Girls Basketball State Tournament: Dayton on Display
So what’s happening at the Girls Basketball State Tournament? Plenty. Here are 10 storylines to wet your appetite for what should be a truly remarkable weekend of high school hoops. There are first-time teams, familiar faces, friends, foes…and plenty of action. And it all starts Thursday.
10 STORIES TO FOLLOW
1. How does Berlin Hiland respond to last year’s meltdown? Last year the Hawks led Columbus Africentric 26-11 at halftime of the Division IV state final only to be oustscored 44-20 in the second half. The result was a 55-46 loss and a sour taste. Seemingly so close to their fourth state title in five years, do the Hawks rebound to win their fourth in six now? Keep an eye on senior stalwart Hilary Weaver. Despite being the D-IV player of the year last year, Weaver was held scoreless in the state final going 0-for-4 for the field and fouling out with three turnovers. Expect the encore this year to be a lot different.
2. D-I has “Drama” written all over it: Who will be the D-I champion? It won’t be Mount Notre Dame for the first time in five years and it will be a public school for the first time in seven. Beavercreek was the last public school to win the big school crown (2003) and this year one of Creek’s conference mates could do it as well. Kettering Fairmont – also from the Greater Western Ohio Conference – is making its first appearance at the state tournament as is its semifinal opponent Toledo Waite. In the other semifinal, Reynoldsburg also makes its state tournament debut against Canton McKinley, which is making its fourth trip.
3. What ending does Hathaway Brown write for its legacy? Four years ago Hathaway Brown made the state tournament for the first time with a line-up littered with underclassmen, including several freshmen. This year that group takes its final tournament bow. The question is though, what will Hatahway Brown’s legacy be? The Blazers escaped becoming the first team in history to lose three straight state finals by holding off Wapakoneta in the D-II championship last year. This class – led by Division I recruits Mylan Woods (Northwestern), Alexis Dobbs (American) and Erica Almady (Miami, Ohio) – would like nothing more to usher out their careers with another state title. To do that though they’ll have to beat a familiar foe.
In the semifinals the Blazers face-off against rival Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit. Earlier this year the Warriors handed the Blazers a 57-55 loss at home.
“We have an awful lot of respect for Hathaway Brown and both teams know each other real well,” Walsh head coach Pete Zaccari said. “We’ve played them every year, we scrimmage them in the summer and we now each other. Both teams match up well and play similar styles.”
“It’s going to be fun to play what’s basically our biggest rival down in that setting,” Hathaway Brown head coach Paul Barlow said. “Our rivalry with them has become a pretty healthy one.”
In regards to the team’s first meeting, Dobbs did not play. In fact, three of the Blazers four losses came without Dobbs who missed nine games with a torn meniscus. She had surgery on Jan. 6.
Said Zaccari: “It will certainly be a different game with her there.”
Added Barlow: “We’re certainly a different team with her than without her.”
4. Knights-Blazers III? Should Hathaway Brown get past Walsh Jesuit, there’s a good chance its state final opponent will be Kettering Alter. And that would be the third meeting between the two clubs in the last three state tournaments.
In 2008 the Knights beat the Blazers in the D-II final, while last year the Blazers returned the favor by beating Alter in the state semis.
Talk about intrigue.
5. Does Alter add another title to its trophy case? Over the last decade, it can be argued that no other sports department in Ohio has been as successful as the Knights. Since 2000, Alter has won nine state titles in six different team sports and has won at least one state title in something each of the last four years. This marks the third straight season the girls basketball team has made the state tournament and the Knights are looking to add their second title (won in 2008).
“We have a long and strong history in our athletic and academic programs but athletics gets put out in front because it gets so much overage from the media.” Alter head coach and athletic director Chris Hart said. “Since the late 1990s we’ve been fortunate to have a number of different teams win state titles or be state runners-up. I think it speaks to the coaching staffs we have. Our facilities are not the greatest. We have all kinds of obstacles – and every school does – that you have to get over and around in order to be able to achieve. I think it really speaks to our student-athletes as well who are very disciplined and goal-oriented.”
Throughout its history, Alter has collected 21 state titles in football, boys basketball, boys cross country, boys golf, boys soccer, boys tennis, girls basketball, girls cross country, volleyball and girls tennis.
