Lady Tigers’ Tournament Trail Leads To Columbus

Editor's Note: Twinsburg Patch will be in Columbus to cover all the action as it unfolds. Follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the game and complete game coverage afterwards.

Some people were calling last week’s Division I regional final between top-ranked Canton McKinley and second-ranked Twinsburg a state championship game. But Lady Tiger head coach Julie Solis knows better.

“That was a game everybody talked about all season,” said Solis of her team’s stirring 48-39 victory over a McKinley team that had won 47 straight games. “Now we have to refocus on Friday night’s game.”

Twinsburg, now 25-0 on the season, takes on Pickerington North (21-5) in the state semifinals at 8 p.m. tonight. The first Division I semifinal pits Kettering Fairmount (25-1) against Toledo Start (23-2). Saturday’s state championship contest will be played at 8: 30 p.m. in the Jerome Schottenstein Center on the campus of Ohio State University.

Pickerington North is the only one of the Final Four teams not to finish in the regular season ranked among the state’s Top Ten teams. Twinsburg was ranked second, Fairmount fourth and Start seventh. The Lady Tigers defeated Pickerington earlier this season in a game that was in doubt until the final minutes of play.

“They have a very athletic post player and they pose some matchup problems for us,” said Solis of North. “We have our work cut out for us.”

Twinsburg scrimmaged Toledo Start prior to the start of the regular season. Fairmount is known for its strong outside shooting game. And the Lady Tigers are known as the team that took down defending state champ McKinley.

“They played with a lot of energy and the will to come out with a win,” said Solis of her team, which had been eliminated by McKinley the previous two seasons. “The kids were pretty hurt after those losses. This time there were a lot of tears and laughter at the same time. This is a great bunch of kids and they have worked hard for this.”

The Lady Tigers were able to lead at the half against McKinley despite the fact that All-Ohio junior picked up her third foul late in the first half. Junior LaShawna Gatewood came up huge for Twinsburg as she held Division I Player of the Year Ameryst  Alston to just nine points on three-of-12 shooting from the floor.

The Lady Tigers hounded McKinley all night, forcing 16 turnovers and played with an intensity turned up a notch or two from a regional semifinal scare against Wadsworth.

“I knew the Wadsworth game was going to be a tough one for us,” said Solis. “They have a great tradition and wanted the game as much as we did. I think it was a learning experience for us.”

Solis returns to Columbus having had the experience of taking Solon’s girls to the 2006 Division I state title game. The Lady Comets beat Wadsworth in the semifinals before falling to Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame in the finals.

“Being down there (Columbus) before is already helping me,” said Solis. “I remember how overwhelming it was the first time. There are so many things to do that you have to remember there is a game to be played. I’m excited to have another opportunity and I’m excited for our team to have this opportunity.”