West Muskingum's only 3-pointer against Union Local was its biggest of the season in a Division V district final on Feb. 28 at Cambridge.
CAMBRIDGE — Down a point with 3.3 seconds left, a West Muskingum girls basketball team known for its selfless disposition needed a hero.
Teriauna Brandford was happy to offer her services.
Brandford’s catch-and-shoot 3-pointer with one second left gave fourth-seeded West its only lead of the second half and made the difference in a 30-28 win against top-seeded Belmont Union Local in a Division V East District championship game on Feb. 28 at Gene Ford Gymnasium.
West (19-5) will now play No. 3 seed Zoarville Tuscarawas Valley (21-4), 59-22 winners against No. 2 seed Richmond Edison, in a regional semifinal at 7 p.m. on March 4 at Claymont High School in Uhrichsville.
‘T’ on the spot
All-Ohioan Laken Vinskovich, playing with a heavy heart following the death of her father the night prior after a long cancer battle, looked to get a measure of poetic justice when she split two free throws to give UL a 28-27 lead around the 30-second mark.
West, after getting an offensive rebound, eventually called a timeout after securing possession. The called another after UL countered on defense.
Once play was reset, the ball wound up going to Brandford, who found herself alone just a few feet away from the inbound passer after multiple Jets' defenders jumped a screen.
Brandford, as instructed during the timeout, slipped back behind the three-point line to catch it. She precious little time to ponder the moment.
In this case, it was for the best. It was the only three West hit in 10 tries.
"When I shoot I think about it a lot, and I just had to get it up and not think about it," Brandford said.
West coach Josh Middleton lamented his team's shooting cooler — they missed 10 straight 3-pointers, were 11-of-39 overall and didn't score for 5:30 in the second quarter.
But he wasn't surprised that Brandford came up aces, historically ranking as one of the team's top outside shooters. That it worked according to plan made the moment all the more satisfying, he said.
"We got some really good shots throughout the game — we just didn't get anything to fall," Middleton said. "I'm just really proud of her. She went through some shooting slumps here nd there, but she is a great shooter and deserves that more than anybody."
Brandford was just happy to help the team. Her big shot came on the heels of a strong game from top scorer Lyla Johnson, whose tough drives into lane, scoring with either hand, fueled the comeback.
She scored 12 of her team's 14 points after halftime.
"She helped us get back in this game," Brandford said. "But its not just one person, all five girls on the court, all of the coaches who worked hard to be here."
Tales from the ‘Book of Gene’
Tied at 8 after the first quarter, UL took a 19-8 lead behind the inspired play of Vinskovich, who had 12 points of her game-high 17 points in the first half. It was still 19-12 at the half.
But a frenetic full-court press shut down the Jets’ offense in the second half, yielding only three field goal, which allowed Johnson to bring the Tornadoes back.
Eventually, Sydney Thonton’s only basket, off Johnson's inbound pass, tied the game at 27 with 5:50 left.
When Union Local failed to score on its next possession, Middleton pulled a tactic directly from the Book of Gene.
The late Ford, notorious for his stall-ball approach against zone defenses during his days as a Hall of Fame coach with Cambridge, would have certainly approved of the Tornadoes holding the ball for 3:40 before calling timeout with 1:02 left.
It also almost backfired when the 6-foot Vinskovich forced a turnover at midcourt after two Tornadoes misplayed a hand-off. After a UL timeout, Vinskovich eventually went to the line and gave UL the lead after splitting two free throws.
The free throw left just enough time for West to atone for its late mistake.
"Sometimes you have to do what you have to do," Middleton said of the stall approach. "If they come out and get us, we could have gone by them (off the dribble)."
The decision to up the pressure also worked swimmingly, even if it was out of necessity against a stingy Jets defense. He felt the press wore the Jets down.
"She is a great player, but I thought we did a much better job off the ball of digging in and forcing (Vinskovich) to give it up, and then recovering and playing good defense," Middleton said. "Our girls always play hard. They're so unselfish and that is what makes them who they are."
'Like putting a knife in you'
Jets coach Lou "Scooter" Tolzda empathized for his players, none more than his best player in Vinskovich. That they made it within seconds of another regional, despite the loss of star point guard Ameera Saunders midseason, only added to that pain.
"It was like putting a knife in you," Tolzda said. "(Friday) was a tough day, but I thought our girls battled and battled today."
It was a group he thoroughly enjoyed coaching, one who fought through substantial adversity.
"As a coach, at the end of the season, whenever that comes, you’re either going to a speech that is good or one that isn’t," Tolzda said. "That one wasn’t an easy one to give. Sometimes you lose but you win, and sometimes you win, but you lose. It may sound funny and a lot of people may not understand that, but I thought we won.”
[email protected]; X: @SamBlackburnTR
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Brandford 3-pointer sends West M girls basketball to district title
Category: General Sports
