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ZANESVILLE — You can’t teach height or length and Avon Lake has plenty of both.
The Shoregals used those attributes to consistently frustrate Unioto’s offense in Wednesday’s Division III regional semifinal at Zanesville High School.
And despite battling through the better part of three and a half quarters, it was ultimately what doomed the Shermans as they reached the end of their season, falling by a 47-37 final.
“When you get to this point, every team is going to be good,” Unioto coach Jeff Miller said. “I felt like the things that we were concerned with ended up biting us in the butt. We were concerned about pace, concerned about height and concerned about their defensive pressure. And what got us was probably their height and their ability to rebound.”
Unioto’s top scorer Milee Smith did end the night with 15 points but she earned every single one of those.
Avon Lake (21-5) had a rotation of defenders they threw at Smith to try and limit the Division I commit’s presence on the night’s outcome.
“[Avon Lake] had two or three kids that could give [Smith] different looks,” Miller said. “They had some 5-foot-10, 5-foot-11 girls that could match up with her height, they had some kids that could match up with her physically, and then they had kids that could match with her speed. So when they can just keep rotating three or four different kids on her, it probably wears you down.”
AL’s Izzie Polinko started the night’s scoring with a floater at the 6:28 mark in the first quarter. After Unioto’s Mya Hamilton hit one of two free throw tries, the Shoregals got a 3-ball from Olivia Miller for a 5-1 lead.
The Shermans (21-5) answered with two freebies from Maggie Holbert before AL’s Molly Milligan got a put back to fall for a 7-3 count.
The rest of the quarter featured much of the same. Kendal Walker graced the score sheet for a 7-5 score and AL’s Bre Jones nailed a triple, only to be answered by a 3 from Hamilton on the other end, making it 10-8.
As time winded down, Milee Smith scored her first points of the night to produce a 15-12 score heading into the second.
Aidyn Danison got on the board with 7:42 left in the first half, cutting the deficit to 15-14, and Keyairah Beard gave the Shermans their first lead of the night at 16-15 with 6:59 to go.
The two teams continued to trade baskets but Unioto took a 19-17 lead on Hamilton’s second 3-ball of the night and held onto that advantage at the break by a 23-22 tally.
“The big thing at halftime was that we were up one but I felt like we could’ve easily been up seven or eight,” Miller said. “If you’re up seven or eight instead of one, maybe the whole complexion of the second half changes. But credit to Avon Lake. They stuck with their game plan, did what they had to do and were really good defensively. They play really well together.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Avon Lake ripped off a 5-0 run to begin the third, going ahead 27-23.
Later, with under three minutes left in the quarter, Smith and Holbert teamed up for back-to-back buckets to force a 29-29 tie. The Shoregals went back ahead and had a 33-31 lead but a 3-ball from senior Jade Stewart put Unioto ahead 34-33 heading into the fourth.
And that’s when the wheels fell off the wagon.
Polinko immediately gave AL a 35-34 lead and the Shoregals never trailed again. They’d go on to outscore Unioto 14-3 in the fourth quarter and hold possession for much of the eight-minute span.
“I told the girls that we’re going to lose three great seniors but we’re bringing back a lot of great players,” Miller said. “It’s one of those things where you tell them, ‘What’s next is up to you.’ We talked about the clock ticking and what they can do with the opportunities they have left. What kind of time and dedication do they want to put into this? Usually, whatever you decide about that is the result you’re going to get.”
Smith ended the night with a game-high 15 points and five rebounds while Hamilton had seven points and six boards. Holbert also chipped in with six points.
Miller paced Avon Lake with 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists while Jones posted a double-double of 10 points and 11 boards. Polinko also helped out, tallying 11 points and five rebounds.
As Unioto looks towards the 2025-26 season, the Shermans are forced to bid adieu to three seniors in Hamilton, Stewart and Kendal Walker.
That trio has led the program to many successes. Next year, however, is a make or break season.
“You can’t be blind to things that are reality,” Miller said. “Next year, we’ve got a group of seniors coming through that have been varsity-impact players for a long time. That doesn’t happen very often. You don’t get those kinds of crews coming through often. So when you do, you have to make the most of it. So it’s going to be a pivotal year coming up. It really is. With what we have coming back, next year is going to be a big year for this program.”
BOX SCORE
Unioto: 12-11-11-3 — 51
Avon Lake: 15-7-11-15 — 49
Unioto: 12-41 FG, 10-14 FT, 3-14 3pt., 17 rebounds (Smith 6), 4 turnovers, 4 assists (Beard 2). Scoring: Smith 15, Hamilton 7, Holbert 6, Stewart 3, Walker 2, Danison 2, Beard 2.
Avon Lake: 17-44 FG, 10-14 FT, 3-12 3pt., 35 rebounds (B. Jones 11), 7 turnovers, 11 assists (Miller 4). Scoring: Miller 12, Polinko 11, B. Jones 10, Milligan 4, Ritt 2, A. Jones 2.
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