Minster heading back to state
By Jim Dabbelt Prep Girls Hoops Ohio It was the game that most of Ohio was waiting for, and it didn’t disappoint. The defending Division Four state champion Minster Wildcats knew exactly who they had to defeat in the…
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Continue ReadingBy Jim Dabbelt
Prep Girls Hoops Ohio
It was the game that most of Ohio was waiting for, and it didn’t disappoint.
The defending Division Four state champion Minster Wildcats knew exactly who they had to defeat in the Vandalia Regional Championship to make a return trip to Columbus for a chance at a second consecutive state title.
It was the game that pitted the top two teams in the final Division 4 Associated Press weekly poll. It was a game that pitted friends against friends.
Minster defeated Fort Loramie 43-29 in a game that saw the Wildcats open up a close game in the final three minutes of the third period, and Minster controlled the fourth period to win the Regional title.
Can Minster repeat?- it was an impressive performance for Minster, mixing up a solid inside game from senior post player Courtney Prenger, and some good guard play from the trio of Demaris and Ivy Wolf, and sophomore sharpshooter Janae Hoying. Their defense is so strong, it allowed the Wildcats to keep control of the tempo and during the second half. Fort Loramie put together a big run in the third period to get their only lead of the game 23-22, but Minster regrouped with a 10-0 run of their own to regain the momentum.
Secret weapon- Danielle Barhorst only averages 2.2 points per game but did she come up big in this game. Barhorst scored all seven of her points in the first half including a big three with 6:21 left in the first half to give Minster an eight point lead. She also hit two big free throws in the final ten seconds of the half to push the Wildcats lead to 20-13.
The big play of the game- Fort Loramie had cut the Minster lead to 32-25 early in the fourth quarter when the Wildcats ran a high-low sidelines out of bounds play for Prenger who scored to push the lead back into double figures, and it never dropped below ten again. It was the second consecutive play at the rim where the Xavier signee scored.
Fort Loramie showed greatness from young talent- The scariest thing for area teams going into next year is that Fort Loramie returns everyone from their varsity roster. Junior Marissa Meiring is their top player and leading scorer. Juniors Taylor Ratermann and Kennedi Gephart both was major contributors. Then look at their sophomores… Corynn Heitkamp, Jadyn Puthoff, and who I feel are their top two Kenzie Hoelscher and Dana Rose. Oh yeah, and throw in freshman Ava Sholtis who will be a special player. Yikes.
Crowd control- how is this for closing down a town? The Vandalia Butler Student Activity Center holds 4,100 seats, the second largest high school venue in Ohio, and there were 3,500 fans who showed up to support their communities. I always say the small community schools draw the best when it comes to big games. Both student sections were completely full, there were several top players from area schools who came out to support this game, and both towns “closed down” to make this a special day for the girls.
I just hope the last one in town turned the lights out.