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Raiders secure third date with Quakers

STRUTHERS–The South Range girls basketball team has one player that has played in every game this season.

In what has become business as usual the Raiders were dealing with another missing in action player on Wednesday in the team’s Div. III district semifinal with Brookfield at the Struthers Fieldhouse.

Izzy Lamparty, the team’s second-leading scorer, was out with a concussion. She had played in all 23 of the Raiders games up until this point.

“It’s been a rough year and an especially rough past three weeks,” South Range coach Tony Matisi said.

The Raiders turned to freshman forward Dani Vuletich to get things going and she responded with 31 points in the team’s 56-43 win.

South Range (20-4) will meet Salem at 1 p.m. on Saturday in the district final.

“I guess I was just trying to play my best on both ends of the floor,” Vuletich said. “Our coaches wanted us to go into the post because that is where our strengths are. That’s where we get most of our points from.”

Vuletich, at 6-feet, 1-inch tall, seemed to tower over all of the Warrior players even though one Brookfield starter was officially listed as 6-1. With senior Maddie Durkin going at 6-0, it was an advantage that the Raiders gladly exploited.

“The last two days in practice we told the team you had better look at (Dani) automatically,” Matisi said. “We made an effort to get it to her and it paid off.”

Durkin scored 14 points to help out the Raiders, but had a scary moment with five minutes left in the game when her jaw connected with Brookfield’s Bailey Drapola on a scramble for a loose ball.

Durkin laid on the court for a few minutes as a trainer looked her over. She rose in a dazed state and needed some assistance in getting back to the locker room. She returned just a few minutes later to help the Raiders hold off a desperate Warrior comeback.

Drapola, who had 24 points in a sectional win over Crestview, was limited to three field goals despite registering 17 points. Tori Sheehan led the Warriors (17-6) with 18 points despite sitting out a bit early after picking up two quick fouls.

South Range led by seven at the end of the first and second quarters but then opened up the lead to 18 by the end of the third.

Notes

¯In showing some freshman exuberance, Vuletich was not shy about what playing Salem again means.

“We’re 1-1 against, so it’s going to be the rematch of the century up here,” Vuletich said.

¯The Raiders played a regular season game against Brookfield and came away with a shorthanded win there as well. That time Durkin was missing for the Raiders.

¯Matisi hopes to have Lamparty back for Saturday’s game.

¯Bri Modic is the only Raider to have played in every varsity game.

BROOKFIELD: 10-12-6-15–43

SO. RANGE: 17-12-17-10–56

BROOKFIELD SCORING: Marlaina Marck 0-0-0, Kacie Mosora 0-0-0, Chloe Willrich 0-1-1, Katie Rogers 0-0-0, Sheridan Rotunno 0-0-0, Rebecca Litz 0-1-1, Bailey Drapola 3-11-17, Dana Sydlowski 3-0-6, Tori Sheehan 5-7-18. TEAM TOTALS: 11-45, 20-27: 43.

SOUTH RANGE SCORING: Ashley Mckee 0-0-0, Bri Modic 2-0-5, Bree Kohler 0-2-2, Maddie Durkin 6-2-14, Marlaina Slabach 0-0-0, Brooke Sauerwein 0-0-0, Sam Patrone 2-0-4, Gianni Cicchi 0-0-0, Dani Vuletich 15-1-31. TEAM TOTALS: 25-43, 5-10: 56.

Three-point goals: Brookfield 1 (Sheehan), Range 1 (Modic).

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