WILLARD — In a district final game, there is no substitute for experience.
Senior Courtney Pifher has that experience and because of it, the Buckeye Central Buckettes were able to hold off upstart Sandusky St. Mary, 47-42, and capture a third straight championship at the girls’ Division IV district tournament at Willard High School.
It was the second time in program history that the Buckettes have made three consecutive regional appearances.
“It’s not easy, definitely not easy, but it’s worth it,” Pifher said. “I remember the feeling afterwards last year. You want that when you taste it.”
Pifher knows of what she speaks, having been part of the previous two district wins and last year’s state tournament appearance. She used it to her advantage, scoring a game-high 24 points to carry her team to the win.
“Courtney made play after play after play and that’s what happens when you’re in three straight district championships,” first-year Buckeye Central coach Abram Kaple said. “We had that senior to rely on.”
The Buckettes got off to a 13-0 start on the strength of Pifher’s nine first-quarter points and appeared to take control early. St. Mary (18-7) had other ideas.
The Panthers got a banked 3-point shot from Ashley Huntley with less than a minute left in the opening period to avoid a goose egg on the line score.
“After that first quarter, we just talked about how we were restarting,” St. Mary coach Brian Ferber said. “We got a basket there at the end to cut it to 10 and then the second quarter was a whole new quarter, a whole new game and we really fought back hard and put ourselves in a position to win.”
Indeed, the Panthers chipped away at the deficit and with five points from Karina Near and better defense, St. Mary pulled to within 19-14 by halftime.
“Give credit to St. Mary’s in making adjustments,” Kaple said. “They played so hard and they took things away and they made things difficult for us.”
The third quarter was a virtual push, with Buckeye Central (22-3) adding two points to the lead by period’s end to give the Buckettes a 32-25 advantage. Pifher scored eight of her team’s 13 points — including a pair of 3s — to keep the Panthers at bay.
St. Mary kept coming, however, in the fourth period and got within one twice, the last at 37-36 on a basket by Huntley with 3:03 remaining. But the Panthers could never grab the lead.
Buckeye Central went on an 8-0 run to stretch its lead back to nine with less than a minute left to seal the win.
“They’re a heck of a team. They’re state-ranked for a reason,” Ferber said of the Buckettes. “We knew they could get off to that start with the crowd being a factor and everything like that. They’re used to these types of situations.”
Huntley led St. Mary with 15 points, including three 3s, and Near finished with nine. Allie Weilnau had five rebounds. Huntley, Annie Milkie, Tre McCarty, Maggie London, Bella Fischer and Kiersten Near played their last game in a Panther uniform.
Courtney Pifher’s 24 points was the only double-figure score for the Buckettes. Younger sister Claudia, who led BC in scoring during the regular season, added nine points and seven rebounds.
“It was a little too close for comfort,” Kaple said. “I would have liked that 13-0 lead stretched, but, nonetheless, I am about to cut that net and that’s what it’s about.”
“It was a one-point game with about three minutes left,” Ferber said. “It was in our hands. It wasn’t meant to be, but I couldn’t be more proud of how our girls played.”
“This is what you want to play for,” Courtney Pifher said. “This is what we worked for all year. We were prepared. (Coach Kaple) prepares us so well. We just executed the game plan.”
Buckeye Central advances to the Division IV regional tournament at Massillon Perry High School. The Buckettes will face Willoughby Cornerstone Christian on Thursday at 8 p.m. It will be a rematch of last year’s regional final.
“It is sweet. I only got to be part of one (of the three in a row),” Kaple said. This is awesome and this is why you play.
“A year ago today, I definitely wouldn’t have thought I’d be coaching girls’ basketball and I definitely didn’t think I’d be winning a district championship, for sure.”
Box score
Buckeye Central 13 6 13 15 — 47
St. Mary 3 11 11 17 — 42
Buckeye Central (22-3): Shots 18-43; 3-pt. shots 3-14 (Courtney Pifher 3,); Free throws 8-16; Rebounds 35 (Claudia Pifher 7); Turnovers 18. Scoring: Claudia Pifher 2 5 9, Taylor Ratliff 1 0 2, Courtney Pifher 9 3 24, Kyleigh Brown 1 0 2, Lexi Evak 4 0 8, Elizabeth Heydinger 1 0 2.
St. Mary (18-7): Shots 18-44; 3-pt. shots 5-17 (Ashley Huntley 3, Maggie London, Tre McCarty); Free throws 1-6; Rebounds 20 (Allie Weilnau 5); Turnovers 14. Scoring: Karina Near 4 1 9, Sara Morrow 1 0 2, Ashley Huntley 6 0 15, Tre McCarty 3 0 7, Maggie London 1 0 3, Allie Weilman 3 0 6.