State Semifinals. The furthest that any Gilmour Girls Basketball team has gone in the history of the program. After winning the Regional Final over Chippewa, the girls earned a trip to Columbus to play at the Schottenstein Center, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes, in the State Semifinal.
They went up against the 27-2 Marion Pleasant squad, who would be one of the toughest opponents the girls would face all year. The ladies took a 23-20 lead into the locker room at halftime, but then jumped out to a 32-25 lead to start the second half. Marion Pleasant wouldn’t back down though, as they would take a 44-42 lead with 3 minutes left in the game. It was a nail biter to the end, and the ladies came up short, losing 50-47. The young squad finished the season 23-6.
One of the strongest leaders for the girls all year, was Senior Captain, Marisa Finazzo (`16). As a key component for the team, she scored 23 points in their win over Chippewa in the Regional Final. When asked about her final thoughts on the season, she said, “I couldn’t be more proud of this team. We accomplished so much this season and reached a point that no other Gilmour Girls Basketball team has gotten too, and we came up short. We played our hearts out all season, but shots just weren’t falling for us. I am privileged and honored to be a part of this team and will miss it greatly.”
Along with Finazzo, the only other Senior was Ariel Smith (`16), who was sidelined all season with a knee injury from the first game of the year. Smith added, “I’m very proud of what our team has accomplished this season. Watching these girls play made dealing with my injury a whole lot easier because of how talented and hard-working they are. It was a fun and exciting season, despite being injured, but I made a lot of memories and loved every second of it.”
With Smith and Finazzo moving on, the team loses two leaders, but key players. Players to watch for next season include Naz Hillmon (`18), Emily Kelley (`17), Sydney Dietrich (`17), Grace Mullen (`17) and Sarah Bohn (`18) are returning.
