Recordpub.com - Field girls fall to Tallmadge in sectional

By Jim Manion

Record-Courier correspondent

HARTVILLE — For the second year in a row, the Field Falcons have been eliminated by a team from the tough Suburban League at the Uniontown Sectional at Lake High School.

Leading 21-17 at halftime, the Falcons were outscored 31-18 in the second half and the result was a sectional championship for the Tallmadge Blue Devils.

Tallmadge (9-12) scored 13 of its last 15 points from the foul line to secure a 48-39 when they held the ball for the final six minutes of the contest.

Tallmadge coach Jeff Manion explained following the game why he had his team pull it out and slow down.

“We knew we couldn’t match up with their bigs inside and we shot terrible in the first half, so when we got the lead we decided to slow down and wait for good shots. The girls did a nice job of taking care of the basketball and knocking down free throws,” said Manion.

It was apparent early that Field intended to go inside to take advantage of its height. Hannah Mueller scored the first three buckets, and by the end of the first half the 5-foot-11 post player had 11 points and four rebounds. The only first-half basket scored by the Falcons outside the paint was a 3-pointer by Arielle Kenyon with 1:25 on the first-quarter clock.

Tallmadge hit four 3s in the first half to keep pace with Field. Taylor Allen hit a pair of 3s for the Blue Devils in the opening 20 minutes.

The lead exchanged hands five times in the first quarter, with the Falcons (13-9) coming out on top with a 10-8 lead.

The Falcons maintained the lead in the second quarter, pushing to a five-point advantage when Mueller hit a foul shot with 1:28 left in the half.

The Blue Devils took a quick lead in the second half with a 9-0 run for a 26-21 advantage. They never trailed again despite a superb effort by Field’s Emily Mortimer, who scored all six of the Falcons’ points in the third quarter. The 6-foot sophomore collected a game-high 13 rebounds and scored 10 points.

The Blue Devils took an 11-point lead (38-27) early in the fourth quarter, before Field cut the lead to only four (39-35) with four minutes remaining. Tallmadge hit nine straight free throws to ice the game.

Abby Prulhiere led the scoring for Tallmadge with 14 points while Allen hit for 12. Fernanda Frajia and Karley DeLorenzo each scored eight and were the main ball-handlers down the stretch for the Blue Devils.

“We are healthy again and we had a week to prepare,” said Manion. “I know my players can compete and we had several weeks with a lot of injuries, so it feels good to have them back on the floor. The girls are building confidence and this is a good time of the season to have that happen.”

The Blue Devils made a big difference on the boards against the much taller Falcons, winning the battle 31-29. Junior forward Brittany Lightel, only 5-7, led her team with 12 rebounds, while 5-6 freshman Demi DeLorenzo came off the bench to collect five boards.

“We knew coming in that our plan was to go inside,” said Field coach Jeff Kidd. “We did that well the first half, but Tallmadge did a good job of taking away that inlet pass late in the game. Congratulations to Tallmadge, they are a good team.”

Mueller finished with a team-high 14 points for Field and grabbed eight rebounds.

Tallmadge will face Ravenna in the district semifinals next Thursday at 6 p.m. at Lake High School. The Ravens defeated Marlington 79-53 in Thursday’s second contest.