Holy Name holds off Lakeview 43-40 to reach D4 Northeast 5 district final

Holy Name High School girls basketball never trailed and delivered in the closing seconds, edging Lakeview 43-40 in the Division IV Northeast 5 District semifinal Tuesday evening in Parma Heights. Sophomore forward Jordan Cremona’s layup with 12 seconds remaining proved to be the decisive basket, capping a wire-to-wire performance that sends the Green Wave into the district final against No. 8 seed Lutheran East on Feb. 28 at Nordonia.

Holy Name established control early with an 8-0 run to open the game and led 12-9 after the first quarter. The defense dominated the second quarter, holding Lakeview to just two points while the Green Wave added 12 more. With 3:59 left before halftime, Maura Mihalik buried a 3-pointer to push the margin to eight, then, in the final 35 seconds, Claire Coljohn secured a key rebound and fired a full-court pass to Cremona for a layup that sent Holy Name into the break with its largest lead of the night at 24-11.

Cremona anchored the effort on both ends, finishing with 19 points, six rebounds, two steals and two assists while locking down the paint defensively. Coljohn chipped in six points and seven rebounds, providing physical interior play and a crucial deflection in the final minute. Layla Rudloph gave the Green Wave a major boost after halftime, scoring 12 points, including 10 in the second half, as Holy Name answered every Lakeview surge.

Lakeview came out of the locker room hot, knocking down two of its four third-quarter 3-pointers in the opening minute of the third and trimming the deficit to single digits. The Bulldogs’ perimeter shooting fueled a 29-point total through three quarters, but Holy Name still carried a 35-29 lead into the fourth. At 4:40 in the final quarter, Lakeview completed its comeback push by tying the game at 37-37, yet the Green Wave never surrendered the lead.

Key role players stepped up down the stretch. With 6:39 remaining, Bri Barker hit a needed baseline jumper to extend the margin to five. In the closing minute, with the score tied at 39, Coljohn tipped a pass that Rudloph stole, giving Holy Name possession and leading to a timeout. Out of the break, the Green Wave ran an action to free Rudloph, who knocked down a jumper in the lane for a 41-39 advantage.

Lakeview answered at the foul line, making 1 of 2 free throws with 25.7 seconds left to cut the Holy Name lead to 41-40. Forced to go the length of the floor, the Green Wave advanced past half court and spread the floor. Mihalik handled the ball and found Cremona alone under the basket for a layup with 12 seconds to play, pushing the advantage to 43-40. Lakeview was unable to get a shot off before the horn, sending Holy Name through to the district championship.

With the semifinal victory, Holy Name carries momentum and confidence into Saturday’s district final matchup with Lutheran East at Nordonia. Behind a defensive effort that held Lakeview to 11 first-half points and late-game composure, the Green Wave get an opportunity to prolong their season and a chance to compete for a district title.

Stat Recap:

Jordan Cremona: 19 pts; 6 rebs; 2 stls; 2 asts

Layla Rudolph: 12 pts; 2 rebs; 2 stls; 2 asts

Claire Clojohn: 6pts; 7 rebs; 2 stls; 2 asts

Maura Mihalik: 3pts; 2 asts

Bri Barker: 3pts; 1blk

Nalani Simon and Emmalee Majoros with key steals, rebounds and assists.