Magnificat heading to Division I state semifinals with regional final win over Medina

MEDINA, Ohio - It took Magnificat a quarter to settle in on Saturday night in the OHSAA Division I regional final against Medina at Medina. But once the Blue Streaks calmed down, it was off to the races and a 51-36 win.

Magnificat trailed Medina 12-7 after the first quarter, but went on a 16-2 run to end the second quarter and take a 25-17 lead into the half.

"I think we had some nerves, it was an unbelievable crowd by the Medina community," Magnificat head coach Danny Gallagher said. "I think what it was is we stopped getting beat to rebounds, we stopped getting beat to 50/50 balls, and that turned into some transition offense for us." 

Junior Sofia Wilson had six of the first eight in the run and junior Julia Hall scored the final seven points with a 3-pointer, a pair of free throws and a spinning layup to end the half. Wilson led Magnificat with 20 points and Hall had 12.

"I think we just overall settled down a little bit more, got our nerves out," Wilson said.  "It was a huge environment, loud environment and we hadn't faced that much of that this year. And I think it was just once we settled and started trusting ourselves, we got our buckets."

The Blue Streaks kept the momentum in the second half, outscoring Medina 12-8 in the third quarter and 14-11 in the fourth quarter. They never allowed Medina to get on a run of more than three points in a row in the second half.

"When we use our values and have confidence and we play together, we trust each other, that's when we all that's when we go on a run," Hall said. "We just used everything that we've worked for the whole season and finished it off."

The catalyst of that defensive effort was senior Brynn Roggenburk, who drew the assignment on Medina's Olivia Klanac and harassed her all game, forcing Klanac into just 2-of-14 shooting for five points. And one of her baskets came on a steal that led to a fast break layup.

"Brynn has been that defender for us all season long so it wasn't anything new," Gallagher said. "She's just a tough, gutty kid. Sometimes I look at her and I feel like she's in another world and sometimes maybe she is but that world is locked in and shutting down other teams' really good players. Her effort is unbelievable and the energy she had to expend to be able to do that all game long is just phenomenal."

Roggenburk scored just one point, but that wasn't her primary focus on this night. 

"Everyone has a specific role on this team and we'll do whatever it takes to win," Roggenburk said. "So for me, not scoring, that means nothing to me. It's so exciting for me to be selfless. I have fun playing defense. I love playing defense." 

She laughed when told of her coach's comment about being in another world.

"We have this theme of the year 'ace of spades mentality,' it's a killer mentality," Roggenburk said. "So I just make sure to lock in. I don't think about anything around me and I just get to work."

For Gallagher and Magnificat, Saturday night is a culmination of years of hard work for the program and it is the first time the Blue Streaks are heading to the state semifinals since 2002, where they will face Olmsted Falls on Friday, March 15 at 6:00 pm at the University of Dayton Arena.

With the final 30 seconds or so ticking off the clock on Saturday, Gallagher motioned to the Magnificat fans in attendance to get up and get loud.

"As a head coach, you try your best to put a vision together," Gallagher said. "It's been seven years of this vision, trial and error doing right things, doing wrong things. And I'll tell you what, it was a weight off my shoulders. That's why I was kind of pumping the crowd up out there a little bit at the end, just out of excitement."

-- Ryan Isley | ryan@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveoh