Anna, Fort Loramie, Minster girls win district titles
By Tim Langevin
While state wrestling and bowling highlighted high school sports this weekend, a cavalcade of boys and girls tournament basketball heated up.
The Anna, Fort Loramie, and Minster girls captured district crowns and the Houston and Lehman boys collected sectional titles. The two area casualties were the Jackson Center Lady Tigers and the Fort Loramie boys.
The Lehman boys survived Botkins thanks to a heavy dose of Nick Cordonnier for three-and-a-half quarters and a shot of adrenaline from Tyler Steinke the final four minutes.
The double dose propelled the Cavaliers to a 59-54 win over the Trojans Friday in the championship game of the Piqua Sectionals. The Cavs have a date with 21-1 Franklin-Monroe in the district finals Friday at UD Arena at 7:00 PM. The Jets defeated Springfield Catholic Central 53-42 in overtime in the Troy Sectionals.
Botkins led 46-38 with 4:06 left in the contest on a Josh Schwartz layup in transition. It didn’t look good for Lehman. But Steinke changed all that, erupting for 15 points. The senior point guard drained two threes, canned 7-of-9 foul shots, and scored on a three-point-play. He finished the game with 18 points.
Cordonnier kept the Cavs in it with dominance on both ends of the floor with 21 points, 11 boards, and six blocked shots.
Back on February 19, Franklin-Monroe beat Lehman 64-56. That was then. This is tournament tiime.
Houston knocked Fort Loramie out of tournament action with a convincing 59-41 win at the Piqua Sectional Finals Saturday. Shocking, considering Loramie beat down the Wildcats by 25 points the last regular season game.
The Redskins spurted to an early 12-5 lead, but Houston assembled a 28-4 run and never looked back.
Houston (17-5) will battle Lockland (13-10) in the district finals at UD Arena Friday at 5:30 PM.
“Tonight was one of the best executed games we’ve had in my 25 years as coach,” Houston coach John Willoughby told the SDN. “We put on a clinic defensively and did a great job of handling their pressure.”
The Wildcats made 13-of-18 free throws down the stretch. They shot 49 percent from the field and held a 33-29 rebounding edge. They outscored Loramie 26-14 in points in the paint and 17-9 in points off turnovers.
Josh Redd led all scorers with 26 points for Houston and added eight rebounds. Derek Estes scored 13 points and Jacob Benanzer added nine points and nine boards.
Nick Meyer paced Fort Loramie (17-6) with 12 points. Joe Poeppelman added nine points and 11 rebounds.
Once upon a time, freshmen Janel Olberding and Clair Ruhenkamp burst onto the scene as the Lil’ Darlings of the D-IV tournament, guiding the Fort Loramie Lady Redskins to the regional semifinals, shocking the tournament landscape.
Four years later, this is their final bid for a state title. They lost in the state semifinals last year, leaving a bitter taste. This time, both are bound and determined to capture the crown jewel.
The Fort Loramie Lady Redskins dismantled its fourth straight tournament opponent. This time Mississinawa Valley was the victim, 68-32 Saturday in the district final at Tipp City High School.
Loramie dashed to a 19-2 first quarter lead and sprinted the rest of the way.
Clair Ruhenkamp led all scorers with 19 points and Brooke Turner added 17. Janel Olberding scored seven points. In all, 11 players contributed.
Loramie improves to 19-5 and squares off with Minster Thursday in the regional semifinals at Springfield High School at 6:15 PM. Minster defeated the Lady Redskins 42-38 back in December.
Minster led 20-14 at the break, but pulled away in the second half for an easy 53-33 victory in the district finals Saturday at Van Wert High School.
Erica Fullenkamp paced the surge with 13 points in the third quarter en route to 18 total. She shot 6-of-10 from the floor, including four threes.
Delanie Wolf, MAC Player of the Year, scored a game high 2o points on an insane 10-of-11 from the field.
As a team, Minster shot a sizzling 58 percent from the field.
New Knoxville concludes its tournament run at 17-6.
The Lady Wildcats (21-2) prepare for titanic tilt with Loramie Thursday at Springfield.
The Anna Lady Rockets rolled to 60-31 win over Madeira in the D-III district title game Saturday at Springfield High School.
Anna exploded out of the gate with an 18-0 lead, expanding it to 30-12 at half and 47-21 after three quarters.
SCL Player of the Year Megan Fogt posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. She shot 9-of-11 from the field and dished out five assists.
Anna landed four players in double figures. Rebecca Burch scored 12 and Carrie Watkins and Natalie Billing each added 10 points.
The Lady Rockets hit 26-of-53 from the field for 49 percent and outrebounded Madeira 34-17.
Anna (23-1) faces Georgetown (24-0) in the regional semifinals Wednesday at Springfield High School. Tip-off is 8:00 PM.
What a dominant team and what a job well done by Anna coach Jack Billing. Now in his third season, Billing has compiled a 60-12 record. And he will be the first to admit that he doesn’t have to do anything.
Anna is loaded with talent, averaging close to 70 points per game with four starters in double figures. Fogt averages 14.1 points and 10.6 rebounds. Sophomore Natalie Billing, the coach’s daughter and Derek Billing’s sister, averages 13.9 points. Burch is at 11.9 points and Watkins is averaging 11.5 with a league leading 106 assists and 28 three-pointers.
And so, Pronouncement Week has arrived. Which teams will make a statement? Miami Valley SPorts, with its baseline to baseline verbage, will cover six games in four nights. Check out this menu.
Tuesday – Boys District at Wapakoneta:
New Knoxville (18-3) vs. Spencerville (13-8) at 6:15 PM.
Minster (16-5) vs. Delphos St. John’s (10-12) at 8:00 PM.
Wednesday – Girls Regional at Springfield:
Anna (23-1) vs. Georgetown (24-0) at 8:00 PM.
Thursday – Girls Regional at Springfield:
Fort Loramie (19-5) vs. Minster (21-2) at 6:15 PM.
Friday – Boys District at UD Arena:
Houston (17-5) vs. Lockland (13-10) at 5:30 PM.
Lehman (12-11) vs. Franklin-Monroe (21-1) at 7:00 PM.
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