DAYTON —
“You’re a heartbreaker, dream maker, love taker.”
This game wrote another verse for Pat Benatar’s song “Heartbreaker.”
The Fairland Lady Dragons were on the verge of history only to have Lady Luck side with the Shaker Heights Laurel Lady Gators as they escaped with a 53-52 win in the Division 2 state semifinals on Friday morning at the University of Dayton UD Arena.
A 10-footer and then a free throw by Saniyah Hall gave Laurel a 49-46 lead but Bree Allen hit a clutch 3-pointer with one minute left to tie the game.
Nyla Edwards scored with 35 seconds to go for Laurel only to have Addison Godby make a layup to tie the game with 20 seconds to go. But Hall found Jordyn Meyer wide-open for a layup with 5 seconds left and it was 51-49.
Bailey Russell was fouled with 0:00.2 seconds left and went to the line and made the first shot only to have the second shot hit off the rim as the game ended.
Laurel (19-10) will play the winner of defending state champion Cincinnati Purcell Marian and Copley who played in the 1 p.m. game on Friday.
The championship game is 5:15 p.m. on Saturday.
Laurel used a 3-pointer by Meyer to take an early 5-0 lead before Godby’s free throw got Fairland on the scoreboard.
Down 10-5 after Hall made a putback of her own miss, Isa Taliaferro hit a layup and Kamryn Barnitz drilled a long 3-pointer to tie the game.
Russell knocked down another deep 3-pointer to give Fairland its first lead at 13-10 only to have Hall hit a trifecta from the corner and then she came up with a steal and layup for a 15-13 Gators lead.
But Kylee Bruce hit a 3-pointer that gave Fairland a 16-15 lead at the end of the quarter.
Allen converted a 3-point play to begin the second quarter and Fairland extended its lead to 19-15.
A steal by Hall led to a layup by Tristan Williams but Russell sank a free throw and Barnitz hit her second long 3-pointer and then 2 free throws and the lead was 25-17.
Hall’s layup stopped the run but Bruce hit a 15-footer and it was 27-19. Chloe Johnson made a layup off a pass from Hall and it was 27-21 at the half.
Laurel came out strong to begin the second half as Meyer hit a 3-pointer and a layup and Hall had a steal and layup as the Lady Gators took a 28-27 lead at the 7:12 mark.
Fairland (26-2) put together its own run as Russell made a layup, Godby had back-to-back layups and Bruce hit a 14-footer as the Lady Dragons were up 37-32.
Hall’s layup halted the run and it was 37-34 and then Hall got back-to-back layups to tie the game at 40-all with 49 seconds on the clock.
Hall’s 15-footer at the 7:12 mark gave Laurel a 42-40 lead to start the fourth quarter.
Godby hit a foul shot and Barnitz another 3-pointer as Fairland went back on top 44-42 with 6:15 to play.
Hall followed up her own miss to tie the game and then got another layup with 4:05 left as Laurel went up 46-44. Bruce tipped back a shot to tie the game at 46 moments later.
Fairland had four players in double figures as Barnitz, Godby, Russell and Bruce all scored 11 points. Allen pulled down 14 rebounds to go with 3 assists and 3 steals. Bruce had 7 rebounds and Godby 6.
Hall — who has offers from more than 20 Division 1 schools including Notre Dame and Southern Cal — scored a game-high 26 points and also had 15 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals. Meyer scored 14 with Johnson and Williams getting 6 rebounds each.
Fairland was making its second straight Final Four appearance and fourth overall in program history. Last season, the Lady Dragons lost to Canal Fulton Northwest 56-34.
Fairland’s other previous Final Four appearances were 2014 and 2015.
Laurel 15 6 19 13 = 53
Fairland 16 11 13 12 = 52
SHAKER HEIGHTS LAUREL (19-10): Saniyah Hall 12-24 1-4 26, Chloe Johnson 3-4 0-0 6, Nyla Edwards 1-4 0-0 2, Jordyn Meyer 5-8 1-2 14, Tristan Williams 1-11 1-2 3, Reese Grammes 0-1 0-0 0, Liv Schneider 1-7 0-0 2, Sydnee Robinson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 23-59 3-8 53. 3-pt goals: 4-15 (Hall 1-5, Edwards 0-1, Meyer 3-5, Williams 0-1, Gammes 0-1, Schneider 0-2). Rebounds: O-17 D-17 = 34 (Hall 15, Johnson 6, Williams 6). Assists: 12 (Hall 4, Edwards 3, Meyer 2). Steals: 12 (Hall 5, Edwards 4). Blocks: 2 (Hall, Edwards) Turnovers: 7. Fouls: 11. Fouled out: Johnson (4th 5:54).
FAIRLAND (26-2): Addison Godby 3-8 5-8 11, Bree Allen 2-9 1-1 6, Kamryn Barnitz 3-6 2-2 11, Bailey Russell 4-11 2-4 11, Kylee Bruce 5-6 0-0 11, Isa Taliaferro 0 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 18-43 10-15 52. 3-pt goals: 6-18 (Allen 1-5, Barnitz 3-6, Russell 1-4, Bruce 1-2, Taliaferro 0-1). Rebounds: O-11 D-23 = 34 (Allen 14, Bruce 7, Godby 6). Assists: 14 (Russell 4, Allen 3). Steals: 7 (Russell 3, Allen 2). Blocks: 4 (Allen 2, Barnitz 1, Russell 1). Turnovers: 15. Fouls: 10. Fouled out: None.
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