Lady Leopards Edge Crusaders 48-45 – Girls Basketball
Louisville 48, Central Catholic 45
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The Louisville Leopards Girls Varsity Basketball Team earned a narrow 48-45 road victory over the host Canton Central Catholic Crusaders Wednesday Night at Tremont Coffee Gymnasium. With the win, Louisville has now won 4 of its last 5 and improves to 12-4 on the season.
Varsity Recap | Varsity Box Score | JV Box Score
LHS Maintains Lead in Seesaw Final Minute
The Leopards held a 43-40 lead heading into the final minute and missed a shot on their possession out of a timeout. However, junior Chay Cline retrieved the rebound and transferred the ball to sophomore Taylor McCully on the right wing. McCully drove past two defenders and scored on a layup to extend the Louisville lead to 45-40 with 40 seconds to play.
On the other end, Central’s Grace Finefrock answered with a three-pointer from the right corner that took a kind clank off the opposite side of the rim, kissed off the glass, and fell through. The triple put the Crusaders within 45-43 with half a minute to play.
Cline & Haren Extend Leopard Lead from the Line
After a timeout, Cline was fouled and went to the charity stride for a pair of shots. She missed the first, but hit the second to increase the Leopard lead to 46-43 with 17.6 seconds remaining.
Central wasted no time in responding on the other end. Sarah Belden sliced through the Leopard defense and scored in the lane to get the Lady Crusaders back to within 46-45 with 8.1 seconds to play.
Out of a timeout, senior Brooke Haren received an inbound pass and was immediately fouled. Unfazed by the situation, Haren buried both clutch free throw attempts to put Louisville ahead 48-45 with 6.4 seconds to play.
McCully Slams the Door on Game-Tying Attempt
Central Catholic looked for one more prayer to be answered on their final possession. Finefrock dribbled into the right corner and threw up a desperate game-tying three-point attempt. But McCully was there to block it and Cline batted away the loose ball as the buzzer sounded.
Barwick Scores Game High 14 for LHS
Junior Courtney Barwick scored 8 of her game high 14 points in the second half to lead the Leopards. Haren also finished in double figures with 11.
Cline Named Player of the Game
Cline was named the Carrabba’s Player of the Game by Straggat Media following the contest. Cline finished with a season high 9 points, which included what proved to be the deciding point from the line. She also crashed the boards all night long and registered several key rebounds throughout.
Other scorers for Louisville included McCully with 7, sophomore Maggie Baker with 3, junior Riley Walters with 2, and senior Lexi Wasara with 2.
Finefrock Leads Central with Team High 12
Finefrock scored 8 of her game high 12 points in the second half to lead Canton Central Catholic. Other top scorers for the Lady Crusaders included Sarah Belden with 7, Lily Belden with 6, and Violet Ellerbrock with 6.
Central has now lost 4 of its last 5 and falls to 5-8 on the season with the result.
Leopards Win 5th Straight Over Crusaders
The Lady Leopards have now defeated the Lady Crusaders in each of their past 5 meetings dating back to 2017. This includes Louisville winning at Central in three of those matchups.
The Lady Leopards now lead the all-time series 24-22 overall, which includes an 11-10 record in games played at Central Catholic High School.
<<< Previous 2023 | Central All-Time Series
UP NEXT: The Lady Leopards will next travel to take on the Youngstown Ursuline Fighting Irish on Saturday, January 20. JV will begin at 1:00 PM and Varsity will follow around 2:30 PM.
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Louisville at Central Catholic Girls Varsity Basketball Statistics
LEOPARDS 48, CRUSADERS 45
Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL
Louisville 13-12-12-11–48
Central 10-16-8-11–45
Louisville Leopards Girls Varsity Basketball Stats
| Player | 2PT | 3PT | FG | FTM | FTA | Points |
| Courtney Barwick | 4 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 14 |
| Brooke Haren | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 11 |
| Chay Cline | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| Taylor McCully | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Maggie Baker | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Riley Walters | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Lexi Wasara | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| TOTAL | 16 | 3 | 19 | 7 | 14 | 48 |
Central Catholic Crusaders Girls Varsity Basketball Stats
| Player | 2PT | 3PT | FG | FTM | FTA | Points |
| Grace Finefrock | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Sarah Belden | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Lily Belden | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Violet Ellerbrock | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Ellie Buckler | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Emily Schmidt | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Josey Stevens | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Avery McMahon | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Alicia Varacky | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| TOTAL | 10 | 8 | 18 | 1 | 6 | 45 |
Fouls: 12-11 Louisville
Records: Louisville 12-4
JV: Louisville 38, Central Catholic 23
JV Statistics
LEOPARDS 38, CRUSADERS 23
Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL
Louisville 11-14-2-11–38
Central 8-2-7-6–23
Louisville Leopards Girls JV Basketball Stats
| Player | 2PT | 3PT | FG | FTM | FTA | Points |
| Sammi Beatty | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Riley Walters | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Violet Lab | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Karis Miglich | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Reagan Biery | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Payton Sheldon | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Lilli Lab | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Katie Horn | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| TOTAL | 13 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 38 |
Central Catholic Crusaders Girls JV Basketball Stats
| Player | 2PT | 3PT | FG | FTM | FTA | Points |
| Sara Schmidt | 5 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| Jillyan Stevens | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Avery McMahon | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Talo Saipaia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Mae AxLine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Presley Trbovich | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| TOTAL | 6 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 23 |
Fouls: 9-1 Louisville
Records: Louisville 11-4
