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She had a huge impact on that not happening Saturday in a Division II district final as she racked up 18 points, 18 rebounds, and five blocked shots to lead the top-ranked Tornadoes to a 54-31 victory over fifth-ranked Sandusky Perkins at Ashland High School.
Columbian head coach Larry Kisabeth holds up the net after TC defeated Perkins, 54-31.
Columbian advances to meet second-ranked Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit in the regional semifinals on Tuesday evening at Ontario High School. The tip is set for approximately 8 p.m.
"We thought it was really important to keep pressure on them," Columbian head coach Larry Kisabeth said. "We were hoping that the pressure would hurt them. We feel we played pretty good defense and we thought if we could put some extra pressure on them, that would be good. Now, we only forced 12 turnovers but I think the pressure hurt them."
Two more Tornado seniors had a big impact, Megan Miller added 16 points, including 9-of-10 made free throws while Lexi Rohrbach had 11 points and seven rebounds but Stein went to work, early and often.
"Their big girl is a freshman and I knew that after four years, I'm physically stronger than her," Stein said. "I knew I had to be a big presence down low and kind of make her play my game and not vice versa."
The Tornadoes jumped out to a 7-0 lead before freshman Shannon Ebert completed a 3-point play with 2:52 left in the opening period. A 13-foot jumper by Stein as the clock expired put Columbian ahead 13-9 after eight minutes of play.
The Pirates (22-2) opened the second quarter with a 7-2 run. Darcy Daniel gave Perkins a 16-15 lead with a 3-pointer mid-way through the quarter but the only lead they would hold the entire game lasted all of 23 seconds. Miller took a pass from point guard Rachel Reamer, rumbled through the lane and got a floater to fall. Anna Williams came off the bench and added a 3-point play to put Columbian up 20-16. Perkins held the ball at half-court for the final 1:30 of the half before starting their play, which ended up in a turnover.
"Our girls played hard and they didn't quit," Perkins head coach Ray Neill said. "(Columbian) is talented. They are very talented. Jill Stein is a Division I player. Lexi Rohrbach is a great player who kind of gets lost in the limelight of Stein, and Miller knocking down the perimeter shots. (Rohrbach) is outstanding."
Perkins got within one point at 22-21 on another 3-pointer from Daniel (team-high 16 points) but Miller went to work. She drained a 3-pointer and a jumper, sandwiched around a bucket from Rohrbach to draw a timeout from Neill. Later, Jordan Fraley cut Columbian's lead to seven with 46 seconds left in the quarter but the Tornadoes responded with a 13-1 run over the next 5:01 to put the game out of reach.
"We bent a little bit in the first half but I think we really picked it up in the second half," Kisabeth said. "I thought the experience and confidence took over."
Miller made 7-of-8 free throws in the final quarter. Columbian as a team made 21-of-30, an area Neill noted made a difference in the game.
"We played with them for a half but in the second half, their 1-3-1 zone and their length... we just couldn't find the bottom of the net," Neill said. "They made foul shots which they know they've struggled with a little bit at times at this year. They were better than us today. We just have to tip our cap to them."
Despite starting three freshman, a sophomore and a senior, Neill said the season was quite successful.
"To go 22-2, get to a district final and be undefeated in our conference was a great year," Neill added.
Now, Columbian faces a tough task in Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit.
"They're very big inside and they have a very good sophomore point guard, who played on the team last year," Kisabeth said. "They're going to bring a wealth of experience and they play a tough scheduled, so they're seasoned."
But Miller did note the experience of making it to the regional semifinals last year, even though losing should help.
"(Losing last year) gives us something to look at," she said. "We're going to know what we're expecting now and last year getting there was such a shock. We know what to expect this year and how to get through it.
Perkins (31)
Darcy Daniel 6-1-16; Mallory Mullins 0-0-0; Chelsea Smith 0-0-0; Jordan Fraley 3-2-8; Shannon Ebert 2-1-5; Kristen Campbell 1-0-2; Bonnie Fitzpatrick 0-0-0; Amber Wolfe 0-0-0; Amanda Schroeder 0-0-0; Maddy Mullins 0-0-0; Jenna Martinez 0-0-0; Kayla Yost 0-0-0; Shelby Cook 0-0-0. TOTALS: 12-4-31.
Columbian (54)
Rachel Reamer 0-2-2; Maya Brown 1-0-2; Megan Miller 3-9-16; Jill Stein 7-4-18; Lexi Rohrbach 4-3-11; Elizabeth Miller 0-2-2; Anna Williams 1-1-3; Erica Smith 0-0-0; Amanda Brimmer 0-0-0; Tori Stephans 0-0-0; Alexis Miller 0-0-0; Emilie Vassar 0-0-0; Alicia Goshe 0-0-0. TOTALS: 16-21-54.
Perkins 9-7-9-6 - 31
Columbian 13-7-16-18 - 54
Field goals: Perkins 12-45; Columbian 16-37.
3-point goals: Perkins 3-18 (Daniel 3); Columbian 1-8 (M. Miller).
Free throws: Perkins 4-10; Columbian 21-30.
Rebounds: Perkins 13; Columbian 38 (Stein 18).
Turnovers: Perkins 12; Columbian 11.
