NEW MIDDLETOWN — While Buckeye Central was cruising to its 6th straight district championship in girls’ basketball, its next opponent had a much tougher outing.
Springfield edged Maplewood 36-31 Saturday night and is entering uncharted waters. The win gave the Tigers their first district title since 1992.
The two square off Thursday at 6 p.m. at Massillon Perry High School in the regional semi-finals.
The Tigers were led by standout post player Jacey Mullen with 11 points and Madison Lesnak with 9.
Springfield’s two previous wins came by much larger margins, however. The team topped Lisbon David Anderson 61-23 on Feb. 24 and crushed Lordstown 62-7 on Feb. 19.
“We talked early in the season with the girls about our goals for the season and we said this is on the table,” first-year Springfield head coach John Matisi told the Lisbon Morning Journal.
“Some of these girls that have been around haven’t had that thought going into the season sometimes, but I told them that this is something that we are capable of and we are working towards every day.”
In the win over Lisbon Mullen led the Tigers with 15 points, 9 coming in the first quarter. Grace Venturella added 12 points and Jameka Brungard, who contributed 10.
Mullen added 11 in the district championship game. Other key players include Kayla LaMorticella and Payton Kliem.
“They’re big. They’ve got a lot of size. Their point guard is all of 6-feet,” Buckeye Central coach Abram Kaple said. “So, we’re going to have to play.”
“The first since 1992,” Matisi told the (Warren) Tribune Chronicle after the win. “We’ve asked a lot of them. For them to get to the playoff, and to watch them get to cut down the net, it just means everything.”
That district championship came in Division III. The Tigers were eliminated with a 45-24 loss to Brookfield in the Alliance regional semifinal that season.