Hudson opens up tournament play with 47-45 road win over Lake

UNIONTOWN, Ohio – When the final shot of the game hit the backboard and then the rim before hitting the ground as the buzzer sounded, Hudson senior Gracie Merrick couldn’t contain her excitement.

“(I was) beaming,” Merrick said. “It was so exciting. I was just trying to get over to my team as fast as possible.”

Merrick had just scored a game-high 19 points as the Explorers knocked off Lake 47-45 in the Division I sectional opener.

It wasn’t easy for the Explorers, however, as they had to overcome multiple deficits on the afternoon, including a four-point lead by Lake heading into the game’s final quarter after Hudson had led by nine in the third.

Sophomore guard Erin McCormick hit a 3-pointer for the first basket of the fourth and then senior Emma Hileman split a pair of free throws to tie the game.

After Lake’s Alayna Horning hit a 3-pointer with 6:12 remaining to give the Blue Streaks a 41-38 lead, Merrick answered with a 3-ball of her own, this one off glass to tie the game.

“I did not think that one was going to pop in, but it happened,” Merrick, who said she didn’t call bank, said.

With the game still tied at 44-44 with 3:53 left, Merrick passed up a shot and found Abby Henderson for an open 3-pointer that the freshman calmly knocked down to give the Explorers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

“I know (Abby) hits her shots,” Merrick said. “I trust her, and I knew she was going to put that one in.”

Serinitee Johnson went the length of the floor for a layup for the Blue Streaks to cut the lead to 44-43 with 1:51 left and then both teams missed the front end of 1-and-1 free throw opportunities before Henderson stepped to the line and knocked down a pair to give her 14 points in the game and Paige Sutton split a pair to make it 47-43.

Horning made a layup and got fouled with 21.3 seconds left but missed the free throw, keeping Hudson up two. After two missed free throws by the Explorers, Paige Marshall had a look at 3 to give Lake the lead with about 10 seconds left but the ball bounced off the rim and Hudson grabbed the rebound.

More missed Hudson free throws allowed Lake the chance to tie or win on the final possession, but Johnson’s shot from about 13 feet missed, leading to the Hudson celebration.

“I told them what I was most proud of is we got up 33-24 and they made a great run and they got up by four and we just grinded it out,” Hudson head coach Dennis Lawler said. “We talk about grinding out games and wins all year. I am proud of everybody’s effort.”

The Hudson defense was keyed in on the Lake shooters, especially late in the game, making it difficult for them to receive the ball or get a shot off in the final quarter.

“Obviously (Emma Anderson) is a great shooter and we were trying to make sure we knew where she was at all times,” Lawler said. “We did a good job of getting out on the shooters and containing their drives.”

Anderson led the Blue Streaks with 16 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in the third quarter.

Playing in the grind of the Suburban League all season paid off for Hudson on Saturday, as despite coming into the game at 9-12 and going 6-6 in the conference, they played a lot of those close.

“We beat Stow a couple of weeks ago which was a big win for us, and we were with Wadsworth until about five minutes left in the game.,” Lawler said. “Our league is phenomenal, and we got tested just about every night and it helps us.”

The next test for Hudson, the No. 24 seed in the Northeast super district will be on Thursday, February 16th against Louisville in the sectional final with the winner moving on to play either Massillon Jackson or Nordonia in the district semifinals.