D2 REGIONAL FINAL … Ella Rau drives to the rim with Emily Kerekes of Copley in toe in the first half at Mansfield Senior High School. (PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER & RENEA KESSLER/THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
By: Nate Calvin
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
MANSFIELD (March 8, 2024) – The Bryan Lady Bears ran into a buzzsaw on Friday night at Mansfield Senior High School in the Copley Indians and their star player Izzy Callaway.
The senior, who’s committed to Division II Walsh University, had nine field goals, including three triples, and connected on 11 free throws for a game-high 32 points as Copley ended Bryan’s season, 62-39.
“Our kids have taken on all comers and have been able to withstand all the tests, obviously tonight we just saw a really good basketball team”, said head coach Todd Grosjean.
Callaway scored the game’s first points on an offensive rebound, but the Bears answered with a 2/2 trip to the line by Kailee Thiel and Anna Gray drilled a trey from the corner to put Bryan up 5-2.
It was a 12-4 surge by Copley the remainder of the quarter led by seven points from Callaway and a couple buckets inside for Kami Ayoup to put the Indians up 14-9 after one quarter.
Ella Rau began the second quarter with a three-pointer from the right wing before Callaway went to work again for Copley.
She would go on a 9-0 run by herself with two foul shots, two scores at the rim, and a triple from the wing to make it 23-12 as Bryan would take a timeout with around 5:00 left in the first half.
Thiel stopped the run with a layup on a backdoor cut, but Zoey Van Voorhis drilled consecutive treys and Callaway would get a steal and layup at the buzzer for a 33-18 halftime lead.
Bryan engineered a 5-0 spurt to start the second half aided by baskets from Gray and Thiel to close the deficit to ten at 33-23.
Copley quickly answered though as Ayoup scored inside, Callaway added a corner three ball, and Evelyn McKnight scored on a drive to the bucket to push the lead to 17 points at 40-23.
A Thiel bucket for Bryan was met by six straight points by the Indians, four from Calaway, before Ella Voigt hit a deep triple from the top of the key to cut the Copley lead to 46-28 after three quarters.
Copley continued to get to the hoop in the fourth quarter as Callaway, Ayoup, McKnight, and Audrey Parker all had layups during an 11-4 run to make it 57-32.
Thiel led Bryan with 15 points as the Golden Bears were held to 27% shooting and were guilty of 17 turnovers.
BRYAN SENIOR … Kailee Thiel puts up a runner over the top of Copley’s Izzy Callaway.
Callaway was joined in double digits by Ayoup with 10 for Copley (25-3), who shot 53% from the floor on the night.
The Golden Bears’ season ends at 26-2, a school record for wins in a season, with the school’s second straight berth in the regional finals after going 25-3 last season and a trip to the state tournament.
“A couple of them got a taste of this when they were freshman”, said Grosjean when talking about the senior class.
“All the alumni that came before them really paved the way for this, but these kids have bought in and have spent a ton of time playing basketball.”
“I’m just really proud of the effort they put forth and the leaders that they’ve become not only on the court but in the classroom.”
COPLEY (62) – Callaway 32; Lane 0; Parker 2; McKnight 7; Kerekes 5; Ayoup 10; Van Voorhis 6; Totals: 17-5-13 – 62
BRYAN (39) – Zimmerman 3; Thiel 15; Voigt 5; Gray 7; Rau 5; Smith 2; Arnold 2; Brown 0; Langham 0; Totals: 10-3-10 – 39
COPLEY 14 19 13 16 – 62
BRYAN 9 9 10 11 – 39
GAME STATISTICS
COPLEY: FG – 22/41 (53%); FT – 13/19 (68%); Rebounds – 28 (6 offensive); Turnovers – 16; BRYAN: FG – 13/47 (27%); FT – 10/19 (52%); Rebounds – 23 (9 offensive); Turnovers – 17