Ohio D3 State Finals- Purcell Marian 72 Avon Lake 44

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Purcell Marian jumped out to a 23-8 lead after the opening period and never looked back, cruising to a 72-44 victory over Avon Lake to win the Ohio Division 3 state championship. It was the fourth consecutive state title for the Cavaliers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players of the Game</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>[player_tooltip player_id='360697' first='Darriana' last='Alexander'], 6-1 2025, Purcell Marian</em>- Dee put on another show on the grandest stage. After a couple of turnovers in the opening two minutes, she turned it on to another level with a huge first half. Alexander scored 16 points in the first half and finished with 27 points on the day. She also grabbed 10 rebounds with 7 assists to put together an incredible game for her final time wearing the Cavalier jersey. She was also 11-13 from the field. Dee is staying home and attending the University of Cincinnati. <em>(feature photo)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='327770' first='Izzie' last='Polinko'], 5-6 2025 Avon Lake- One of the bright spots was the play of Polinko, who finished the day with a solid 11 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists for the Shoregals. In her final game in her high school uniform, Polinko put forth a great effort despite the incredible pressure defense from PM. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stat Stuffers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Purcell Marian</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Points- [player_tooltip player_id='360697' first='Darriana' last='Alexander'] 27 points, Trinity Small 16 points, [player_tooltip player_id='451570' first='Ky'Aira' last='Miller'] 11 points, [player_tooltip player_id='808266' first='Samaya' last='Wilkins'] 11 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rebounds- [player_tooltip player_id='360697' first='Darriana' last='Alexander'] 10 rebounds, [player_tooltip player_id='808266' first='Samaya' last='Wilkins'] 6 rebounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Assists- [player_tooltip player_id='360697' first='Darriana' last='Alexander'] 7 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Avon Lake</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Points- [player_tooltip player_id='537957' first='Olivia' last='Miller'] 12 points, [player_tooltip player_id='327770' first='Izzie' last='Polinko'] 11 points</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rebounds- [player_tooltip player_id='960539' first='Molly' last='Milligan'] 7 rebounds, [player_tooltip player_id='327770' first='Izzie' last='Polinko'] 6 rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Assists- Olivia Tobin 4 assists</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sleepers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>[player_tooltip player_id='861190' first='Layla' last='Claxton'], 5-8 2027, Purcell Marian</em>- During her 14:17 on the floor, Layla displayed a solid game off the bench for Purcell Marian. She scored seven points but the experience she gained on this stage will help her the next two seasons. She has good athleticism with solid hands and plays the game with a good basketball IQ. Keep an eye on this one!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Trinity Small, 5-6 2025, Purcell Marian- </em>Even though she really isn't a sleeper amongst those who follow the game, she is their fourth of fifth option but that is just because of the incredible lineup in front of her. Most anyplace else, she will light things up. Today, she had an incredible game with 16 points and brings home the gold. Does her job and plays the game with a lot of fire and energy. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Shoutouts!</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Olivia Tobin, 5-6 2025 Avon Lake</em>- Olivia crashed into the scorers table and limped off in pain midway through first quarter. Purcell defense was swarming. Both team had early turnovers but Avon had trouble with the pressure of the defense.&nbsp; She came back in but was a bit hobbled.&nbsp;Great gutsy effort for the senior in her last game! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->