REACHING UP — Catholic Central’s Mary Rohde extends for a layup attempt in front of Toronto’s Jayna Reeves during Wednesday Division VII East District tournament opener. - Andrew Grimm

STEUBENVILLE — The Catholic Central girls’ basketball team answered the call against Jefferson County rival.

Catholic Central – the No. 5 seed – led No. 8seed Toronto by just four points with less than five minutes remaining in the first half, however, the Crusaders ripped off a 9-0 run to gain control of the game en route to a 57-39 victory in an Ohio Division VII Eastern District Sectional Semifinal Wednesday night inside the Mickey Barber Gymnasium.

Catholic Central tallied the first five points of the night and extended their advantage to 14-5 in the first quarter before Toronto fought back and closed to within four in the second.

“I have to give Toronto credit,” Catholic Central (14-8) head coach Rocky Bragg said. “They always play hard. They always work hard. As long as Rusty Hodgkiss is their coach, they are going to continue to work hard, and they are not going to give up. They always play to the final buzzer.

“We started off fast, but then we could not get a shot to fall. We missed a lot of shots from in close. We missed a lot of putbacks. We missed a lot of shots we don’t normally miss. We talked at halftime, and we wanted to make sure we were relaxed, our form was good and that we were in the right state of mind. We came out and did a better job in the second half.”

After falling behind 14-5 late in the first, the girls in red countered by scoring the next five points to pull within four. The hosts responded with the next four before the visitors scored the next four to make it an 18-14 ballgame. Toronto had some momentum, however, the Blue-and-Gold were able to turn the tide and get the momentum back on their side as their 9-0 run gave them a 27-14 advantage.

“It was a tough one,” Toronto (14-9) head coach Rusty Hodgkiss said. “We had played so well in the previous two games against Southern Thursday, and we played fantastic Monday night. We were playing well, and we just did not foresee the struggles we had today.”

With the win, Catholic Central will play No. 1 seed Hiland in a sectional co-final at 1 p.m. Saturday on the road.

“Unfortunately, they are,” Bragg said asked if the Hawks are playing up to their normal high standards. “They have suffered a few losses this season. Their scoring average is down. When you walk into the gym and see that word on their jerseys, you know it is going to be a tough game.

“We are going to have to bring our A game. You have to bring your A game against them. We are going to prepare for the them the next few days. We are going to watch film on them, and we are going to strategize. You have to bring your A game if you want to compete with them or possibly beat them. You have to bring your A game if you want to be successful against them.”

The Crusaders led 14-7 at the end of the first.

“We talked in the locker room before the game that it was OK to play with emotion, but we couldn’t be hectic,” Hodgkiss said. “We couldn’t play hectic. We played so well the last two games because we played under control. We were able to control the tempo. Catholic Central did a really good job of speeding us up.

“It is a big rivalry for us. I don’t know if it is for them. It is a big rivalry, and we want to play so well it has an adverse effect on us.”

Catholic Central extended their advantage to 30-17 at halftime.

“We were able to slow down,” Hodgkiss said asked what enabled his team to get back into the game early in the second. “We took better care of the basketball. We rebounded the ball. That was the one stretch there I thought we were effective on the defensive glass.

“We just could not knock shots down.

“I don’t know how many baskets they scored on their first shot in their offense. They were able to get some runouts, they were able to get some fastbreaks and they were able to score in transition. When we played defense, I don’t know how many points they scored on their first shot. It didn’t seem like a lot. They scored a lot on putbacks. I think at one point, they had six consecutive offensive rebounds.

“If you don’t rebound, you are going to be playing defense the whole game. Playing defense is not fun. If you can’t rebound, you are going to play defense until they score. The goal on offense is to score points. The goal on defense is to get the ball back.”

The victors led 38-19 with 4:30 left in the third before extending their advantage to 20 points – 46-26 – at the end of the quarter.

The Crusaders led by more than 20 in the fourth before the Red-and-White went on a little run. Toronto ended up outscoring Catholic Central, 13-11, in the fourth to account for the final score.

“The goal is to evolve your team,” Bragg said. “I had a vision. The first thing was I wanted us to play fast. I wanted us to be able to get out in transition. Then, I introduce the girls to a tight man-to-man defense. I wanted us to get accustomed to it. We have worked on it. The next thing is I want to be able to press. We have used a half-court press, but I also wanted us to be able to use a full-court press similar to what you see down at River. I want us to be good at it. We are learning. I think our press threw them off a little bit.”

Mara Delaney delivered a team-high 18 points to lead the way offensively for Catholic Central, while Mary Rohde recorded 15.

“She’s fantastic,” Hodgkiss said about Rohde. “We did a better job with her this time, but she is a lot for us to deal with.”

Jaya Reeves recorded a game-high 21 points to lead the way for the Red Knights, while Tatum Derrington tallied 13.

The game was the final one for Toronto’s two seniors – Maddy Yost and Derrington.

“They have meant everything,” Hodgkiss said. “I talked to Maddy when we get off the bus and I told I wish I had had her for four years. She is just a fantastic kid.

“I don’t have the words for Tatum. I can’t say enough about her. I have known her since she was in the sixth grade. We started a thing where we would bring a sixth grader up from our youth league and let them be the ball girl for our sectional game, and she was our firdst. She was a shy, quiet, 12-year-old sixth grader. I sat next to her on the bus to try and make her feel not so overwhelmed. I tried to talk to her the whole way out, and she did not say a word. She would just nod and occasionally say a single syllable. I had her for six years and it is not enough.

“Their basketball careers are over, but their relationship with me is not over. Their relationship with Toronto girls’ basketball is not over. Hopefully, they both stay close. I want to be in their lives forever. A little piece of them lives in your heart.”

Catholic Central 57, Toronto 39

Toronto 7 10 9 13 – 39

Catholic Central 14 16 16 11 – 57

TORONTO (9-14): Derrington 6 1-2 13, Sapp 0 1-4 1, Bailey 0 0-0 0, Piatt 0 0-0 0, Reeves 6 5-8 21, Rebich 2 0-0 4, Yost 0 0-0 0, Dickinson 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 14 7-14 39.

CATHOLIC CENTRAL (14-8): Rohde 7 1-2 15, Cherepko 1 0-2 3, Dankert 1 0-0 3, Fink 1 0-0 2, Hoover 0 3-4 3, Bolster 1 1-4 3, Delaney 8 0-0 18, Balabin 2 0-0 4, Garcia 1 0-0 2, Rigaud 2 0-2 4. TOTALS: 24 5-14 57.

3-POINTERS: Toronto 4 (Reeves 4); Catholic Central 4 (Delaney 2, Cherepko, Dankert)