It sounds so sweet! The Wadsworth Lady Grizzlies are heading to Columbus.
In the Division One Regional Finals played at Norwalk High School Saturday afternoon, the Lady Grizzlies defeated Toledo Whitmer 47-39 to advance to the Final Four in Columbus.
Wadsworth had lost in the regional final round of the tournament Girls Division One State Tournament for the last four years. It was the same opponent the last four years, Mount Notre Dame Academy. But, Whitmer upset Notre Dame Academy to win the district championship.
The Lady Grizzlies started off slowly in the first quarter. They trailed Whitmer 8-4 at one point in the opening period. But, baskets by Lexi Lance and Sophia Fortner tied the game at 8 as the quarter ended.
And then it was time for Jodi Johnson to take over. Johnson had 29 points in the game. She scored 27 of Wadsworth’s last 39 points.
Wadsworth stepped up the defensive pressure in the second quarter, forcing Whitmer into making turnovers. But, the Lady Grizzlies could shoot only 8 of 33 from the field in the first half on their way to a 22-14 halftime lead.
Wadsworth extended the lead to 33-22 at the end of third quarter.
Behind 6-2 junior Bryce Blood, 7-7 senior Julia Kimmel and 5-6 sophomore Maddie Brown, Whitmer reduced the lead to four points with two minutes to play. But, Johnson and Sophia Fortner would hit six of eight free throws to give Wadsworth the victory and its first trip to Columbus since 2006.
The next game for the Lady Grizzlies will be Friday night at the Schottenstein Center at Ohio State University in Columbus against Reynoldsburg. Wadsworth is 26-1 on the season while Reynoldsburg is 23-5. Game time Friday Night is 6 o’clock.
97.1/Wadsworth Community Radio will have the game for you on the FM Dial, on our web page at WadsworthCommunityRadio-dot-com or on our app for your smart phone.
