Kirtland opened the postseason with a 42-35 win over visiting Pymatuning Valley in a Division III sectional final on Saturday.
The Hornets hustled their way to a lead in the second quarter and held off the Lakers in the fourth quarter.
“We won so I’m happy to be able to coach another day,” said Kirtland coach Brittany Zele. “They played through some ups and downs and I love that about this team; they never quit.”
Kirtland and Pymatuning Valley played to a 5-5 tie in the first quarter.
Marissa Carmosino’s reverse layup at the buzzer gave the Hornets a 15-12 halftime advantage.
“Our hustle plays were key today,” Zele said. “Marissa was all over the court getting long rebounds, our full-court defense had some of the best rotation I’ve seen this year, and our subs came in and contributed on both ends. Everyone did something to help the team as a whole.”
Macy McIntosh scored five of her team-high 11 in the third quarter, Carmosino added four points in the frame, and Reilly Greenlee and Alex Rosson both hit 3-pointers to help the Hornets pull away from the Lakers in the second half.
Greenlee matched McIntosh’s team-high 11 points, Emily Ridgeway contributed with nine, Carmosino finished with six, Rosson scored five, Corinne Greenlee pitched in with two, and Amalie Gettig scored on point in the win.
With the win, the Hornets improved to 17-6 on the year and advanced to the district semifinals, where they’ll play Warren Champion at Lakeview High School on Wednesday.
Kirtland is the No. 6 seed in the district while Champion is No. 4.
“We are just focusing on us and what we can do to play our best game of basketball,” Zele said. “The rest is just outside noise.”
