Fairland defense shuts down Granville, sends Dragons to girls state

On Mar 4, 2023

ZANESVILLE ― Granville’s defense did what no one had done all season Friday night: hold explosive Proctorville Fairland under 50 points.

Problem was, the Dragons’ defensive pressure was even better.

The Blue Aces (25-3) controlled the tempo, but Fairland (27-0), second ranked in the final AP poll, controlled the game. It limited Granville to 27 percent shooting (9-of-33) and forced 17 turnovers in a 41-25 Division II girls regional semifinal victory at Zanesville High School’s Winland Memorial Gymnasium.

“That was probably the best half-court defense we had seen,” acknowledged Fairland coach Jon Buchanan. “That 1-3-1 is very good. So we said, let’s pressure them. They like to run those half-court sets, and we had to take them out of them. The key was to pressure the basketball, so they can’t run those sets.”

“I’m happy with our girls,” said Granville coach Tate Moore. “We held a team averaging 70 points per game, to 41, and that was with putting them at the line late. We had seen them go from a six-point lead to 16 in the blink of an eye. We felt the majority of their points came in transition, and with shooting 30 3-pointers per game. It became a race to keep them from beating us downcourt, and getting someone back to guard the 3-point line.”

Granville missed its first four shots and committed six first-quarter turnovers in falling behind 8-0, before Harper Annarino scored on a spin move. But the Dragons immediately countered with a 3-point play and 11-2 lead after the first.

Ella Schneider hustled after a loose ball and converted it into a layup, and Ava Gossman’s 3 from the left wing pulled the Blue Aces within 16-9 late in the first half, but Fairland extended back out to 20-9 at the break.

Annarino and Taylor Warehime connected on a pair of 3rd-quarter 3s as Granville hung around, trailing 22-15. However, the Dragons went on what proved to a be a game-clinching 9-0 run to go up 31-15. The Blue Aces got wthin 34-22, on a fourth-quarter 3 by Gossman. But the Dragons made 4-of-5 free throws, putting the game away.

The Blue Aces limited Fairland to 15-of-37 shooting for 40 percent, including only four 3-pointers, but simply couldn’t come up with enough offense against Fairland’s sticky pressure. Gossman led Granville with eight points and Annarino added seven points and six rebounds, while Ella Hoover had three steals and Schneider a pair.

Sophomore Kamryn Barnitz was the only player in the game to reach double figures with 10, while freshman Bailey Russell and junior Bree Allen tacked on nine apiece for the Dragons, who have only two seniors. They’ll face Canal Fulton Northwest, which beat Canfield 51-29, in their first-ever D-II state semifinal appearance at 1 p.m. Thursday at University of Dayton Arena. Fairland also made the state in Division III, in 2014 and 2015.

“We never talked about moving up a Division,” Buchanan said. “We knew we had a really good, and it didn’t matter what division we were in.”

Granville, meanwhile, made some history, reaching the regional finals for the first time since 1994’s state semifinal berth. Coach Moore made sure his team realized what a special season it had been, in a postgame locker room filled with some tears, but also, laughter.

“Six months ago, we got together as a group, and since then, our motto has been, ‘prove everyone wrong,'” Moore said. “I think we did that. We were supposed to have a down year. We won the LCL and went 14-0. Beat our rival twice. Won a district title on a shot at the buzzer, by a player who’s going to get 1,000 points next year (Annarino). Had someone (Aliyah Moore) break the game, season and probably will be the career 3-point record. Had three of the most fierce competitors in school history (seniors Hoover, Schneider and Gossman).

“We tied the school record for wins, and just went toe-to-tie with a great team,” coach Moore added. “You know that in this locker room, and they know that in their locker room.”

“They (Fairland) are real strong team offensively, but one of our strengths is defense. We take a lot of pride in it, and we showed it tonight,” Gossman said. “It was just disappointing that we couldn’t make more shots. It might have ended up differently.”

Gossman was proud to be part of three consecutive district championship teams.

“We had a lot moments this season,” she said. “We showed people that we’re still a strong team, and we did something some real good teams before us didn’t do (reach the Elite 8). We were never as close as we were this year, and it all started off the court. We got this started as a group, and I know in the future, they can make it further.”

[email protected]