DAYTON, OH – For the first time since 1991 the McDonald Lady Blue Devils are in the OHSAA State Final Four! The Lady Blue Devils took the hardwood on Blackburn Court at 2pm at the University of Dayton today to take on the Waterford Wildcats with a berth into the state championship game on the line!

The first quarter started off with a bang as Molly Howard won the tip and trailed right into a three which would set the tone for the rest of the quarter. McDonald established themselves early and often as they picked up the defensive intensity and turned those stops into buckets at the other end en route to a, 13-2 lead.  Molly Howard put her talents on display right out of the gates as she had 9 points and 3 rebounds in the quarter.

When the second quarter got under way, Molly Howard the rest of the Lady Blue Devils didn’t miss a beat. The defensive intensity was taken to an even higher level as the girls started to sense “blood in the water” and just like hungry sharks, the girls attacked! McDonald held Waterford scoreless from the 7:06 mark in the first quarter to the 4:35 mark in the second quarter as well as holding Waterford to just 19.2% shooting, 12.5% from beyond the arc as the Wildcats couldn’t figure out how to combat the Lady Blue Devils swarming defense. Not only did the defense pick up, the offense became unstoppable as McDonald shot 47.8% from the field, 16.7% from three, and 80% from the free throw line in the first half! McDonald led at the end of the first half, 27-11, as Molly Howard led the way with 13 points and 7 rebounds, Sophia Constantino chipped in with 6 points and 4 rebounds, Taylor Tuchek and Maddy Howard both added 4 points.

Coming out of the break McDonald showed no mercy and continued the beat down of the Wildcats as the Lady Blue Devils continued to play smothering defense and limiting any open opportunities from Waterford. The offense continued to execute and continued to roll as McDonald continue to stay on fire. When the buzzer sounded at the end of the quarter, the Lady Blue Devils led 47-17. Molly Howard and Sophia Costantino both were on double-double watch going into the fourth quarter as Molly had 21 points and 9 rebounds, whereas Sophia had 11 points and 6 rebounds.

The fourth quarter was over and done with quickly as McDonald never looked back and kept their foot on the gas pedal to close out the game. Molly Howard achieved a double-double and the Lady Blue Devils won this one by 28, as the final score was 57-29. McDonald’s suffocating defense forced 23 turnovers and held the Wildcats to just 21% shooting from the field and 15% from three, and 50% from the charity stripe for the entire game. The Lady Blue Devils offense shot 51% from the field, 30% from beyond the arc, and 67% from the free throw line on the night.

Leading the way for the McDonald Lady Blue Devils was Molly Howard with 21 points and 12 rebounds, Sophia Costantino chipped in with 15 points and 6 rebounds, Taylor Tuchek finished with 7 points and 7 rebounds, and Maddy Howard also added in 11 points and 3 assists.

The Waterford Wildcats were led by Mackenzie Suprano with 13 points and Cara Taylor with 11 points.

Up next for the McDonald Lady Blue Devils will be the final game of this memorable championship run as they will take on the Fort Loramie Redskins on Saturday morning at 10:45am in the Division IV State Championship game!

*Contributed by Quinn Puskar and Eric Bailey