LAGRANGE — Thanks to Amari Foster, Oberlin’s girls will see their season last at least one more game.
Foster’s basket in the closing seconds gave the third-seeded Phoenix a 52-51 come-from-behind victory over Independence in the first of two Division III sectional championship games at Keystone High School on Saturday.
Elyria Catholic lost the second game, 62-44, to Trinity.
With their win, the Phoenix (14-6) will meet second-seeded Trinity in a district semifinal game on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
“I don’t know how we won,” said Oberlin coach Brian Ruggles. “Our girls showed a lot of heart and desire. They fought through all that happened in this game. I’m extremely proud of them.”
Independence led by seven points at halftime and often expanded that lead into double digits in the second half. That included the fourth quarter before Oberlin mounted its comeback, outscoring the Blue Devils 19-11 to grab their nail-biting win.
Shaqwe Lawson of the winners and Megan Osysko of the Blue Devils (13-9) tied for game-high scoring honors with 22 points.
“I’m almost speechless about what happened,” said Ruggles. “Our girls did the job that they had to do. They really wanted it in the fourth quarter.”

Panthers ousted

Brittany Stegmaier’s 3-pointer with 4:15 left to play in the first quarter gave Trinity (15-6) its first lead, 10-7, an advantage it wouldn’t relinquish in the third game of the season between the North Coast League rivals. The teams split their NCL games, with each team winning on its home court.
Freshman Emily Taylor scored six of the Panthers’ first seven points before Trinity’s gameplan went into effect.
Trojan junior Taylor Ruper scored 15 of her game-high 20 points in the first half as the winners led by as many as 17. That came when Jasmine Frierson made two free throws with 1:58 left before the intermission.
Brittany Stegmaier’s three-point play with 3:16 left to play gave the winners their largest lead of the game at 53-33. Stegmaier scored 11 of her 14 points in the last quarter to nix any comeback hopes for the Panthers.
“Our gameplan to wear down Emily Taylor worked out,” said Trojans coach Chris Callender. “We switched persons on her and got the job done.
“The outcome of this game starts with our defense. It transitions into our offense. When Taylor was double-teamed, we were able to go to Brittany or Briana Dye. We got a lot of transition baskets. Give Elyria Catholic a lot of credit. They played hard, which is a sign of the strength of the North Coast League.”
Elyria Catholic coach Pat Higley agreed with much of Callender’s assessment.
“Trinity shot the ball very well,” said Higley. “Our defense broke down. They were draining their shots. Their defense forced us to take a lot of bad shots. They shut down Emily. She has to learn to deal with what they threw at us.
“We knew that Trinity has some shooters to worry about. They’re excellent players. I have a lot of respect for them. But I couldn’t have asked for a better season. We’re very young and will be back. Give us some time. My hat goes off to Stephanie Recko, our only senior. She’s a very dedicated person. We’re going to miss her.”
Taylor finished with 19 points as the Panthers leave the tournament trail with an 11-10 record.
Contact Jerry Henson at 329-7135
or ctsports@chroniclet.com.

Oberlin 52, Independence 51

INDEPENDENCE (51): Candace Pumper 5-1-13, Megan Osysko 10-2-22, Hannah Stretar 3-1-7, Rebecca Kapusta 0-1-1, Megan Linscott 1-0-2, Halle Scharton 2-1-5, Jenn Fletcher 0-1-1. Totals 21-7-51.
OBERLIN (52): Rachel Daniels 4-0-9, Amari Foster 3-0-6, Lakeya Barbee 1-0-2, Shaqwe Lawson 8-3-22, Angela Daugherty 3-2-8, Alex Zimmerman 1-3-5. Totals 20-8-52.
Independence    14    10    16    11    —    51
Oberlin    4    13    16    19    —    52
Three-point goals: (I) Candace Pumper 2; (O) Rachel Daniels, Shaqwe Lawson 3.

Trinity 62, Elyria Catholic 44

TRINITY (62): Chelsea Nehez 0-0-0, Kari Holdash 1-0-2, Kaylee Bilinovic 0-0-0, Cassie Masely 0-0-0, Taylor Ruper 8-1-20, Brittany Tatum 0-0-0, Jasmine Frierson 2-2-6, Briana Dye 3-6-12, Lauren Kotik 0-0-0, Brittany Stegmaier 4-5-14, Cierra Cavor 2-0-4, Jill Coles 0-0-0, Kristen Wotowiec 2-0-4. Totals 22-14-62.
ELYRIA CATHOLIC (44): Stephanie Recko 1-0-2, Mimi Rothgery 2-0-6, Emily Taylor 6-7-19, Molly O’Malley 1-0-2, Myrasia Flowers 3-0-7, Cassidy Keating 0-0-0, Tory Rothgery 0-0-0, Katherine McNeeley 0-0-0, Emily Thompson 0-0-0, Katie Shoemaker 1-0-2, Ashley Schuster 2-0-4, Andrea Eichenlaub 0-0-0, Jasmine Fluker 0-0-0, Sarah Schneider 1-0-2, Julianna Tremont 0-0-0. Totals 17-7-44.
Trinity    12    22    8    20    —    62
Elyria Catholic    9    12    6    17    —    44
Three-point goals: (T) Taylor Rupor 3, Brittany Stegmaier; (EC) Mimi Rothgery, Myrasia Flowers 2.

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