Granville stifles John Glenn, makes Elite 8 for first time since ’94

On Mar 1, 2023

ZANESVILLE ― Granville already had a commanding halftime lead, but there was the Blue Aces’ senior “Ella squared” combination, Schneider and Hoover, still scrapping for steals and diving out of bounds for loose balls in the third quarter.

The Blue Aces’ active 1-3-1 zone defense has been a linchpin all season, but no one would have predicted what transpired on Tuesday night in Zanesville High School’s Winland Memorial Gymnasium.

They forced 24 John Glenn turnovers — 14 in the first half — held the Muskies to only two field goals for the game and cruised to a stunning 42-6 Division II regional semifinal victory, Granville’s first since its 1994 run to the state tournament. The Blue Aces (25-2) will try to get back there at 7 p.m. Friday when they play powerful Proctorville Fairland (26-0), which raced past 25-0 Chillicothe Unioto, 88-61, in Tuesday’s opener.

Granville players celebrate after a timeout during a 42-6 win against John Glenn during a Division II regional semifinal on Tuesday night at Winland Memorial Gymnasium in Zanesville. The Blue Aces won their first regional game since 1994.

The Muskies (19-9) had averaged 68 points in the last three games during a spirited run to a second straight district title, which included a 63-62 win against Carrollton and rallying for a 67-60 overtime victory against Millersburg West Holmes. But stellar sophomore Mya Oliver injured her knee against West Holmes, tried to play on Tuesday but was still hurting. John Glenn’s offense never got untracked, and Granville had a lot to do with it.

“Mya tried to give it a go, and Riley (Zamensky) just came back from injury, but really, we have no excuses,” John Glenn coach Gary Sigman said. “We tried to stretch the game out a little bit, but it’s hard to do when you can’t score. We knew what they (Granville) were going to do, and we had no answer for it. A lot of credit to them.”

“I felt bad for Mya and for John Glenn,” Granville coach Tate Moore said. “She clearly was not herself. I hope they get back here next year.”

The Muskies tried to hold the ball early on against the zone, and Granville struggled to a 7-0 first-quarter lead. But Schneider, all over the place again on both ends of the floor, jump-started the Blue Aces. The hustling point guard hit Taylor Warehime for a fast-break layup and three-point play off a turnover starting the second quarter, making it 10-0. Senior McKinzi Linscott got John Glenn on the board with a reverse layup. But it was the Muskies’ only field goal of the first half as Schneider came up with five steals, and Hoover and Warehime added two apiece.

Granville, which was 5-of-9 from the floor in the second quarter, finally took off. Ava Gossman made back-to-back 3s from the right wing, off assists by Harper Annarino and Schneider, who then made two foul shots and drove for a reverse layup. After Gossman found Annarino for another 3, the Blue Aces owned a commanding 23-2 halftime lead.

“We missed our first 10 3s,” Moore lamented. “But we made the last three of the half to get us going.”

“We kept running our half court stuff, and then brought the energy on defense,” said Hoover, who along with Warehime finished with three steals. “We had 1994 posted, we kept looking at it, and we wanted this more than anyone.”

Jessica Church canned a 3 for John Glenn in the third quarter, but then Granville reeled off 15 consecutive points, forcing a running clock. Aliyah Moore made a 3, Schneider scored on a fast break, assisted Annarino on a 3-point play, then drilled a 3-pointer of her own.

The Blue Aces knew about the Muskies’ rally capabilities, and weren’t going to let up. “Our coaches watched hours of film on John Glenn, and they were down 10, 11 and 15 points, and they would come back,” said Schneider, who filled the stat sheet with 11 points, seven steals and four assists.

“I’m proud of the girls,” Sigman said. “They fought all year long. They put in a lot of time in the summer time, and they do that every year. They’ve done a great job, and I couldn’t be any more proud of them.”

Annarino led Granville with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Gossman added 10, and Hoover also fought for six rebounds. Linscott grabbed seven boards for the Muskies.

Even though the Blue Aces have won three consecutive district titles, they have considered themselves underrated all year, after graduating team leader Cate Schieber and losing talented senior Ella Wigal via transfer, and have run with that theme.