Aurora takes home sectional crown over Lutheran East as Sam Stask hits early backbreaking shot
AURORA, Ohio - The Sam Stask highlight reel just keeps growing.
After walking into the gym an hour before the game on Saturday and saying with a smile "let's do this," the Aurora senior's marquee play of a 51-36 win over Lutheran East in the OHSAA Division II sectional final came early, but could also be viewed as the dagger.
With the teams tied 9-9 in the final seconds of the first quarter, Stask had the ball at the top of the key before she went into her shooting motion and drained a 3-pointer from behind the volleyball line, about 27 feet from the hoop. The ball went through the net as time expired, and Stask hopped down the court and looked to her bench, letting out a scream.
"Everyone was just so pumped," Aurora junior Julia Miller said. "That really elevated our mood. It was just such an awesome shot. It really pumped the team up and plays like that are what is gonna keep us going on."
After Stask hit the shot, Aurora outscored Lutheran East 11-2 in the second quarter to take a 23-11 lead into the half. The Aurora defense in the second quarter denied entry to the paint for the Falcons, which was the plan going in.
"I think we stayed home more in the second quarter and we did our job better," Aurora head coach Erika Greenburg said. "That was our whole thing the last two days of practice, that we don't want them to get in the paint. And I thought the girls really locked down in that second quarter."
When Lutheran East did make it into the paint, there was an Aurora defender there waiting, and the Greenmen took a pair of charges in the quarter.
"That helped us, being in the right spots and then holding our ground," Greenberg said.
Aurora guard Sam Stask surveys the defense in a game at Barberton on January 26, 2024
Jeff Harwell, SBLive Sports
Offensively, some might think that if Stask isn't scoring, the Greenmen aren't scoring. But that isn't the case and definitely wasn't on Saturday. While she did score a team-high 20 points, she didn't score at all in the second quarter when Aurora stretched the lead from three to 12.
Miller had four of her 10 points in the quarter, Brooke Pierce knocked down a 3-pointer, and Kailey Feckner and Rayna Unverferth each scored a basket.
"My team is great, it's more than just me," Stask said. "Everybody can score. I don't have to score at all for us to win and it's just great to have that support."
While Stask didn't score in the second quarter, she did run the offense and assisted on a pair of baskets while also finding the open teammate when Lutheran East double-teamed her. The Greenmen's ball movement in the quarter created open looks that allowed them to take control of the game.
"I think it just comes down to our team chemistry and open looks," Miller said. "Sam wasn't the main scorer (in the quarter), but obviously she facilitates and you always have to be ready for a no-look pass. Just moving the ball around and getting open looks and focusing in on your shots makes a big impact."
After the teams played basically even in the first quarter, Greenberg knew Aurora could win the game because she had been saying all week that they just had to play close through the first eight minutes.
And then when Aurora got the lead on Stask's shot in the final seconds, the head coach knew the momentum was on their side.
"I told the girls if we could withstand the first quarter, then we can play with them and that's what we did," Greenberg said. "And then I thought (Stask's shot) gave us a big momentum boost going into the rest of the game like okay, we got this, we can do this. So, yeah, that was that was huge for us."
Lutheran East actually outscored Aurora 26-25 in the second half, as sophomore Dakota Porter scored 21 of her game-high 23 points over the final two quarters.
But it was too little, too late because the game had already turned on one shot - the one Stask hit with ease from more than 25 feet with 24 minutes still left to play.
"It gave us energy and it showed that we can come out here and win against good competition because they're a great team," Stask said. "That shot just boosted our energy and we carried that throughout the game."
Aurora advances to the district semifinals at Woodridge, where the Greenmen will face either Edgewood or Ursuline, who meet in a sectional final on Saturday night.
"I'm really proud of our girls, I'm proud of their fight," Greenberg said. "I see them as a special team. They all want to be here and they all work hard. So there's a lot of pride that your team is doing what they need to do."
-- Ryan Isley | ryan@scorebooklive.com | @sblivepa
