Rocky River senior forward Leann DiPaola cuts down the net after the Pirates clinched the WSC title with an undefeated slate. (West Life photo by Larry Bennet)

River girls are WSC champs
By Matt Pawlikowski
Sports
Published Feb. 13, 2008

It was a special moment to say the least last week in Rocky River, when the Lady Pirate basketball team (19-1) accomplished something a long time in the works.

They got to celebrate a championship at home, and like the NCAA tourney teams cut down the nets, a memory that will last a lifetime.

From the get-go of the game against archrival Fairview, you could tell something special was in the works on senior night 2008. The team, which had bonded so tightly during the regular season, pretty much shut down a hot Fairview team that was on a  roll and took home a 48-30 victory Feb. 6.

“You couldn’t have asked for a better game,” said Rocky River head coach Mike Murray. “Fairview came in here at 15-4, and Jessica (Tafe) always has her kids ready to play.”

The difference maker? River was hungry, and having already clinched the West Shore Conference title with a victory over another bitter rival in Bay last week, wanted more than anything to go through the conference slate undefeated.

“When we played Fairview the first time, we won by a point,” said senior Maura Hagan. “That still feels like a loss. So on senior night, we really wanted to take it to them and it feels really nice. I’ll be able to tell my kids about this one.”

Telling the kids someday indeed. It’s not everyday you get to cut down a net, let alone do it in front of your own fans. And the way the Pirates did it (they were so dominant the entire first half that Fairview could only muster two baskets), it was one of the best defensive efforts ever seen in these parts.

While one may look at the game and have seen a 14-10 lead after a quarter, the Pirates were all over the court. The Warriors scored just two baskets in the quarter and the rest of the points came via the charity stripe.

The second quarter, well, you could tell how hungry the Pirates were to win at home. They upped the lead to 30-14, and whitewashed Fairview on the scoreboard, which is no easy task considering the Warriors’ talent.

“We were really flying around,” said Murray. “That’s a credit to our seniors and our entire team. They really wanted to play well tonight. There was a great crowd. The atmosphere was great, and the girls just played tremendous. They stuck to the philosophy they have had all year — we are team first.”

Senior Brooke Towner couldn’t have agreed with her coach more. Although the team won the WSC title last year, they had two losses and it was a different makeup.

“Last year, we didn’t really didn’t play as a team,” Towner said. “But this year,  it’s more than just individualism. I’ve been on varsity for four years, and this year we all love each other, and it’s just special.”

After she came down the ladder from cutting the net, Towner was nearly speechless as she celebrated with all her teammates.

“Cutting down the nets, it felt amazing,” Towner said with a huge smile on her face. “I can’t describe it. It was incredible, just such a great feeling to have. It’s a good memory and to have been able to get to do it by going undefeated in conference play, we just went to business and played the game.”

The other two seniors on the team were equally as excited when they posed with the championship trophy after cutting the nets.

“I don’t have words to describe it,” said Leanne DiPaola. “Last year was a great feeling, but to be able to do this at home, in front of our fans, and to win against Fairview the way we did, it’s a special moment.”

And then there was the usually boisterous Kristen Strang. While excited, she also made a point to let things set into reality.

“This is so amazing,” Strang said. “I don’t know what to say. The seniors have worked so hard to accomplish this, but we still have a lot of work to do. We want to do this again down the road.”

For Murray, who has seen the best and worst with Pirate basketball, he best summarized things with these words.

“I love them to death,” Murray said. “Hopefully we have a lot more games with them. Your seniors are the backbone of a program. If you don’t have good senior leadership, you struggle, and our seniors have been the backbone of our program.”