Morning Journal / Michael Burich. Crestview’s Addison Rhodes attempts a jump shot over Chippewa’s Lucy Goodrich (3) and Myra Lewis (12) during a regional semifinal on Tuesday in Elyria.

ELYRIA — Having just won its first district title since 2007, Crestview wasn’t about to rest on its laurels on Tuesday in a Div. V regional semifinal against Doylestown Chippewa at the Elyria Catholic Coliseum.

Having come back from a five-point halftime deficit to tie the game heading into the fourth quarter, the Rebels were on the cusp of earning their first regional win in school history.

Chippewa had other plans though. Holding the Rebels scoreless for nearly six minutes in the final frame, the Chipps ended one of the most memorable Crestview seasons in recent history with a 42-36 victory.

“It was a winnable game,” Crestview coach Aaron Blatch said. “We really worked through that third quarter to overcome a couple deficits. We couldn’t close it out. There was a lot of emotion in the locker room. I think the No. 1 thing we emphasized was just the appreciation for what our girls did this year. They worked hard every day. They got better. All the stuff we asked of them they gave to us. I appreciate each of their contributions to this.”

Columbiana County all-time leading scorer Addison Rhodes finished the night with 13 points, well below her season average of 31.4 which ranks 30th in the nation according to MaxPreps. She ended her career at Crestview with 2,485 points.

“We definitely needed to rebound better, they just killed us on the boards,” Rhodes said. “Offensively we weren’t in rhythm. We started to get some good looks, but we just didn’t execute some stuff well. At times we did, but at times we didn’t. That’s the main difference in the game.”

Crestview finished its season at 23-2.

Chippewa (18-8) will meet defending regional champion and MaxPreps No. 2 ranked Norwayne in the regional final at 7 p.m. on Friday at Elyria Catholic. No. 2 seed Norwayne beat No. 11 seed Wooster Triway in the other regional semifinal on Tuesday.

Chippewa reached this same stage last year, but was eliminated by eventual state finalist Norwayne. This season, Norwayne won the Wayne County Athletic League and Chippewa took second.

“Crestview is good,” Chipps’ coach Katie Miller said. “I’ve been watching Addison Rhodes for the last three years. She’s an elite player and her teammates really compliment her well. We knew we were going to have our hands full and give her a lot of attention. We wanted to limit her touches.”

The Chipps’ plan involved taking as much away from Rhodes as possible and it mostly worked. Emme Donnelly, a 5-foot-5 guard, was mostly in charge of watching the 5-foot-11 Rhodes the entire night.

“Emme Donnelly is an elite defender,” Miller said. “She’s a kid who salivates over playing defense and did a phenomenal job on (Rhodes). The biggest thing we talked about was the way Rhodes crashes the boards. We did a good job of keeping her off the boards.”

Aira Regan led the winners with 12 points, but she left briefly at the start of the fourth quarter after she hurt her arm on the last play of the third quarter.

Crestview trailed 17-12 at the half, but outscored the Chipps 16-11 in the third quarter to tie the game. Ava Bucey’s bucket with 2:46 left in the third quarter even gave the Rebels a brief lead at one point.

An 11-0 Chipps’ run to start the fourth quarter doomed Crestview, however. The Rebels did not score in the fourth quarter until there was 2:08 remaining. By that time the game was out of reach.

Junior Rebel Kerrigan Miller, who had stepped up in the district final, was also a significant factor on Tuesday as she ignited the team with 11 points. Miller, the only Rebel basketball player with regional experience via the volleyball team, knew the stakes coming in.

“I think (being in the regionals with the volleyball team) got me ready for the competition we see in the tournament,” Miller said. “I told them to get ready for a team that is tough and that is going to push you. It’s not like a team that we see in our league. It’s not like a team we see in our county. It’s nothing like that. It’s a lot faster.”

Blatch said he would miss his departing seniors, but Rhodes will be one that will live on in the memory of area basketball fans for a long time.

“It’s hard to come up with words for what she has done for our program,” Blatch said. “I think she is going to go down as the best player in the history of the county. Seeing her every day with the work ethic, passion and investment, that stuff is rare in life. Forget basketball. She is the most committed person to anything I have ever been around. I think she elevated our program and she established a new standard. We are indebted to her for that. I’m excited to see what is next for her at Fairfield. I know she will do a great job there.”

An emotional Rhodes also had trouble finding the words for what her career meant to Crestview.

“Those four years and to win the district, it’s one of the best things. This team has been awesome,” Rhodes said.

Coming into the game, Rhodes officially had 825 rebounds, 360 assists, 86 blocks and 345 steals for her career.