Mar 8, 2025
Fort Frye’s Ava Huffman (4) attacks the basket against Rootstown during Friday’s state semifinal game at Claymont High School in Urichsville. (Photo by Mike Morrison)
URICHSVILLE, Ohio — Many thought heading into Friday night’s Division VI, state semifinal at Claymont High School that the Fort Frye Cadets would have to play their absolute best basketball game to have any chance at all of downing the once-beaten Rootstown Rovers.
Turns out the Rovers had to play some of their absolute best basketball to hold off the Cadets and they were able to do just that as they came away with a 57-54 win to advance to the state championship game next Saturday in Dayton.
Nadia Lough and Colbie Curall combined for 36 points to lead the Rovers to what would be their 17th consecutive victory.
“It’s great to get this done with our whole community here and I couldn’t be more proud of our effort,” said Rootstown head coach Joe Leonard. “It’s surreal and really hasn’t sunk in yet so we are going to enjoy this today and then tomorrow we are going to get right back at it.”
The Rovers shot a blistering 66 percent (22-33) in the game, including a 70-percent showing in the first half as they built a six-point lead at the intermission.
Both teams came out firing in a first quarter that Rootstown would win by a 19-17 margin.
Curall made her presence known very early on as she scored the first seven points of the game for Rootstown, including two easy buckets off of steals she came up with under the Cadets basket.
Fort Frye fought right back largely due to the hot hand of sophomore Haven Shilling, who splashed in a pair of triples in the opening quarter.
The Cadets took a 14-13 lead on a triple by sophomore Ella Dowler, but Lough dominated the second half of the first quarter to keep her team in front.
Lough finished with 10 points in the first quarter including a pair of three-pointers.
The Cadets opened the second quarter on a bit of a roll as Emmie Duskey tossed in a two-pointer and Dowler followed with another triple to push the Fort in front by three.
That lead didn’t last long at all as the Rovers got red-hot in a hurry and put together a 13-0 run that turned the three-point deficit into a 10-point lead.
Lough, Kelsey Bittecutter and Cloe Bengston all connected from behind the arc while Lough capped the run by coming up with a steal and a two-pointer to push the lead to 32-22.
The Cadets were able to respond down the stretch as triples by Dowler and Shilling trimmed the lead to six at the break.
Fort Frye made good on 7-of-15 three-point attempts in the opening half and the switch of rims to begin the second half only seemed to help as they came out on fire after the break.
Duskey canned a three to open the half and after a Curall bucket, sophomore Aubrie Lang and Dowler nailed three-pointers on back-to-back possessions and just like that the Cadets took a 38-37 lead.
The two teams swapped the lead back and forth several times in the third before Curall came up big in the closing minutes to give her team the lead heading to the final quarter.
Curall’s three-point play tied the game with 1:37 to play in the third and she came up with yet another steal and basket to give the Rovers the lead for good.
“She’s struggled a little bit the last couple of games so it was great to see her get going like that,” said Leonard of Curall, who made all seven of her field goal attempts. “She’s a heck of a hard worker and she had a great game on the biggest stage so I’m really happy for her.”
A left-handed lay-up by Curall opened the final quarter for Rootstown and back-to-back baskets by Lough and Kelsey Bittecutter pushed the lead to eight.
The usually up-tempo Rootstown offense turned deliberate as they used the clock to their advantage.
The Cadets may have used all of their bullets in their impressive third quarter as they couldn’t seem to buy a bucket down the stretch.
Rootstown was able to make just enough free throws down the stretch to keep the Cadets at bay the rest of the way.
Lough led the way with 20 points for the Rovers while Curall finished with 16 points and a very impressive stat sheet.
Curall led her team in steals with seven, assists with six and tied Lough for the team lead with four boards.
Fort Frye head coach Dan Liedtke couldn’t have been more proud of the effort he got out of his young squad as four of his five starters were just sophomores.
The Cadets finished the game with 14 three-pointers while just eight of their points came via the two-point field goal.
“I’m very proud of our effort and we never quit,” said Liedtke. “In some ways when you see your players play like they did even though the numbers didn’t come out right they are still winners because they gave it everything they had.”
Dowler led the way for Fort Frye with 23 points including seven from behind the arc while Duskey and Shilling finished with 13 points apiece.
“Rootstown was shooting the lights out and I really hadn’t seen them shoot the ball like that and the game got really aggressive,” said Liedtke. “They kept putting pressure on us and I thought we handled that really well and then we missed a few opportunities, but that’s basketball.”
The game marked the final one for Duskey in a Cadet uniform while everyone else will return next season.
Leonard was quite impressed with the effort put forth by the Cadets.
“That is a tremendous program and we have a ton of respect for the program and the coaching staff and they do a ton of stuff that we hadn’t seen,” said Leonard of the Cadets. “They are so disciplined and just do everything so well.”
The Rovers will take on Columbus Grove next Saturday in Dayton at 2 p.m. in the state championship game.
ONA — Cabell Midland (12-11) and Parkersburg (9-14) battled back and forth all game as The Big Reds took a one …
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