6. Can neighboring communities Fort Loramie and Minster meet in the D-IV final? Yes. Will they? Who knows. Both are rolling though.
After opening the season 6-7, Minster has won 12 straight. The Wildcats suffered from a mid-season gauntlet that included road games against Marion Local, Delphos St. John’s, Liberty-Benton, Kalida, Ottoville and Mogadore. Those six schools were a combined 140-18 after the district level. The turning point was regrouping after double-digit losses to Mogadore (73-50 at the Classic in the Country) and Ottoville (40-29).
The Wildcats haven’t lost since.
Loramie opened up 4-0 before suffering a three-game losing streak (including a loss to Minster). Since then the Redskins are 18-1.
“Somebody said we’re four miles a part and I think that’s an exaggeration, we’re more like three miles apart,” Minster head coach Nann Stechshulte said. “There would be no problem with the scouting reports. When we look at scouting reports for Fort Loramie we laugh because they know us and we know them. It would be interesting to see a sea of orange and a see of red (in the Schottenstein Center).”
Said Fort Loramie head coach Carla Siegel: “I think both communities would be extremely honored at the proposal of a rematch.”
7. Will youth be served? Division IV semifinalist Canal Winchester Harvest Prep doesn’t have a senior in the starting line-up. Does that matter?
“It definitely was not by design,” Harvest Prep head coach David Dennis said. “We want to play the best people on our team and we’re not looking to the future. We’re looking to today. We’re happy that we’re young, because it gives us the opportunity to continue to build a successful program.”
The Warriors have four underclassmen that are potential NCAA D-I recruits in juniors Shicole Watts (13.5 points), Ayrealle Beavers (9.8) and Chelsea McKnight (15.7) and sophomore Jaren Francis (12.4).
Of Harvest Prep’s 10-player rotation, only one is a senior.
8. Can Madison win the Southwestern Buckeye League’s first state title? Only two other SWBL teams in history have made the state tournament and neither won a championship. Waynesville made the D-III tournament in 2005 and lost 41-38 in the semifinals to Patrick Henry. Bellbrook finished runner-up in 1976 – the first tournament – in Class AA. The Eagles won their semifinal over Warren Champion 41-38.
“We feel like we have some athleticism and some length,” Madison head coach John Rossi said. “We like to get out and run and apply pressure.”
Madison has the tools to cut down the nets.
Junior Ally Mallot is the No. 1 ranked junior in Ohio and is being courted by every Top 10 program in the country including UConn. Senior Lindsey Hoskins is headed to Lehigh.
9. Will a state champion have seven losses? Both Ironton (D-III) and Minster (D-IV) enter the state tournament with seven losses. No team with that many Ls has ever won a state title. Four teams with six losses have taken home the hardware.
“We started out (the season) somewhat slow,” Ironton head coach Doug Graham said. “Here as of late we’ve had different girls stepping up in different games. We’re really playing well and playing hard and as a team. And that’s what it takes to advance.”
Unlike Minster, which has won 12 straight games, Ironton dropped back-to-back games to Jackson and Marietta to end the regular season. Hasn’t mattered though.
Said Graham: “The girls just rededicated themselves.”
10. Smithville’s second state tournament this year – first title? The Smithies made a run at a state volleyball title in November but fell short in the D-III semifinals at the Nutter Center in Fairborn. With only six basketball practices under its belt, Smithville opened its hoop season with a loss to Loudonville. Since then the Smithies have rattled off 25 straight wins and are now 50-2 over the last two years (the other loss coming to Regina in last year’s regional final). Several of the same faces – including senior Jenna Pew (first team All-Ohio in both sports) – will suit up Thursday.
10 PLAYERS TO WATCH
It’s a crazy collection of talent and it will be on hand this weekend at the girls basketball state tournament. The following are 10 players you want to make sure to see if your headed to the Schott. Most of these girls will be headed to the hoop this weekend.
1. Ally Mallot, Middletown Madison: The 6-3 junior is the No. 1 recruit in the state in her class and averages 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and 2.8 blocks. Mallot is being courted by every major college basketball program in the country, including UConn (head coach Geno Auriemma has watched her play this season). Mallot is also among the Top 3 students in her class academically and both her parents are teachers at Madison.
