Fri Feb 10 2012
by Devan Matthews
Correspondent
Last week was a big one for the Nordonia High School girls basketball team.
First of all, the Knights finished the 2009-10 regular season with a victory, beating Northeast Ohio Conference Lake Division foe Valley Forge at home by the score of 60-44 Feb. 17.
By virtue of that win, the Knights also set four new school records at Nordonia. Those four include most regular-season victories (17), most consecutive regular-season wins (11), best winning percentage during the regular season (.850) and fewest points allowed during the regular campaign.
With the victory over the Patriots, the Knights ended up 17-3 overall and 10-0 in division action. Nordonia captured the division championship the week before.
"It was an excellent Senior Night," said Nordonia head coach Gary Tipton of the win against Valley Forge. "All of our seniors scored. It was a great way to finish the season."
Junior point guard Kelsey Shirey led the Knights in the scoring department, producing 19 points. In addition, senior forward/center Danielle Zuercher recorded 14 points and eight rebounds and junior guard Courtney Cole contributed nine points and four boards.
Nordonia trailed 9-8 heading into the second quarter, but the Knights seized control in the second half, embarking upon an 11-0 run at the midway point of the third period.
"Valley Forge is a solid team; they gave us a good run," said Tipton. "But our seniors were pretty motivated to go out there and end their careers with a win."
Nordonia also began play in the Division I district tournament Feb. 20 against Maple Heights. The Knights posted a 53-32 victory over the Mustangs in a sectional semifinal contest at Warrensville Heights High School.
Once again, Shirey led the way offensively, this time with 16 points, while Zuercher tallied 15 points and sophomore forward/center Sara Andrasik accounted for seven points and 14 rebounds.
"Sara controlled the inside for almost the entire game," said Tipton. "We're very happy that she produced those types of numbers. She's gotten better every game this season."
Nordonia will now vie for the sectional championship Feb. 24 against Solon. Tip-off at Warrensville Heights is set for 7:30 p.m.
"Solon shoots the ball extremely well, and they've played one of the toughest schedules you can imagine," said Tipton. "They're an outstanding team, and they're going to be a big challenge for us. We'll see if we can step up and meet it."
If Nordonia beats the Comets, the Knights will battle either Warren Harding or Shaker Heights in a district semifinal March 4 at 6 p.m. at Warrensville Heights.
E-mail: stowsports@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3113
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