Sam Stask helps carry the load as Aurora defeats Ursuline 31-26 in OHSAA Division I sectional opener

The junior guard scored 11 points and had several key assists for the Greenmen in the win

Photo by Mike Cook

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Sam Stask did the heavy lifting for Aurora both figuratively and literally on Wednesday night in a 31-26 win over Ursuline in an OHSAA Division II sectional opener.

First, the figurative lifting.

With Aurora leading by just one midway through the fourth quarter after Ursuline had scored three straight points, Stask received an inbound pass near midcourt. She held the ball for a moment, took a deep breath and then ran the offense.

“(It was me) just calming down and relaxing and making sure that everyone relaxed,” Stask said. "I am going to be relaxed so everyone else will be relaxed and the game will just come to us.”

While Aurora didn’t score on the possession, they forced a turnover on the other end on the ensuing possession and then came up the floor, led by Stask who calmy got the offense set and then found Grace Barbour underneath for a basket to make it 27-24.

“Actually, that is one thing we have been working on this season is (Sam) maintaining a positive aura during the game,” Aurora head coach Erika Greenberg said. “I thought she did awesome today.”

The Greenmen finished the game out at the free throw line, hitting four free throws in the final 1:21 to seal the win to set up a date with Perry in the next round. Aurora, the No. 16 seed in the Northeast 2 district, will on the road to face the fifth-seeded Pirates on Saturday, February 18th at 1:00 pm.

It was a mostly frustrating night for Stask, Aurora’s leading scorer, because the Ursuline defense was focused on her. Guards Lily Scott and Brooke Opalick ran what felt like the equivalent of a marathon to stay with Stask, while also fighting over screens on almost every possession to not let Stask get open.

“It’s frustrating because everyone keys on her defensively, she is our leading scorer so of course she is going to get doubled and face guarded,” Greenberg said. “So we just worked on staying calm and staying positive. I told her in the locker room you did a great job today.”

But once Stask got open, she showed why she is one of the best shooters in Ohio, as she knocked down three 3-pointers in the game, a pair of them coming in the third quarter to help Aurora open up a lead.

“It felt good,” Stask said. “It was a boost of confidence for us once the shots started going in.”

Aurora’s plan for offense in the second half was to get the ball in Stask’s hands more with the junior guard getting more chances to put up shots. After scoring just three points in the first half, she had eight in the third quarter and finished tied for the team lead with 11 points in the game.

“At halftime we talked about setting more screens for her, let’s drive and dish to her, let’s get her more looks,” Greenberg said. “I think we did a decent job of that, but (Ursuline) did a good job defensively.”

While Aurora wanted the ball in Stask’s hands more so she could get shots, one of her best attributes is her court vision and passing ability, both of which she showed off early in the third quarter with a half-court pass to Barbour for a layup for the first points of the quarter. Barbour also had 11 points for the Greenmen.

“I will just wait for the game to come to me,” Stask said. “If I can distribute to my teammates, they will get me open once they are covered up.”

The Aurora offense in the fourth quarter went through Stask, even if she didn’t score. Instead of taking bad shots, she made sure to get her teammates involved and they stepped up for her.

Brooke Pierce scored the first basket of the fourth quarter for Aurora to open up a 25-21 lead before Ursuline made it 25-24 prior to Stask’s pass to Barbour for the layup. And then Pierce and Rayna Unverferth each split a pair of free throws before Barbour stepped up and knocked down a pair with 4.7 seconds left for the final margin.

“I have been working on relaxing and learning not to force,” Stask said. “I can only handle what I can handle. My team helped me out a lot today. I am proud of them.”

The Aurora defense buckled down, especially in the second half, allowing just 12 points over the final two quarters. Only one player was in double digits for the Fighting Irish, as senior Alayna Smith scored a game-high 16 points and surpassed 1,000 points in her career.

“We went into like a semi-pack line kind of defense, and we junked it up a little bit to help on the drive because they are so athletic,” Greenberg said. “We had four days to work on it and they executed it to a T.”

As for the literal heavy lifting for Stask?

When the Greenmen left the bus and entered the building prior to the game, Stask was one of the last players to walk through the door. And when she did, she was carrying the floor speaker that the Greenmen use for pregame music.

When she was told that should have been the job a freshman, she said it usually was but then pointed to freshman Autumn Eichenauer, who had her finger in a splint.

“I helped Autumn out, I carried it by myself,” Stask said with a laugh after the win. “Technically a freshman should (be carrying it) but I stepped up and helped.”