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Torrid Torri saves Union
Smith nets 9 of her 25 points in OT for win
By Derek Pyda
Eagle Staff Writer
RIMERSBURG — Torri Smith showed the world Thursday night that she wasn't ready to hand in her No. 15 jersey.
The senior guard led all scorers with 25 points, including nine in overtime, to help the Union girls basketball team survive East Forest 46-37 in a District 9 Class A first-round playoff game.
"Torri was the difference," said Damsels coach Josh Meeker. "I think it just came down to she didn't want her career to be over."
The Damsels (18-8) will travel to West Forest, a 63-36 winner over Sheffield, for a quarterfinal game on Saturday. Game time has yet to be determined.
Union's boys were not as fortunate Thursday, dropping a 72-47 decision to visiting Johnsonburg.
The Damsels were reeling in the fourth period as they watched a 21-12 halftime lead turn into a 35-29 deficit with three minutes left to play.
"I never gave up on us winning," said Smith. "We seemed to lose it in the third quarter, but I knew we could put it together."
Union's Melissa Shook helped to close the gap to 35-33 with crucial free throws before Smith's fourth steal of the game led to a layup that tied the game at 35 with 38 seconds left.
The Bears (12-12) had a chance to win in regulation, but Stacie Kandray and Nicole Geyer both missed short jumpers just before the buzzer.
"Those were the shots we were hoping for, absolutely," said East Forest coach Dave Kiehl. "We had opportunities at the end."
The Bears simply ran out of bullets in overtime.
Except for a basket by Ashley Oliver at the start of the extra period, East Forest attempted only four other shots and missed them all.
Smith, who added five rebounds, scored nine of Union's 11 points in the overtime, including a 3-pointer that gave Union the lead for good with 2:43 remaining.
Smith, who has been the Damsels' leading scorer all season, has even more weight on her shoulders after starting point guard Courtney Frederick's season-ending foot injury two weeks ago.
"It puts a lot of pressure on Torri," said Meeker. "But she's upped her game since Courtney's injury."
Boys Basketball Johnsonburg 72, Union 47
Johnsonburg looked to take the home crowd out of the game.
A 40-15 edge at halftime did the trick.
The Rams ambushed the Golden Knights, outscoring the hosts 25-7 in the second quarter on their way to a 25-point win in a District 9 Class A first-round playoff.
Johnsonburg (13-11) did not feature a starter under 6 feet tall, which helped the Rams to win the battle for rebounds 46-28.
"I think we were a bit intimidated by their size," said Union coach Karen Davis. "And it wasn't just height. They outmuscled us."
But nothing was more intimidating to the Golden Knights than the Rams' Seth Streich.
The junior forward entered the game as District 9 Class A's top scorer this season at 20.9 points per game.
He almost reached that in the first half Thursday, putting up 18 points. Streich ended the night with a game-high 29 points.
It was Streich's 13 points in the second quarter that led the Rams' onslaught.
"We hit some 3-pointers early and that forced Union out of its zone defense," said Johnsonburg coach Bill Shuey. "And in the man-to-man, they just weren't able to match up well with us."
Union switched to a press defense in the second half and did force the Rams into 18 turnovers in the final two quarters, but the Knights' deficit was simply too great.
"Maybe we should have went to the press in the first half," said Davis. "Sometimes, you just have to go out and make things happen."
Scott Booth led Union (16-9) with 11 points.
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