ELIDA — The stage is set for some great Akron area girls high school basketball even if the teams had to travel 150 miles to do it.
St. Vincent-St. Mary (19-5) and Highland (22-3) meet in a Division III, Region 10 semifinal on Wednesday, March 4. The winner plays March 7 against either Toledo Notre Dame (14-10) or Norwalk (19-6).
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Highland down six with under a minute left
Grace Shondel (10 points) hits a three from the elbow to make it 45-39 STVM with 25.7 seconds left.
STVM pulling away late against Highland
It’s 43-36 with 1:03 left. Sydney Ferguson is showing why she’s the No. 23 player in the Class of 2028. The 6-foot-4 wing has 20 points and 13 rebounds. Melania Cornute has 16 points and nine boards.
Sydney Ferguson starting to take over for STVM
The 6-foot-4 sophomore has a game-high 18 points and 12 rebounds, five this quarter, and STVM leads Highland 40-34 with 1:33 left.
STVM still up in the fourth over Highland
STVM holds a 34-32 lead with Emeri Gausman looking to cut it to one. Melania Cornute has 16. Sydney Ferguson has 14. Madi Morgan has 10 for Highland. There’s 4:59 left in the fourth.
STVM takes slim lead into the fourth quarter
It’s 31-29 STVM heading to the fourth quarter. Sydney Ferguson has 14 points and Melania Cornute has 13 for the Fighting Irish. Madi Morgan has 10 for Highland. Rowan Kildoo and Emeri Gausman have seven.
Highland comes out strong in the second half
The Hornets scored the first four points of the third and lead 26-24 with 5:50 left in the third. Madi Morgan leads the way with nine.
Halftime statistics from STVM-Highland
It’s 24-22 STVM at the break. Sydney Ferguson has 12 points, three rebounds and two blocks. Melania Cornute has eight points and five rebounds. Highland has seven points apiece from Madi Morgan and Rowan Kildoo.
Highland-STVM deadlocked midway through the second
Madi Morgan has seven for Highland. Rowan Kilddo has five. Sydney Ferguson leads the Fighting Irish with 10. Melania Cornute has six. It’s 18-18 with 3:31 left before halftime.
Highland up three after one over STVM
Highland holds STVM to 2-of-6 from the floor and takes a 14-11 after one. Melania Cornute (6), Sydney Ferguson (5) has all the points for STVM. Hornets’ scoring, surprise, is spread out. Highland does hold 11-3 edge on the boards.
STVM with the early lead over Highland
Sydney Ferguson’s 3-pointer puts STVM up 7-4 with 4:54 left in the first period. Melania Cornute has four for the Irish. Madi Morgan and Emeri Gasuman have two a piece for Highland.
St. Vincent-St. Mary girls basketball projected starting lineup
Highland girls basketball projected starting lineup
St. Vincent-St. Mary, Highland OHSAA girls basketball history
The Fighting Irish are looking to reach their third consecutive regional final. Last season, they lost to eventual state runner-up Avon Lake in the round of eight. Highland won its second consecutive district title, the first time since 1991-92 the Hornets have done that. Last season, they lost in a regional semifinal to Hoban.
STVM is two wins away from its first state semifinal since 2019 and seventh final four. The Irish won titles in 1979, 1980 and 1995. Highland has never reached the state final four.
Who to watch for St. Vincent-St. Mary vs. Highland
The Hornets come in as one of the most balanced teams remaining. Madi Morgan (11.0 points per game) leads the way in scoring but Roman Kildoo (10.5) is right behind. Emir Gausman (8.5) and Grace Shondel (8.1) can also fill it for a team that wins 55.2-36.0 on average.
The Irish are paced by standouts Melania Cornute (22.0) and Sydney Ferguson (14.5) for a team that wins 57.2-38.6.
How STVM girls basketball reached OHSAA regionals
The Irish won the Northeast 6 District.
How Highland girls basketball reached OHSAA regionals
The Hornets won the Northeast 5 District.
Brad Bournival can be reached by email at bbournival@usatodayco.com and is on X at @bbournival.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ohio high school girls basketball scores, STVM-Highland live updates
Reporting by Brad Bournival, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
