HOWLAND ROARS INTO THE NEXT ROUND

By Noah Ricks

HOWLAND CENTER, OH – The girls’ basketball tournament is officially underway, and the Howland Tigers pulled off a nice start to their postseason. On Wednesday night, they welcomed Notre Dame Cathedral Latin in a Division 2 Sectional Semifinal. It was a game in which Howland held the lead for a good majority, as they would pick up the 53-32 victory.

Howland junior Alyssa Massucci was the player of the hour yet again, as she would lead all scorers 23. She compiled an impressive night from the foul line, as she connected on 10 of 13 shots from the stripe. In the second half, she would contribute 13 of those points, all while drilling three shots from downtown on the night in total.   

Despite the Lions hanging in the game throughout the first half, the Tigers’ defense was a huge factor, holding NDCL to single digits in three of the four quarters. They would also do a good job defending the key, giving up just two shots from beyond the arc. The Lions were not without their successes, however, as they came crashing in on offensive rebounds to set up second and third attempts. Melissa Brownlee led NDCL with 9 points. 

Howland improves to 11-12 with the win as they will play host to Alliance on Saturday in the Sectional Final. The Tigers will try to win back-to-back Sectional titles as they are hosting the Aviators in a rematch of a 54-48 victory back on December 17th. Tip-off will be at 1:00 P.M.

Tigers coach Aaron Pounds talked with YSN’s Noah Ricks following the contest. You can click on the video below to watch the full interview.