GIRLS BASKETBALL: Unlikely source helps Stoney Creek rally past Adams

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

ROCHESTER HILLS — Rochester Adams’ defensive plan was simple Wednesday night.

Tightly guard Rochester Stoney Creek’s seniors, in particular all-time leading scorer Gabby Yurik, and make the other players beat the Highlanders.

The Cougars’ found such a lethal player in freshmen Maria Zandi.

Zandi delivered the dagger, a wide-open three-pointer from the top of the key with 42 seconds left, which gave Stoney Creek its first lead of the second half at 39-38, and she added a block on the other end of the floor on the Highlanders’ next possession with 11 ticks remaining, in helping Stoney Creek rally for a 41-38 victory in a Class A girls basketball district semifinal at Rochester High.

“When I got the ball I was like this one is going in. You have got to have confidence when you’re on the court,” said Zandi, who said that her shot and block were the biggest of her career.

DRIVING THE BASE LINE: Rochester Stoney Creek senior guard Gabby Yurik slips past the defense of Rochester Adams senior Lauren Boyle (No. 10) and freshman Raiven Owusu (No. 1) during Wednesday's Class A district semifinal. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

“We have the three seniors here and you have to put yourself in their shoes,” continued Zandi. “They really wanted to win this game, so I played my heart out for them.”

Zandi’s clutch performance was the biggest of her young career.

“She had taken some tough shots before,” said Stoney Creek coach Brad Crighton. “That one she stepped into her shot and when she released it, it looked pretty good. She got her feet set and she was definitely excited.”

Stoney Creek (14-7) will play for the district championship on Friday night at 7 p.m. against Rochester. The Cougars have lost in the district finals the past two years, both times to Romeo.

Down 17-11 at the half, Stoney Creek slowly whittled away at the Highlanders’ lead, climbing back to within 29-27 at the end of the third quarter.

Adams (13-8), which has not won a district in 11 seasons, used an 8-1 run, capped by a triple from Jenny Rosonke, to put the Highlanders up 36-28 with 4:58 to play. Adams could not keep the momentum.

The Cougars closed out with a 14-2 run. Yurik scored six in the run and she nailed her only 3-pointer of the night, which brought Stoney Creek within two points at 38-36 with 1:18 to play.

“Coming in, I knew what (Adams coach ) Fran (Scislowicz) was going to do and they did a great job with it,” said Crighton of Adams’ defensive schemes. “I told the other girls, ‘you’re going to get more open shots than in any other game. You just have to step in and have confidence. If you miss three in a row, step in and have confidence in your shot.’”

PUSHING THE TEMPO: Rochester Adams senior guard Lauren Boyle brings the ball up the court past Rochester Stoney Creek senior Lauren Bolhuis during Wednesday's district semifinal. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

After going just 2-for-12 from the floor and trailing 6-4 after the first quarter, the Highlanders got untracked in the second quarter with a 13-4 run. Adams made 5-of-11 shots from the floor, including a triple, and sank a pair of free throws in the frame to go up 17-11.

Stoney Creek could not get much to drop in the first half, even with several open jumpers and drives to the basket. The Cougars were 4-for-23 from the field in the first half alone, and made only 1-of-8 from outside the arc and split four freebies.

The Highlanders held Stoney Creek’s all-stater Gabby Yurik to just one free throw and 0-for-4 shooting in the first half, sheltering the four-year starter with fresh bodies the whole night.

Yurik scored 14 points with seven rebounds for Stoney Creek defeated Adams 39-31 back on Feb. 14. Zandi added seven points and Lauren Bolhuis chipped in with four points, five steals and four assists for the Cougars, who still finished only 13-for-46 from the floor for the game, including just 4-for-18 from outside the arc.

Rosonke scored nine, Amber Jamison added eight points and seven rebounds and Lauren Boyle had six points, four assists and four rebounds before fouling out with 2:49 left for Adams, which finished the night 16-for-45 from the field.

“That hurt. (Boyle is) our floor leader and I don’t think she’s had three fouls in a game all season,” said Scislowicz. “When she went out, we were without our (glue) on offense.

“I thought the three (by Yurik) kind of springboarded them at the end,” continued Scislocwicz. “That really got them going.”

Adams has lost in the district opener or semifinals each time in the past decade after reaching the state quarterfinals in 2002.

“It’s been a while since we’ve won anything in a district. Even in softball, we seem to always draw the (Favored) team,” said Scislowicz. “We did everything we could for a long, long time. We came up short.”

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Tags: Basketball, girls basketball, High School Girls Basketball, MHSAA Class A Girls Basketball Districts, prep girls basketball, Rochester Adams Girls Basketball, Rochester Stoney Creek Girls Basketball

Category: Featured Articles, High School, Prep Wraps, Rochester Adams, Rochester Stoney Creek