Classic in the Country Day 2: Bender twins, Hall duel to highlight Sunday's action
In the closest contest of Classic in the Country so far, the Solon Comets pulled out a 43-42 triumph over Archbishop Alter Sunday afternoon.
Mackenzie Blackford paced the Solon attack with 21 points to go with nine rebounds, offsetting a 19-point, 14-rebound effort by Alter's Maddie Moody.
The Comets led 15-14 after one, but trailed 25-22 at the half. A 12-8 third quarter helped Solon pull ahead by one after three, and the Comets needed a last-seconbd block by Kaylee Levenhagen to secure the win.
Princeton 53, Magnificat 42
Princeton closed out like the champions they are, holding off hard-charging Magnificat 53-42 Sunday at Classic in the Country.
Too much Mari Gerton and Kali Forston proved to be the difference for the Vikiongs, the reigning queens of Division-I. Gerton poured in 21 points and Forston added 15 to go with 12 rebounds.
The Blue Streaks built a 30-21 lead at the break behind the long-range firewpower of Sofia Wilson, who drilled three first-half triples.
But Princeton picked up its defensive intensity in the third quarter and held Magnificat scoreless in the period, going on a 14-0 run to take a 35-30 lead into the final frame.
Katie Maryo swished back-to-back triples to open the fourth, and a Reese Roggenburk layup capped an 8-2 run that gave the Blue Streaks a 38-37 advantage. Maryo led the Blue Streaks with 13 points.
The Vikings answered with five straight unanswered scores to open up a nine-point lead with less than two minutes remaining.
Lakota West 50, Toledo Notre Dame 37
Katie Fox and company made quick work of the Eagles, racing out to a 12-0 advantage and never looking back.
The sophomore sparkplug of the Firebirds scored 26 points, draining 6-of-9 triples, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists, effectively running the show for Lakota West in powering past Notre Dame Academy.
Caroline Bayliff added 10 points for the winners.
Mason 46, Portsmouth 26
The Comets destroyed the Trojans in a Sunday evening affair at the Classic. No further information available.
Anthony Wayne 71, Laurel Academy 70
In one of the most prolific offensive performances by a trio of players in the 21-year history of the Classic in the Country, Anthony Wayne's super siblings, junior twins Elise and Brooke Bender combined for 59 points to offset the 43-point effort by Laurel Academy's sensational sophomore Saniyah Hall.
Elise Bender scored 34 and Brooke added 25, including a 3-pointer with less than a minute to play that provided the winning margin.
Hall had a shot at a game-winner, but her attempt at the buzzer rimmed out, lifting the Generals to victory over the Gators.
Warrensville Heights 61, Kettering Fairmont 51
Chelsea Johnson went 5-of-6 from the foul line down the stretch to secure a 10-point win for Warrensville Heights in the nightcap Sunday at Classic in the Country Challenge.
Johnson finished with 14 points for the winners. The Tigers were paced by Leilani Mcneill, who fouled out with 21 points, 19 of those coming in the first half.
Fairmont was led by Kaylah Thornton's 23 points in the losing effort.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Classic in the Country Day 2: Bender twins out-do Laurel's Hall
