ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (May 23, 2024) -- Playing past Memorial Day in Buckeye State high school lacrosse is always a good thing. It means things have gone well. There is talent on the field, likely mixed in with a winning attitude and maybe a little luck along the way. For the 2024 Rocky River Pirates, things do continue to go well. And when the Pirates line up for their next draw, they will indeed be past Memorial Day on the calendar. And past the early rounds of the DII state playoffs and all the way to a region semifinal game. [Region 5 bracket]

That next game will be Wednesday courtesy a 13-2 victory over Copley Thursday evening at Rocky River Stadium. After a bit of a sloppy start in the Region 5 quarterfinal featuring No. 1 seed Rocky River and No. 8 Copley, the Pirates exhibited a depth of scoring that proved to be too much for the Indians (11-8). River dominated in pellet possession time -- to the point the Indians didn't rifle off their first shot of the game until the final minute of the first quarter -- in what finished as its best goals-allowed performance since April 1 (20-1 win over Perrysburg).

Copley didn't manage its first goal until the third quarter, and much of the second half was played with a running clock in a contest that saw the Pirates outshoot the Indians 33-8. The Maroon & White won 12-of-18 draws. They also finished as a plus-4 in turnovers (19-23), although their 19 turnovers marked their most in any game this season.

Seven River Raiders found the back of the net. Chief among that horde of Pirate scorers were Grace DeWitt, who filed three goals and two assists, and Alexis Tisler, who thrice found twine while dishing out three assists. Tisler's six-point night resulted in some shuffled lines in the Rocky River record book.

The senior attacker's third point of the evening came on a mid-second-quarter goal assisted by Mackenzie Russel and it marked Tisler's 83rd point of the season. That breaks Lauren Cain's single-season point record (82) set in 2019. Tisler's third assist in the game -- on a fourth-period goal by DeWitt -- marked the 76th assist of her career. That moved her past Olivia Konopka (75A from 2021-23) for the all-time career lead for RR Girls Lacrosse.

In addition to her five points,  DeWitt's night also included Noah's Ark-style additions in the field stats department: she logged two ground balls, two caused turnovers, and two draw controls. All on a night when she was too much for Copley. DeWitt has now registered multiple goals in eight straight games; over that span, she has ledgered 28G and 7A.

On Thursday, solid box-score contributions were also made by Kaitlyn Byrne (2G, 2A, 3 GB), Acadia Hover (five saves), Elle Mocho (2G), Addie Russell (3 GB, 3 CT), and Mackenzie Russell (1A, 5 GB, 8 DC).

On Wednesday, Rocky River will meet the winner of Friday's contest between No. 4 Revere and No. 6 Wooster. That contest will be held at Rocky River Stadium, where the Pirates (18-2) are now 10-0.

The start time of that game is to be announced. What is determined is the calendar date: its after Memorial Day. When only the best teams remain. 

by Skip Snow

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