SHAKER HEIGHTS—The North Rangers won an instant classic in Shaker Heights on Wednesday, defeating the host Raiders in a Division II district semifinal, 39-38.
With the win, the 22nd-seeded Rangers advanced to Saturday’s district championship game against No. 1 Green at Wooster High School. This is head coach Paul Force’s fourth district final appearance in his 17-year tenure.
“We executed on the defensive end,” Force said. “All eight girls that got on the court contributed. It was a team and defensive type of win for us.”
The first quarter was back and forth with four lead changes early. Kaitlin Dobida had all nine of North’s first-quarter points on her way to scoring their first 15 of the game and 17 of their 19 in the first half.
“She can score at all seven levels, she’s dangerous from anywhere on the court,” Force said of Dobida’s offensive outing. “Having players like her makes coaching enjoyable, but it also makes it challenging because you’re trying to maximize their abilities on the floor.”
Maddy Ferrari grabbed four boards in the frame, three of which came on the offensive end. Raegan Perkins-Hirz contributed to the defensive effort with a block, steal, and jump ball. However, Shaker Heights held a 10-9 lead going into the second.
The Raiders expanded their lead to five early in the second. However, eight more from Dobida along with two steals from Alex Hamilton and four boards from Annie Gillespie helped the Rangers flip the script with a 12-6 second quarter.
“We have to gang-rebound as a team,” Force said. “Our bigs have to be engaged boxing out, and that frees up the guards to come in. It’s a collective effort that doesn’t always show in the stats.”
A quick block from Dobida followed by a Perkins-Hirz layup and a mid-range pullup jumper from Ferrari allowed North to balloon its lead to 10 to open the second half. However, Shaker Heights started chipping away as the quarter closed.
The Raiders went on a 9-0 run to open the fourth fueled by their outside shooting to claim their first lead since the second quarter.
“They took the lead on us in the fourth, but our girls did a good job staying composed and playing one possession at a time,” Force said. “That comes from their leadership and character, especially our upperclassmen.”
A Gillian Forwick block and layup followed by a feed down low to Dobida put the Rangers back ahead, but the Raiders cut it back to a one-point game with less than a minute to go.
A Ranger turnover gave Shaker Heights possession with just 13 seconds to play. However, Hamilton came through in the clutch with a huge defensive stop, securing a block that willed her team to the win.
“Credit to Alex Hamilton. She held a Division I player to six points in our first matchup and four points tonight,” Force said. “This team and this season mean a lot to her. So, to get the opportunity to earn another practice and get ready for another game, that’s a big moment for her.”
Dobida led the Rangers with a 21-point outing. Ferrari added five, Forwick scored four, Ella Powalie added three, and Hamilton, Perkins-Hirz, and Mir Ashley each finished with two points.
North’s guards crashed the boards in a matchup that saw Shaker Heights have a severe height advantage. Ferrari finished with nine rebounds and Gillespie grabbed seven in eight minutes.
Dobida added another seven rebounds to go along with four blocks and Hamilton grabbed five boards with two rejections, helping North win the rebound battle, 38-34, despite being outsized.
North’s playoff run continues against Green on Saturday.
“We’ve got a lot of film to watch. We’ll take a little time off to recover and come back on Friday to get ready for Saturday,” Force said. “Most of what we’ll see this time of year, we’ve already seen. It’s a matter of preparing, identifying, and executing.”