Madison girls win D-III sectional

Mohawks capture a D-III sectional crown by beating Spartans for third time this season.

Photos: Waynesville vs. Madison

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By Rick Cassano, Staff Writer Updated 1:10 PM Sunday, February 28, 2010

WILMINGTON — Round 3 wasn’t any better for Waynesville High School’s girls basketball team.

Actually, it was much worse.

Unbeaten Madison conquered its Southwestern Buckeye League rival for the third time this season Saturday, Feb. 27, blasting the Spartans in the second half to capture a Division III sectional championship.

Ally Malott tallied 19 points, while Lindsay Hoskins notched a triple-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, as the Mohawks improved to 23-0 with a 78-36 rout at Wilmington.

“I thought we got out and played at a higher level in the second half,” said Malott, who grabbed six rebounds. “That’s what we do in practice every day. We get after it like that.”

Waynesville closed the first half with back-to-back 3-pointers by Amber Bell and Katelyn Danner, giving itself a manageable 34-22 deficit.

Madison then rumbled to a 27-6 third stanza, trampling the Spartans’ hopes with an all-out quarter that included points from eight Mohawks.

“Twelve points wasn’t enough cushion against a league rival,” Madison coach John Rossi said of his halftime thoughts. “We said the first three or four minutes of the second half were going to dictate the rest of the game, and that’s what happened.”

The top-seeded Mohawks got lots of quality play across the board. Rachel Blevins totaled 11 points and six rebounds, while Brittany Shields scored all 10 of her points in the second period.

Madison will face Madeira in a 3 p.m. district title matchup next Saturday at Springfield.

“Our goal is state, going all the way to Columbus,” Malott said. “We talk about it every day.”

The Mohawks started their season with a 47-34 win over Waynesville. The margin grew to 53-31 in their second meeting Feb. 8.

On Saturday, the Spartans had three second-half field goals.

“We didn’t shoot the ball in the second half,” Waynesville coach Tim Gabbard said. “We let ’em get on a run and get their confidence back, and that was about it. We couldn’t stop their high-low game. They just threw the ball over the top of us.”

Rossi said he wasn’t sure what to expect from the Spartans in terms of a game plan.

“We thought they might try to hold the ball,” Rossi said. “But they wanted to go tooth and nail with us, and that’s what we wanted. We were able to press and run the floor the way we like to.”

Madison nearly doubled Waynesville on the boards, snaring 18 offensive rebounds.

Malott, one of the nation’s most coveted juniors, spent a good deal of the day smiling. She took a charge early in the fourth quarter and got up grinning.

“I love the game of basketball,” Malott said. “I try not to get mad, even if things are going against us. If I feel myself getting angry, I don’t play as well.”

Bell scored 12 points to lead the Spartans (17-6). Danner chipped in eight.

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