Correspondent photo / Lowell Spencer Western Reserve’s Lisa Eichert eyes the basket as she’s defended by Chaney’s Lexi Pete.

BERLIN CENTER – Chaney and Western Reserve were both looking to end the regular season on a high note and added momentum going into their respective tournament games next week.

It was the Blue Devils who were able to accomplish that goal with a trilling 59-56 victory, overcoming a 19-point first-half deficit. It improved the Devils’ overall record on the year to 13-9 and snapped two consecutive one-point losses before the win.

“We stuck together as a team,” Blue Devils senior forward Alyvia Hughes said. “We believe in our team, and we trust each other to win. This will definitely boost our confidence.”

“This gives us a lot of momentum going into the tournament. This was such a competitive game, and they (Chaney) have so many athletes on their team,” Blue Devils senior forward Angelina Cappabianca said.

“I think it shows the mentality that our girls have that they realized that they are never out of a game,” Blue Devils head coach Steve Miller added. “They are going to keep scratching and clawing to the final horn. We always preach that we don’t play the scoreboard. We play one possession at a time.”

The loss for the Cowgirls dropped their final regular season mark to 13-9 and ended a two-game winning streak.

“We had a great effort as long as the game was going up and down,” Cowgirls head coach Dwight Berry said. “But that third quarter felt like it took a whole two hours. It was whistle, whistle, whistle.”

Following a three by Qunicy Miller at the 3:50 mark of the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils had tied the game at 49-49 after trailing the entire game up to that point. Miller made it consecutive threes when she landed another at the 3:23 mark to provide them with their first lead at 52-49.

By the time Cappabianca connected on her second three at the 2:52 mark, the Devils had built a five-point 55-50 advantage. The Devils would then hit three of six three-throws in the final couple of minutes to preserve the win. The Cowgirls were able to get off a shot at the buzzer that sailed wide in hopes of tying the game.

“It definitely puts a lot of trust in each other,” Cappabianca said of her and Quincy Miller hitting threes. “It gave our teammates a sense of trust knowing that we can hit them. And we have trust in them that they can get into the post and score.”

Cappabianca led the Devils with 17 points on the night while Miller had 15 and Lisa Eichert scored 12. Hughes dominated on the boards for the Devils with 13 rebounds while Kylee Ramsey grabbed eight.

The Cowgirls looked to be in full control of the game in the first half as they raced out to a quick 8-2 lead and held a 16-5 lead before Cappabianca hit her first of five threes on the night at the buzzer to make it a 16-8 advantage for Chaney.

The Cowgirls started the second quarter with an 18-7 run to build a commanding 19-point, 34-15 lead by the 2:20 mark following a three by Ja’ziya Burley. The Cowgirls would eventually hold a 34-22 lead at the intermission.

“We want to get up and down the court,” Berry remarked. “Half-court just isn’t our style right now. We are still learning. We had some shots fall, but we had some layups we should have made.”

“I think it’s easy for kids to get demoralized,” Coach Miller said. “It seemed like everything they shot was going in and whether it’s the ball not going our way or shots not going our way it’s easy to start to panic and turn the ball over.”

But the Blue Devils came out in the second half with increased intensity with a 7-2 run to start the third quarter. When Miller scored on a layup at the 4:02 mark, the Cowgirls only led by seven at 36-29. By the end of the third period, the Cowgirls held a 47-38 lead.

“I told them [at halftime] you can’t get this back on one or two possessions,” Coach Miller said. “We got it down to 12 from 19 and that’s already seven points. Another five, six, or seven and we are going to find ourselves right in the ball game.”

Alyssa Brown had an outstanding game scoring a game-high 29 points including three treys. Ja’ziya Burley added 10 points to help the Cowgirls’ offensive effort.

“I’m just happy with our program. I’m proud of the young ladies and what they have done this year, and we are going to keep pushing” Berry said.

The Cowgirls will start Division I tournament play next Thursday where they will play the winner of the Cleveland Heights and Louisville game on Saturday. The Blue Devils will open tournament play by hosting Rittman next Wednesday in Division IV action.

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