MASSILLON — Both teams were making a third straight regional appearance.
Buckeye Central and Willoughby Cornerstone Christian were meeting in the Massillon Perry Division IV regional semifinal for the second consecutive year.
Last year, the Buckettes edged the Patriots, 57-53, and went on the state Final Four. Cornerstone Christian didn’t forget.
The Patriots shot nearly 50 percent from the field and used a suffocating defense to contain Buckeye Central’s top two scorers en route to a 49-32 victory.
“It feels really good,” Patriots’ coach Lisa Stopp said of the win. “It was painful last year, to lose by (4) and not play well. Taking nothing away from Buckeye, they played great last year, but we didn’t play well and that’s hard to swallow. We, for sure, talked about that.”
Cornerstone Christian (22-4) played like a team on a mission, using a full-court press and half-court perimeter pressure to disrupt the Buckettes’ offensive flow.
“Their ball pressure, that was going to be the thing,” Buckeye Central coach Abram Kaple said. “They can flat-out guard you and when that happens, it’s hard for us to get into our sets and do things.”
The tone was set in the first quarter as the Patriots hit six of 11 shots from the field — including a pair of 3-point shots from Riley Stopp — to build a 16-7 lead by period’s end. Buckeye Central (22-4) hit just two of 10 shots in the frame.
The Buckettes had their best quarter offensively in the second quarter but were merely able to match the Patriots and trailed by the same nine points, 28-19, by intermission.
Leading scorers in the regular season, sisters Claudia and Courtney Pifher had six points between them at the break.
“That was the game plan. Those two are very talented players,” Stopp said. “We did a really good scout on them, had a lot of their sets and really just homed in in practice on those two.”
Taylor Ratliff kept the Buckettes within shouting distance, scoring nine points in the first two quarters.
“Taylor had a big game for us offensively,” Kaple said. “We just tried to get her into ball-screen situations, and she made great plays and she made shots. That’s what we needed on the offensive end. We just didn’t get enough of them throughout the night.”
“She’s another fine player,” Stopp said of Ratliff. “She can shoot the 3 and I was concerned about our matchup with her. But we were throwing a lot of different kids at her and I think tiring her out a little bit. But she’s talented, got into the paint and did what she knows how to do.”
Buckeye Central’s offensive problems continued in the second half, preventing a possible comeback. The Buckettes scored just 13 points in the final two periods combined, hitting just five of 20 points.
”Credit to them for doing what they do,” Kaple said. “They’ve done it all year and that’s the first time we’ve seen that kind of pressure all year.”
Ratliff led the Buckettes with 12 points and five rebounds. Courtney Pifher had eight points and Claudia Pifher added six. Courtney Pifher and Lexi Biglin played their last game for Buckeye Central. Elizabeth Heydinger, sixth man all year, missed her final game due to illness.
Kailey Tyna had a game-high 14 points for Cornerstone Christian. Riley Stopp had 13 and Lauren Harris finished with 10. Madison Cloonan grabbed seven rebounds.
“Cornerstone has every right to win that game,” Kaple said. “They outplayed us and that’s the end of the day.
“I told the girls yesterday at practice that we were one of 16 Division IV teams still practicing,” Kaple added. “It’s been a great experience for me. I know the seniors didn’t go out the way they wanted to.”
Cornerstone Christian will meet Dalton, a 53-32 winner over Berlin Center Western Reserve in the early game, on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. for a Final Four berth.
Box score
Buckeye Central 7 12 6 7 — 32
Cornerstone Christian 16 12 13 8 — 49
Buckeye Central (22-4): Shots 12-38; 3-pt. shots 3-13 (Taylor Ratliff 2, Claudia Pifher); Free throws 5-6; Rebounds 22 (Taylor Ratliff 5); Turnovers 16. Scoring: Claudia Pifher 2 1 6, Taylor Ratliff 5 0 12, Ally Green 1 0 2, Courtney Pifher 3 2 8, Kyleigh Brown 1 2 4.
Cornerstone Christian (22-4): Shots 17-35; 3-pt. shots 4-16 (Riley Stopp 2, Lauren Harris, Michaela Cloonan); Free throws 11-15; Rebounds 25 (Madison Cloonan 7); Turnovers 2. Scoring: Riley Stopp 5 1 13, Lauren Harris 3 3 10, Madison Cloonan 2 3 7, Michaela Cloonan 1 0 3, Kailey Tyna 5 4 14, Kristen Suszek 1 0 2.