Danbury dominates in first regional win

MASSILLON — History can be defined as doing something that has never been done before. For Danbury, a 62-36 Division VII girls regional semifinal win over Warren John F. Kennedy on Thursday will go down as the program's first-ever regional victory. The regional championship game will be back at Massillon Perry High School at 7 p.m. Saturday against Mogadore (22-4). "This moment does not happen without the senior class of last year," Danbury coach Joe Miller said. "Kelly Uhinck, Maria Maringer and Michaela Harris. We are here because if they did not carry us here last year, we would not win tonight." A big story of the game came down to the furious Lakers defense. Danbury (23-3) forced Warren JFK into 39 total turnovers and limited the Eagles to 12 second-half points. "I think in the long run, the girls have never been in this environment before and (Danbury) has," JFK coach Marc Morgan said. "You cannot rep this in any summer league. "Just like that team last year, you got to experience how competitive this level of basketball is." In the first quarter, the Lakers and Eagles (17-7) went back and forth with no team having a lead of more than four points. In the quarter, the Lakers limited JFK junior standout Gianna Pompelia to two points. Pompelia was injured late in the first half and finished with eight points. A big effort on the defensive end came from Katelynn Bergman and Lauren Bergman. "We watched film. We prepared and really just started doing our best from the start of the game," Katelynne Bergman said. "It is a really special team. We have put in 110 percent in this season and always keep each other going." Along with the defense, Lauren Bergman added 12 points along with her sister dropping a game-high 17. "We just clicked and it is really exciting playing with my sister," Lauren Bergman said. "I see her and pass to her and everything is very special." The game changed in the second half as Danbury erupted in the third quarter. The Lakers won the quarter 22-5 behind seven points from Zoe Uhinck. For the second half, Danbury outscored JFK 30-12. "We showed a lot of character tonight," Miller said. "We talked about our defensive assignments and the importance of making sure that we got those down to be successful."Maci Brown added 11 points and 10 assists for the Lakers while Uhinck had nine points and Mia McDonald chipped in seven points and seven rebounds. For the Eagles, Lainey Condoleon had nine points. "We have beaten everyone on our schedule at least once," Miller said. "There is nobody that has the upper hand on us and the goal is to keep the ball rolling. We will continue to work hard. "Defense travels and if you play good defense, you are going to win games." WARREN JFK (17-7)Riley Lawerence 1 0-0 3, Gianna Pompelia 3 1-3 8, Aniyah Johnson 2 0-0 4, Lainey Condoleon 4 0-0 9, Addy Odille 2 0-0 4, Hannah Myers 2 2-4 6, Kylee Marlett. 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 15 3-7 36 DANBURY (23-3)Thea Brickner 0 3-4 3, Maci Brown 4 0-0 11, Zoe Uhinck 4 0-0 9, Mia McDonald 4 0-0 7, Ella McDonald 1 0-0 2, Lauren Bergman 4 4-6 12, Katelynne Bergman 7 3-8 17, Charley Lenthe 0 1-2 1. TOTALS 23 12-22 62 Warren JFK 11 13 5 7 — 36Danbury 14 18 22 8 — 62 Three-point goals: Warren JFK 3 (Lawerence, Pompelia, Condoleon); Danbury 4 (Brown 3, Uhinck)