MANSFIELD: Senior Jimi Howell and junior Abbey Murawski slapped hands and hugged their teammates Tuesday, and then made their way over to the student section.
It was celebration time for Howell, Murawski and everyone else in Norton gear after the Panthers defeated the Norwalk Truckers 55-50 in a Division II girls basketball regional semifinal at Mansfield’s Pete Henry Gymnasium.
Howell scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Murawski scored 16 points as the Panthers (22-5) extended their season at the expense of the Truckers (21-6).
“I think we wanted it a little bit more,” Howell said. “We have worked so hard for this. The thought of losing after we have come this far is just not acceptable.
“This was an exciting night. It was great to see our student section come out here. This is over an hour away, and just to have all of the support from the fans and the community really helped pump us up.”
Norton will return to Mansfield on Friday to meet Ottawa-Glandorf or Clyde at 7:30 p.m. in a regional final. Norton’s last trips to a regional final in girls basketball came in 1999 and 2000. The Panthers reached the state bracket in girls basketball in 1980 and 1986.
“We pounded the ball inside and made a lot of inside shots, especially in the second half to secure the lead,” Murawski said.
Norwalk led 14-13 after one quarter, and the teams were tied 25-25 at halftime. The 5-foot-10 Murawski scored 12 of her 16 points in the second half. Howell, also 5-10, scored eight of her 17 points in the final 16 minutes.
“We survived today,” Norton 14th-year coach Brian Miller said. “We did not play very well. We missed a lot of easy shots and free throws. We were up six [48-42] and missed three one-and-one free throws in a row. That is costly, but we still battled defensively. We didn’t allow them to score, and we kept getting chances.
“That is a credit to the kids. When [5-4 sophomore guard] Bryana Housley fouled out [with 3:44 to go in the fourth quarter] we were on the edge a little bit, but we held true.”
Norton led 42-39 through three quarters. Howell made a layup to give Norton its 48-42 lead with four minutes to go, and the Panthers’ advantage reached 49-42 with 2:46 to go when 5-6 junior Jordan Bird made a free throw.
Norwalk kept competing, but Norton held on following a layup by Murawski, two free throws by 5-3 sophomore Logan Favor and a free throw apiece by Bird and Murawski.
Housley, Favor, Bird, sophomore Kelsey Hosey, junior Sarah Shearer and sophomore Nicole Lester combined to score 22 points for Norton.
Senior Jiselle Thomas (15 points, 12 rebounds); junior Jasmine Thomas (nine points, eight rebounds) and sophomore Marly Geretz (eight points) paced Norwalk.
Norwalk finished third in the Northern Ohio League behind Bellevue and Shelby, and then the Truckers eliminated the Redmen and Whippets in the postseason.
“I am just proud of my kids,” Norwalk coach Brock Manlet said. “Jiselle wasn’t 100 percent, and I thought our kids played as hard as they possibly could. They left everything out on the floor. In the fourth quarter, we hit kind of a cold streak. We didn’t put the ball in the basket, and they were able to get some baskets and extend the lead.
“Mostly, the game came down to turnovers. We turned the ball over too much. We had 25 total and they had 13. I think that is the difference in the game.”
Michael Beaven can be reached at 330-996-3829 or mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the #ABJVarsity high school blog at www.ohio.com/preps. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MBeavenABJ.