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Bailey Shutsa leads Norton past Salem in Division II girls basketball regional final
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- Bailey Shutsa leads Norton past Salem in Division II girls basketball regional final
BARBERTON — Norton girls basketball players and coaches started to celebrate as the final seconds of the fourth quarter ticked away Friday night at Barberton High School.
5-4-3-2-1 and the buzzer sounded as the clock struck 0.
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The Panthers defeated Salem 44-27 on Greynolds Floor to win a Division II regional championship and advance to the state tournament.
Norton senior Bailey Shutsa and 19th-year Panthers coach Brian Miller took part in a series of hugs, and shed a few celebratory tears before cutting down the nets and smiling with other players and coaches for pictures that are headed to a photo album.
"This is a great honor," Miller said with a net around his neck that is destined for the Norton High School trophy case.
"I said from the beginning coming into today that defense is going to win for us the whole tournament. I think we are one of the top defensive teams in the state and proved it again tonight with the 27 points. You hold a team under 30, just a great effort. They followed the game-plan to a T and they deserved to win this game.
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"We have worked hard. We have been here enough times, and sooner or later you gotta knock that door down, and we finally did it today."
Shutsa scored a game-high 18 points, and also had four assists and four steals before accepting the regional championship trophy with her teammates at mid-court before a crowd of 1,351.
"We constantly practice playing defense," Shutsa said. "We are always doing close-out drills. We are always trapping and switching. This is definitely a product of our practice."
Sophomore Morgan Hallett contributed eight points and nine rebounds for Norton (23-5), which advanced to the girls basketball state tournament for the third time. The 2022 team joins the 1980 and 1986 Panthers teams of Class AAA to reach a state semifinal.
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Norton is scheduled to meet Thornville Sheridan in a state semifinal at 6 p.m. Thursday at the University of Dayton Arena. Sheridan defeated Vincent Warren 55-30 Friday in a regional final at Zanesville.
"I am so proud of my teammates," Hallett said. "We worked so hard for this."
Prior to this year, Norton won Division II district titles in 2011, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021 to advance to the regional bracket under Miller. The 2017 and 2021 Panthers teams made regional final appearances.
Norton junior Bailey Acord filled the stat sheet Friday night with six points, nine rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals.
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"Coach Miller talks and talks to us about keeping our defense up and that defense wins games," Acord said.
Panthers senior Gabby Destefano totaled five points, five rebounds and three steals, and junior Addie Kropp had five points and three steals.
Norton's offense was impressive at times, but its defense once again was impressive all of the time.
Destefano and Kropp each said "our defense carries us" in separate interviews.
The Panthers sped up the Quakers and consistently forced them into off-balanced and rushed shots with solid on-the-ball defense and multiple traps.
Norton never trailed, leading 9-5 after the first quarter, 23-10 at halftime, 30-12 during the third quarter and 31-17 entering the fourth quarter.
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Senior Abby Perry paced Salem (20-5) with eight points and three steals. Quakers sophomore Rylee Hutton chipped in five points and five steals.
Norton held a 38-18 advantage in rebounds and made 13-of-21 free throws, but did commit 27 turnovers. Salem made 5-of-9 free throws and had 16 turnovers.
"Our defensive pressure was great, but we just couldn't buy a shot," said Salem coach Sarah Hamilton, a starter on the Quakers 2004 Division II state semifinal team.
"We shot 12 percent from the 3-point line, and you are not going to win a basketball game with that. We needed to take care of the basketball a little bit more and get better shots. Our shot selection wasn't what it needed to be, but these girls [at Norton] have been there a lot of times in the past [to the regional tournament], and we are just getting started. This isn't going to be the last time for Salem."
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Hamilton's top assistant, Renee Dreger, also started on Salem's 2004 state semifinal team. Additionally, the Quakers made a Division II state semifinal appearance in 1994.
Shutsa made two 3-pointers and two layups in the second quarter, and Hallett netted a layup and a jumper as Norton entered halftime on a 14-2 run.
"I was thinking this is my senior year, I have to take control of the game, I am not going to let us lose — that was kind of my mentality," Shutsa said.
The Quakers cut into the Panthers lead in the fourth quarter and trailed 33-24, but would get no closer. Shutsa made 5-of-6 free throws in the fourth quarter and Acord added a layup and two free throws.
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"I think we wear people down," Miller said after hugging assistant coach Kirt Virgin.
"Salem hasn't seen that kind of press all year like we do. We get after it. I credit them, they fought hard. I knew they would in the second half. They weren't going to quit. They battled back and cut it to nine."
Shutsa, Acord, Hallett, Destefano and Kropp delivered in starting roles. Miller was also pleased with the play of his reserves: sophomores Andie Osolin and Madison Dobbins and seniors Grace Marino and Jill Thomas.
"Bailey Shutsa is one of the top players in the state," Miller said. "She proved it tonight on the second biggest stage in a regional final. She hit a couple of 3s. She had been struggling shooting and has been putting more time in to get her shot back. Those are big shots in the second quarter. She played like a true all-state player. She took the game over.
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"We made shots. Morgan Hallett rebounded inside and made a couple of layups. Gabby Destefano gutted through a bad ankle sprain today and was able to finish and help us out. Bailey Acord coming off a knee injury — that is what these kids are all about and that's why I love them."
Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MBeavenABJ .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Bailey Shutsa leads Norton to girls basketball state tournament
