WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- Gwen Stare drained a left handed runner at the buzzer to send Newark back to the state semifinal in a dramatic 75-73 win over Dublin Coffman.

Junior Taylor Covington sank a three to kickstart Coffman's offense and take an early 3-0 lead. Senior Emma Shumate picked up right where she left off on Tuesday, scoring five straight for the Wildcats. 

Junior Cassidy Lafler connected from three midway though the first quarter for the Rocks. Down two, junior Gwen Stare tied the game at nine a piece with a smooth finish at the rim, forcing Coffman to call a timeout with 3:19 left in the quarter.

Thanks to four points from sophomore Jenna Kopyar, the Rocks maintained a two point lead before Stare and junior Maddie Vejsicky scored five straight to finish the quarter. Newark went into the second with a 16-13 lead. 

Shumate continued her domination into the second, scoring seven early to give the Wildcats a seven point lead. The Rocks were reliant on Kopyar and Lafler early in the quarter to keep the game within an arms reach.  

With an eight point lead late in the second, Shumate picked up her third foul and was forced to retire to the bench. In her absence, Vejsicky and sophomore Syncere Royster stepped up and finished the quarter on a 9-4 run, giving Newark a 13 point lead by a score of 40-27. 

Coffman came out of half time on a mission. They slowly chipped away at the Newark lead thanks to a huge effort by Ellie Vaccari. The junior scored eight points in the quarter and hit a three to cut the Wildcat lead to four points. 

After Stare sank one free throw, Kopyar raced to half court to get a shot off before the buzzer. Following a big bounce, the shot fell giving Coffman a boost and cutting the Newark lead to just two points headed into the final frame. 

The fourth was one for the storybooks, with five lead changes and four ties. With 2:18 left in the gmae, Vejsicky drained another three from the corner, tying the game at 71. On the following play, senior standout Emma Shumate picked up her fifth foul and was forced to watch from the bench for the remainder of the game. 

Lafler headed to the line with a tie game and the chance to take a two point lead and she connected on both. On the ensuing possession, senior Madyson Stottsberry scored on a driving layup, tying the game yet again. 

Coffman maintained possession with 46 seconds left but turned the ball over, giving Newark one last chance for the win. Stare caught the ball on the wing and drove hard to the left, laying the ball in as the buzzer sounded. 

Both teams featured a balanced scoring attack. Newark was led by Shumate with 19, Vejsicky with 18, Stare with 16 and Lunsford with 12. The Rocks saw great performances from Kopyar with 26, Lafler with 13 and Covington with 11.

Newark returns to the state semifinal for the second straight season to face Akron Archbishop Hoban  on Fri., March 12 at 5:00 p.m. at the University of Dayton. Newark will again be without their head coach JR Shumate as he was ejected from the regional semifinal game.