Sarah Rapacz block. Rauhe fouled. pic.twitter.com/JXcgL2MBof

— Matt Medley (@MedleyHoops) March 9, 2017

Missed free throws were an area of concern for Padua all night, as the Bruins hit just 6-of-14 from the line, an uncharacteristic night for a team that usually makes the most of its opportunities at the stripe.

West Branch capitalized on that opportunity after a missed free throw on the other end, getting one last shot, which ended Padua’s season in dramatic fashion.

Any loss is going to sting to some degree, but for Padua’s season to come to an end in heartbreaking fashion made it especially tough for a team that grinded its way through a gauntlet of a regular season schedule, won the North Coast League Championship, and saw four starting seniors lead the way with consistent, complementary play every step of the way en route to a district title.

“We became a team this year,” Brown said. “Last year we were kind of just a couple scorers and kind of just worked around each other. This year, we became just more of a cohesive unit. It’s hard. I hate saying goodbye. But I’m so proud of them. Nobody expected us to be here. Nobody expected us to win our league, even. Yet here we are with a league title and a district title. We’re so blessed just to be here.”

While the seniors move on and there will be some big shoes to fill in the future, Brown has plenty of reason to be encouraged by the way some of the underclassmen stepped up throughout the season, in the tournament, and all the way to the final seconds of the regional semifinal.

Starting sophomore guard Alex Pillin has been a spark for the team on both ends all season, and gritted her way through pain to stay on the floor for the final minute.

As teammates insisted she exit the game for a sub, she signaled to the bench she was fine and didn’t need taken out.

The 5-foot-5 guard made four steals on the night and grabbed five rebounds, battling her way for extra possessions all game, like she had all season.

Her will to stay on the floor at whatever costs in crunch time was not a surprise to anyone who’s followed Padua’s season.

“That’s just grit, man. When I took the job two years ago, I thought we needed to be the old cliche lunchpail type team and we just needed to win with our effort. We did that this year and Pillin sets the tone for that,” Brown said.

“Next year, we’re going to be built a little differently. We’re going to be looking for scorers, but I think they’re ready for that challenge and I think they’re going to be prepared because of this experience along with how the seniors showed leadership this year.”