Staff photo / Neel Madhavan. Warren JFK's Gianna Pompelia (2) puts up a shot near the basket while being defended by Middlefield Cardinal's Emily Pleva (12) during Saturday's district final at Mineral Ridge.

MINERAL RIDGE — Ever since losing leading scorer Didi Ryan to a season-ending injury in the first quarter against Girard on Jan. 27, Warren JFK has worked to reinvent itself.

Without one of their best players, the Eagles had to adjust how they played in order to get more contributions from everyone else on the floor to make up for Ryan’s absence. As a result, JFK went through a rough stretch where it lost three straight games at the start of February as it tried to figure things out.

“I knew it was going to be a struggle because I set our schedule up to be difficult at the end … so we’d be battle tested,” JFK head coach Marc Morgan said. “I didn’t figure on having to replan everything that we do, so that was the toughest part for us.”

But, Ryan’s absence has led to the emergence of Gianna Pompelia, who on Saturday scored 43 points to help lift Kennedy to a 60-43 victory over Middlefield Cardinal in the Division VII, Northeast 1 district final at Mineral Ridge to capture the program’s first district championship.

“Every time they go into the gym, they look at that banner, and there’s nothing for girls basketball — every day they see that,” Morgan said. “Even from last year, their focus was we’re getting this next one. For them, I think that puts all the work that they’ve put together to come together and win one. That was their goal, that was their dream. … Let’s get our name up there forever. I think that’s a huge, huge point for our program to say, ‘hey, we actually can be this good.'”

Last year, with a talented, but very young team, the Eagles weren’t expected to have the season they did. Yet, they made a run to the district final, ultimately falling short in the title game to Springfield.

Since that day, JFK set a goal to get back to the final, and this time, it came out on top.

“Ever since we came up short last year, we worked every day to get here and then win because last year we were all sad,” Pompelia said. “We wanted to make sure we were able to win. So we came prepared, and this was what we worked for all year.”

Since they came into the Eagles program together two years ago, Ryan and Pompelia have served as JFK’s one-two punch, complementing each other on the offensive end of the floor.

But with Ryan out, the Eagles needed Pompelia to take more shots, score more points and help set things up for her teammates.

“For her to have to step up and be the No. 1 shooter, I didn’t want to pressure her and tell her that,” Morgan said. “I told (the team) collectively, we need to find ways to get people open. It’s not just about one person. … From that point, I just wanted (Pompelia) to believe in herself. We worked on shooting — we’ve been doing it one-on-one, outside of practice time, just trying to get her mindset and confidence. Did I think she was going to get 43? No, but God bless her. She’s really worked her butt off to get to this point and I’m happy for her.”

After JFK’s three-game losing streak, Pompelia averaged 24.3 points per game in the three wins since then. But her performance against the Huskies was a statement of her arrival.

She got the Eagles off to a fast start, scoring 24 points in the first half, as JFK took a 12-point lead over Cardinal into halftime.

“My teammates were feeding me the ball when the opportunities came and we were all just helping each other out,” Pompelia said. “If it wasn’t for my teammates, it never would have happened.”

But the Eagles went cold in the third quarter, scoring just three points, as the Huskies cut the deficit all the way to seven heading into the final period.

It wouldn’t last long though, as JFK opened the fourth quarter on a 12-2 run and Pompelia scored 17 of her points during the quarter to help the Eagles close things out.

“(Losing Ryan) definitely hurt in the beginning, but I feel like I’ve stepped up,” Pompelia said. “There’s ups and downs — some games I don’t play well, but some days I do. So I’m just hoping I can lead the team further.”

Coming into Saturday’s game, Pompelia needed 43 points to eclipse 1,000 for her high school career. With her final free throw of the game in the fourth quarter, she hit the milestone.

“A win always comes first, but it’s always been in the back of my head,” Pompelia said. “My sister (former Howland star Alyssa Pompelia) got it, so I just wanted to get it too.”

The win sends JFK onto the Division VII regional semifinal on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Massillon Perry against Lakeside Danbury, which defeated Attica Seneca East 47-24 in its district final on Saturday.