“She’s very humble, very grounded and only concerned about her basketball team,” Madison head coach John Rossi said. “She’s playing for the front of her uniform and not the back. She really epitomizes that.”
2. Natasha Howard, Toledo Waite: The potential Ms. Basketball winner was the AP’s D-I player of the year and is headed to Florida State. She’s also a McDonald’s All-American and will return to the Schottenstein Center in a couple weeks for the nationally televised all-star game. Howard averages 24.5 points per game.
“Natasha Howard is Natasha Howard” Waite head coach Manny May said. “She can do everything but doesn’t need to because she has teammates she can rely on.”
3. Cassie Sant, Kettering Fairmont: The Dayton recruit is one of the state’s top post players and is a four-time All-Greater Western Ohio Conference selection (Player of the Year this year). Sant averages 13 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.6 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.
“Cassie does a great job of seeing the floor,” Fairmont head coach Tim Cogan said. “She can get the ball to other people when she’s double-teamed. She also simply does a very good job of scoring and defending for us as well.”
4. Ashley Christie, Kettering Alter: A three-time Girls Greater Cincinnati League selection (two-time first team), Christie is the Knights leading scorer (10.9 points). She broke onto the scene as a sophomore in the 2008 D-II final when she was named the Tournament MVP after scoring a game-high 20 points in the Knights win over Hathaway Brown. Last year against the Blazers in the semifinals, Christie dialed up just three points. Christie had a game-high 13 points in the Knights 36-34 win over rival Chaminade Julienne in last week’s regional final. Christie is headed to Mount St. Mary’s University (Md.).
5. Mylan Woods, Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown: The senior and Northwestern recruit will be playing in her seventh state tournament game. A starter as a freshman, Woods has scored 75 points at the state tournament and is averaging 14.5 points per game this year.
“She’s a great athlete and scorer,” Walsh Jesuit head coach Peter Zaccari said. “She’s just a terrific all-around player.”
6. Jenna Pew, Smithville: The senior is a two-time district player of the year and is averaging 21.2 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. Pew is the school’s all-time leading scorer (over 1,600 points) and has averaged a double-double the last two years. Pew shoots over 60-percent from the field and 80-percent from the foul line.
“She stepped in as a freshman and has never looked back,” Smithville head coach Mike Miller said. “Not only is she the leading scorer in school history, she’s the second leading rebounder and third in assists. There are people in the state that are taller than her, but I don’t know if I’ve seen a post player with quite the footwork she has.”
Pew, who was also first team All-Ohio in volleyball, will play that sport in college (Wheeling Jesuit, WV).
7. Hilary Weaver, Berlin Hiland: The reigning AP D-IV POY, Weaver, a senior point guard and Lehigh recruit, recently surpassed 1,000 career points in the Hawks 56-36 district semifinal win over Beallsville. No surprise, she’s Hiland’s leading scorer (14.5 points per game).
Look for Weaver to have a better performance at this year’s state tournament than she did at last year’s where she combined for 11 points and nine fouls in two games.
“Our personality comes from our point guard Hillary Weaver,” Berlin Hiland head coach Dave Schlabach said. “She’s been running the show for four years. She’s a tough kid, she’s valedictorian and she’s motivated. Her mentality kind of filters down to the rest of our kids.”
8. Janel Olberding, Fort Loramie: The junior has had great success on various state levels including cross country and track where she’s a regular on the awards podium.
She’d also like to have some basketball hardware.
Olberding leads Loramie in scoring (13.5 points), assists and steals.
“Janel is a great athletic player,” Fort Loramie head coach Carla Siegel said.
9. Ameryst Alston, Canton McKinley: The sophomore guard is averaging 18.5 points per game and quickly establishing herself as a player of note for years to come. Last year as a freshman, Alston had 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and four TOs in a state semifinal loss to Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame.
10. Amanda Hyde, Findlay Liberty-Benton: The senior stalwart is a four-year starter and the only girl in Blanchard Valley Conference history to win the Player of the Year award three times. Hyde averages 21 points and six rebounds a game. She’s headed to Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.
“She’s a very balanced scorer,” Liberty-Benton head coach Nate Irwin said. “She can shoot from 3, she can score inside and she’s a great free throw shooter (91-percent).
