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Naples, Niles advance, blast Crestwood

Senior scores 35, sets up matchup with Struthers

Tribune Chronicle / Eric Murray Crestwood’s Mia Miller, left, look to pass to teammate Lilly Hoffman (2) while Niles Madison Johnson plays defense Saturday in a sectional first-round game. Niles won and now faces Struthers.

NILES — The Niles girls basketball team went off for a 24-2 first-half run in a 71-32 Division II sectional first-round win at home over the Crestwood Red Devils. Niles led, 10-7, midway through the first period before routing the Crestwood.

“I think our intensity just picked up a little bit on the press,” Niles coach Doug Foster said. “When we play hard like that for four quarters, we can be a pretty good basketball team.”

Niles began its run with a long jumper from Dakota Naples, before Kenzie Johnston and Naples both followed that up with basket-and-1 opportunities. Naples then hit a pair of jumpshots to end the quarter, giving the Red Dragons a 20-7 lead.

Naples scored 16 points in the first quarter alone, but she was far from done. She opened the second period with a steal and lay-in before Amanda Blank followed with a corner jumper.

Crestwood’s Emily Walker ended the 14-0 run with a jumper of her own. However, Niles found itself ahead by 15 points at that point and proceeded to start yet another run.

This time around, Niles had a 10-0 advantage to complete the 24-2 sequence. Naples caught a long inbound pass and finished the basket. She then saved the ball on the next possession to allow Emma Dellinger to bang in a short jumper.

Niles eventually extended its lead to 36-9 before the run ended. Naples had 22 points by half and went on to add 13 more after halftime, as her Red Dragons led by as many as 44 in the second-half.

One of the biggest issues that Crestwood had was getting the ball past halfcourt, as an opportunistic Red Dragons team had several steals in the contest.

“I think they (Crestwood) weren’t used to that kind of pressure,” Foster said. “When we’re hitting shots and playing good defense, it’s a good night.”

In the first four minutes of the game, the two squads went back and forth, as Mia Miller came out with a quick 3-pointer to give Crestwood the first lead of the game. Naples responded with a corner jumper, before Jazmine Smith’s putback put the Red Dragons ahead.

Walker’s putback off the glass gave the Red Devils the lead once more, before Niles took the lead for good with back-to-back triples by Naples. The No. 9-seeded Red Devils finish their season at 12-11, while the No. 7-seeded Red Dragons improve to 14-9.

Niles will now go on the road to face a tough test next Thursday night, as it will travel to No. 4 Struthers for a sectional semifinal. Niles has already lost twice to the Wildcats this season, and according to Foster, a fast start is a must.

“They got us pretty good both games. The first (couple) times we played them, they jumped out on us early,” Foster explained. “Hopefully we can come out and compete for 32 minutes and see what happens. That old cliche they say about three times (third time’s a charm), I don’t believe in that. Struthers is a very good basketball team, well-coached. I’m just hoping my girls come out ready to play and see what happens.”

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