Madison never gives up lead, rolls into championship game

Mohawks go ahead by 12 in the first half, then finish off the Ironton Tigers, 50-43, by hitting clutch free throws.

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By Skip Weaver, Staff Writer Updated 10:18 AM Friday, March 19, 2010

COLUMBUS — The Madison High School girls basketball team is one win away from its ultimate goal — a state championship.

The Mohawks (27-0) grabbed an early lead and never trailed in defeating Ironton 50-43 on Thursday afternoon, March 18, in a Division III state semifinal at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus.

Madison played with tremendous energy in the opening frame building a 16-7 lead, but the Tigers (17-8) settled down and imposed its more physical style of play on the Mohawks in the second quarter to rally from an 12-point deficit to get within four just before halftime.

But when a calming influence was needed, the Mohawks came up big.

Ironton did what it does best when Lorna Ceaser scored on a third-chance shot under the basket with 5:33 left in the third quarter. That got the Tigers within three, 30-27, but the Mohawks defense shut them down for the next four minutes while the offense slowed the game down some as well. Madison continued to work the ball around for the best shot and got it with 48 seconds to go in the third when Ally Malott drained a 3-pointer from the left corner that opened the Mohawks lead back to eight points, 37-29, with one quarter to go.

But it wasn’t just the 3-pointer that Malott delivered. The junior, who injured her shoulder last Saturday in the regional finals against Versailles, was 10-of-14 at the free-throw line with 4-of-4 coming in the fourth quarter.

Madison’s Adrianne Lehman came up big at the line as well. The senior point guard had one of her five rebounds, one steal and went to the line three times in the final minute of the game. She nailed 4-of-6 bonus shots to push the Mohawks to the win.

“Something just came over me,” Lehman said. “I was really calm. They were close enough that normally I wouldn’t be, but I just had to step up and secure the win for us.

“We thought it felt good to win the regional championship and beat Versailles,” she continued. “But this feels much better. To be in the (state) finals is amazing.”

Lindsay Hoskins added 12 points, and Rachel Blevins, playing for the first time in two weeks, totaled eight points for Madison.

Nikki Elswick finished with 14 points, and Ceaser had 11 for the Tigers.

“My girls played extremely, extremely hard,” Ironton coach Doug Graham said. “We were battling the whole game and spending a lot of energy. It’s unfortunate we didn’t win, but I’m still proud of our effort and intensity.

“Sometimes in big games, the team that settles its nerves first has the advantage, and they did that in the first quarter,” he added.

Madison will play Findlay Liberty-Benton (26-0), a 56-34 winner over Smithville in the other semifinal, at 10:45 a.m. Saturday for the D-III state championship.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2852

or sweaver@coxohio.com.