“She’s definitely our go-to girl.”
10 QUOTES TO READ
Nightmares, tails between legs, Facebook, jealousy and more. Read what this weekend’s championship coaches have to say on basketball, life and lifting that state title trophy.
1. “We went to Berlin Hiland (for the Classic in the Country) and we left with our tail between our legs. It was a good old-fashioned butt-smacking. It was embarrassing. We didn’t even show up. I was disappointed and I think the girls were frankly embarrassed by their performance.” Minster head coach Nann Stechshulte on the Wildcats 73-50 loss to Mogadore at the Classic in the Country. Since then Minster is 13-1.
2. “I told Nann that if there’s one coach in Columbus I would prefer not to coach against it would be her. We have a tremendous amount of respect for her and her program. Her kids are tough. We always know that to have any success in Columbus we’re going to have to go through somebody from their league (Midwest Athletic Conference) or their area. We’re a little jealous about the battles they get to have on a daily basis out there. They do beat each other up but they are so prepared when it comes to tournament time.” Berlin Hiland head coach Dave Schlabach on Minster and head coach Nann Stechshulte. Schlabach (420) and Stechshulte (330) are the winningest coaches in this year’s state tournament with a combined 750 victories.
3. “God has blessed us to be able to run and move. Defense is our signature and we just run. When you’re as deep as we are (play 10) you can push these girls to a different level. You can get them to dig down deep and go harder than they think they can.” Canal Winchester Harvest Prep coach David Dennis on his Warrior squad that’s averaging a D-IV best 76.6 points and allowing just 34.7.
4. “We scrimmaged Fairmont (Division I semifinalist), we scrimmaged Butler (D-I regional finalist), we scrimmaged Kettering Alter (D-II state semifinalist) and we scrimmaged Beavercreek. Our preseason was pretty dag-gone good. We felt like if we could compete in November against those types of teams that we would be ready for any challenge that was going to be before us in February and March,” Middletown Madison head coach John Rossi.
5. “The rankings are nice and it’s nice for the people. But our girls have been ranked so often in volleyball and basketball that they understand it’s just a poll and a general opinion. The poll is more for the fans. We take it for what it is.” Smithville head coach Mike Miller.
6. “There was a great deal of relief for me last year to finally win the state title, but this year the pressure for us was to get back (to state). I’m not saying our goal isn’t to win the state title and repeat, but I think the idea of falling short of Columbus this year would have been a very hard pill to swallow. I think the pressure and anxiety we got through on Friday (by winning the regional final). If we wouldn’t have gotten back to Columbus people would have looked at that as a less than successful season and that’s unfortunate, but that’s the reality of how it would have been viewed.” Hathaway Brown head coach Paul Barlow on the Blazers fourth straight trip to the state tournament.
7. “This year we were kind of overlooked in some of the ratings and I said hey there’s a lot of good teams out there – especially in Division II – and it’s no snub against us. As long as we do what we can do – rated or not – we’re going to be where we need to be at the end of the year. That’s proven true. No one’s really spoken about us like in year’s past.” Miami Trace head coach James Stutzman.
8. “I would probably have nightmares. The thing about it is you might take away one thing, but you’re not going to take away everything. That’s the problem. There’s always going to be someone who can score that night.” Toledo Waite head coach Manny May when asked what he would do if he was game-planning against his own team.
9. “Our philosophy the last 10 years is that defense is something we pride ourselves on. Thus far it hasn’t hurt us that were scoring only 48 points per game because we’ve been able to contain teams and keep them at a lower score than they’re used to. It’s not a worry we have.” Fairmont head coach Tom Cogan on his team averaging a D-I tournament low 48 points per game.
10. “They were a little wound up about something ahead of time, I don’t really know what all it involved, but sometimes I think text messaging and Facebook are not always real good. But the kids were ready to play and whatever motivated them I’m happy. (The messages) came from some place over in Pickerington and I don’t even know who they were from. I saw one and it just said something to the effect that ‘Reynoldsburg had never beat them and they were going to win.’ It was just kid stuff. It was no big deal.” Reynoldsburg head coach Jack Purtell on text messages his players received before their regional final win over Pickerington North. It was the first victory ever for a Reynoldsburg team over a Dave Butcher-coached Pickerington squad.
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