Brookfield falls in opening round to Cardinal Mooney
Feb. 15—BROOKFIELD — Sammy Rotunno caught the pass a foot or so across the half-court stripe. She sent up a prayer, and it was answered.
Nothing but net.
The 3-point shot by the Cardinal Mooney sophomore sent the game against Brookfield girls basketball team to overtime. The Warriors were unable to respond in the extra period and fell 51-48 in a Division III sectional semifinal at home.
The Warriors (17-6) shot 1 for 6 from the court in the four-minute overtime. Meanwhile, the Cardinals finally found their shot, finishing the extra frame 2 for 4.
"I told them this didn't define who we were the last four years," Brookfield head coach Ken Forsythe said. "It's tough to lose that way, but somebody gotta win and somebody gotta lose at the end of the day."
The two teams battled throughout the first half, with the Cardinals (9-14) taking a 19-17 lead into halftime. However, an 8-2 run to start the third quarter gave the Warriors the edge.
Cardinal Mooney began to slowly chip away at the lead and got within striking distance with a minute remaining in regulation.
Hook gave the Warriors a 41-36 lead with 28 seconds to play after knocking down a pair of free throws. However, a steal and layup by Diorio at half court made it a one-possession game.
Another steal by Diorio led to a fould, giving the Mooney guard two free throws, which she knocked down with 4.6 seconds left. Forced to foul, the Cardinals sent Jumper to the line, giving the Warriors a 43-40 advantage with 3.9 to play.
That set up Rotunno's game-tying 3-pointer with less than a second left as time expired.
The momentum swing for the Cardinals carried over into overtime. Diorio hit a 3 of her own on Mooney's first possession, and before the Warriors had a chance to respond, they were down 49-43 with just under two minutes to play.
Brookfield battled back, cutting the lead to 49-48 with 30.9 to play. But a potential game-tying 3-pointer by Katie Gibson was off target and short.
"(Rotunno's 3) just sucked the life right out of us, and then they come out and his a quick 3-pointer in overtime. That kinda took more wind out of our sail. We battled back. Just couldn't get some to fall at the end."
Rotunno scored 12 points with three rebounds for the Cardinals. Sophia Diorio led Mooney with 17 points and eight rebounds, and Maria Fire tallied 13 points with a team-high nine boards. Talecia Huff was scoreless but recorded a game-high five assists.
Brookfield's Sophia Hook, who recently scored her 1,500th-point, led all scorers with 26 points. She finished with a double-double by grabbing 12 rebounds and tied MiKenzie Jumper with a team-high three assists.
Cailey Wellman added eight points with eight rebounds, and Katie Logan and Jumper each scored five points. Logan grabbed four rebounds with two assists, and Jumper brought down three boards.
Forsythe said the 2022-23 basketball team, "is the definition of hard work." He said that willingness is what defined his squad this season.
That mentality is constructed by the seniors leading the Warriors. The loss brings an end to the Warriors' season and the high school careers of six players. The seniors are Logan, Hook, Katie Gibson, Abby DeJoy Jumper and Madeline Pisarcik.
Hook ends her career with 1,561 points.
"There are six seniors. They're like daughters to me," Forsythe said. "I told 'em last week, 'I'm not ready for this to be over yet.' I told them again tonight. They're like daughters to me. They're a great group."
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OHSAA DIV. III PLAYOFFSCuyahoga Falls RegionalSectional Semifinal
C. MOONEY 9 10 4 20 8 51
BROOKFIELD 10 7 12 14 5 48
CARDINAL MOONEY — Rotunno 4-2-5-12, Pregibon 1-1-4-3, Huff 0-0-2-0, Diorio 5-5-6-17, Fire 6-1-10-13, Bowman 0-1-2-1, Rouser 2-0-0-5. 3-pt. goals: Rotunno 2, Diorio 2. Totals: 16-10-29-51.
BROOKFIELD — Wellman 4-0-0-8, Logan 2-0-0-5, My. Jumper 0-0-0-0, Hook 7-12-15-26, Gibson 0-0-0-0, DeJoy 1-2-2-4, Mi. Jumper 1-3-4-5. 3-pt. goals: Logan 1. Totals: 15-17-21-48.
