What an atmosphere. A huge gymnasium, multiple reporters and news outlets covering the game as well as multiple live streams. It was the perfect setting for The James A. Garfield High School varsity girls basketball team, as they won their third consecutive district title on Saturday, February 25th. They defeated Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference (MVAC) foe Liberty, 43-37. It took place at a neutral site, the cavernous Struthers Fieldhouse in Struthers. Senior Laura McCoy led the Lady G-Men to the promised land. She had 17 points, including a couple of three pointers in the first quarter. Freshman Mandy Cardinal had 9 of her 13 points in the 4th quarter. Zoey May had 9 huge points off the bench for the Lady G-Men.
The game was back and forth for most of the contest, and was a heavy defensive bout. Whenever Garfield would push ahead, Liberty was right there to claw back. Liberty was able to tie it midway through the 4th quarter, but that was when McCoy and Cardinal showed their own prowess. The Lady G-Men were able to, for the most part, contain and limit the damage done by Aaliyah Foster and Demi Watson. An X-factor for the Leopards was Cianna Smith, who had recently returned from an ACL tear. Foster had 17 and Smith had 10, while Watson was limited to single figure scoring. Seniors Madeline Shirkey and Maggie Fogel from Garfield embraced their roles as defensive juggernauts. Shirkey had the job of guarding Demi Watson for most of the evening, which was no small task. Fogel showed up to play, limiting Mia Parker of Liberty to 2 points, and forcing her into multiple turnovers. Garfield had already played Liberty two times in the regular season, winning comfortably on both occasions. Liberty stepped up their defensive effort in this meeting, resulting in an exciting and hard fought battle all night.
The Lady G-Men were voted a two-seed in the Northeast Region of Division III, and were put into the Northeast 2 District. They beat three MVAC opponents during sectional and district play. They opened up with two huge wins over Campbell Memorial and Champion, and then defeated Kirtland in the district semifinal. Then came Liberty, a team who won the MVAC last season and also made it to regionals. Liberty was voted to the 12 seed, and upset third-seeded Poland Seminary in the sectional final before trouncing Lakeview in the district semis.
The Lady G-Men will return to Cuyahoga Falls for the third year in a row, putting them into the “Sweet Sixteen” for Division III. Their reward for three straight district titles is a date with Shaker Heights Laurel, the top-ranked team in the state. Laurel defeated MVAC foe Crestview in their district final on Saturday, 58-32. Warrensville Heights, which the Lady G-Men lost to in regionals last year, and Doylestown Chippewa, round out the four teams advancing to the Cuyahoga Falls Regional Semifinal.
Three straight district titles is rare in girls basketball. What an accomplishment by the Lady G-Men, as their record on the year extends to 23-2. They play Laurel on Wednesday, March 1st, at Cuyahoga Falls High School. The game is set to begin at 8 PM.
