CLARION, Pa. (EYT/D9) – The Brockway duo of Danielle Wood and Selena Buttery combined for 35 of Brockway’s 46 points in helping the Rovers claim a 46-37 victory over Clarion-Limestone to capture the District 9 Class 2A championship at Tippin Gymnasium on the campus of Clarion University on Friday evening.
Buttery also grabbed 12 rebounds while Wood added six boards, also sinking 5-of-9 free throws over the final 1:10 to help in the victory.
“It’s a feeling like none other,” Buttery said. “It’s still sinking in. This team is my family and we have worked our butts off to get where we are, so I’m proud of each and every one of the girls.”
C-L didn’t help their cause by shooting 8-of-37 in the first half.
The Lions missed their first 13 shots as Brockway jumped out to a 7-0 lead. Kendall Dunn finally broke the ice for C-L at the 3:37 mark to cut the lead to 7-2. The Rovers closed the quarter on a 9-2 run to take a 16-4 lead after one.
“Early nerves got us,” said C-L head coach Gus Simpson on the early deficit. “I think we had like six looks on one possession and we still couldn’t get the ball in the hoop. Their senior leadership really seemed to be the key.”
The lead stayed at 12 at 21-9 with three minutes left to play in the first half before C-L made a move. An 8-4 edge by the Lions over the remainder of the quarter cut the lead down to eight at halftime, 25-17.
C-L got to within six as Frances Milliron opened the second half scoring. However, Brockway answered with an 8-0 run to push their lead to 14 at 33-19 at the 3:40 mark. The lead would remain 14 by the end of the third quarter at 36-22.
The Lions weren’t going to go down without a fight, however.
C-L opened the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run to cut the lead back down to five at 36-31 midway through the final frame.
A 3-pointer by Buttery at the 3:11 mark seemed to be the big blow in putting the lead back to eight at 39-31.
(Danielle Wood was named Hager Paving Incorporated Player of the Game)
The Lions did cut the lead back down to six at 41-35 after a pair of foul shots by Samantha Simpson at the 1:15 mark. Wood missed a free throw at 1:10, but Buttery grabbed the rebound and Wood began her final push of making her 5-of-9 free throws while C-L would only counter with a layup by Milliron which set the final score of 46-37.
“Our kids didn’t stop even when we were down after the third,” said Simpson. “We just couldn’t get over that hump. Every time we’d make a little run at them, they’d hit a three or they’d go down and convert on their end when we wouldn’t convert on ours.”
Kendall Dunn recorded a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds while Milliron added 10 points and eight boards.
“Kendall and Frances are two very special players,” said Simpson. “Kendall is all heart. She’s like 5-5, 5-4 and is heart. If we could bottle that and give it to every other kid. Although it is starting to become infectious because these other kids understand it now. We’ve come a long way in these past five seasons since I came back. We won a total of three games those first two years and here we are playing for a District championship. That is a credit to all the kids who came through here before and put in the work and these kids along with assistant coach Sarah Meals.”
Brockway received an escort when they returned home as district champions.
“It’s an amazing feeling to do it with a teammate I’ve been playing hand-in-hand with for years, also,” Buttery said of Wood, the Hager Paving Incorporated Player of the Game. “It’s a beautiful feeling having a whole town behind you and escorting you back into your hometown after such a huge win.”
It was a special night for Wood, too, not just because of her effort.
“So exciting to be the first Lady Rover D9 champion in 50 years,” Wood said. “Us as a team really wanted this for our coaches and for ourselves. We are glad that we got (it) because that silver last year didn’t sit well.
“It was a great team effort all around,” Wood added. “We played some great defense – we kept Frances to 10 points, which was huge – and we made some important shots towards the end.”
(Mike Kilroy contributed to this story)
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