Belpre girls hungry to win district title game
Trending
BELPRE -- For the first time since 1997, the Belpre girls basketball team has the opportunity to go the Sweet 16.
It will not be easy for the Golden Eagles and sixth-year head coach Chris Murray as they face the top seeded Notre Dame (Portsmouth) Titans for the OHSAA Division IV district championship with tip-off set for 6:15 p.m. today at Jackson High School.
"It's the first time since '97 that we have been in a district final when Kathy Coyner was here. It's an exciting time for the girls and the program. I have been proud of the girls, it's been a good season. We've won a lot of big games and been in a lot of big games as well. So it's been great," Murray said. "It's been exhausting. Feels like I haven't seen my wife and kids for more than eight minutes at a time, but it's been fun. It's good to be in this game."
It's been a season for the record books for the Golden Eagles, going 19-5 (the most wins in Murray's tenure) but the 2019-2020 season didn't start smoothly for Belpre. Standing at a 1-2 record after losing two close games on the road at the start of the year, the Golden Eagles responded nicely and went on a seven-game winning streak and only dropped three more games the rest of the year.
Led by an experienced lineup that won their third straight sectional title and reached the round of 32 thanks to a 44-30 win versus Green last Thursday, Murray expects his Golden Eagles to rise to the occasion and not be intimidated by the moment.
"They knew how good they can be, but I think there was a little fear when we lost those two games. They could have said 'maybe this was going to take a little bit more work,'" Murray said. "But it's really a credit to them because they worked really hard to fix a lot of those issues."
Notching her 1,000th career point for Belpre earlier in the season, senior Kyna Waderker has stepped up immensely for the Golden Eagles come post-season time. She scored 40 total points in the first two tournament games and had a game-high 22 points against Green.
Waderker has been averaging 16 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game and 3.1 steals per game in her final year in the black and orange.
Manning the point guard duties will be senior Abbey LaFatch. One of the best perimeter defenders for Belpre, LaFatch gives opposing ball handlers fits all game with her length and speed to keep the opposition in front of her. On offense, LaFatch is second in the Mid-Ohio Valley with 5.3 assists.
"Abbey has kind of been the anchor for us the last two years defensively. She's just been phenomenal. She's smart, sees the floor and always makes a good decision even when she forces something because I see what she's looking at," Murray said. "And with Kyna, as the season went on, she's just really elevated her game. She's playing out of her mind. Kyna and Abbey are the perfect pair for the way we play."
Fellow senior Kiki Ray has proven to be a threat from outside, drilling 57 3s while averaging 8.9 points per game. Junior Curstin Giffin, sophomore Halee Williams and freshman Kaitlen Bush will also be seeing minutes tonight.
Playing under the guidance of J.D. McKenzie, coaching in his 10th year, Notre Dame is a team that has been firing on all cylinders all season long. They're 22-2 and outscoring teams an average of 58.4-33.5 en route to winning their 10th straight sectional title and reaching the district final for the fifth year in a row. Ranked in the Ohio AP poll top-10 all season and slotted second in the final poll, the Titans have had much success with Ohio teams. Their only two losses came from out of state teams, Spring Valley (WV) and Blazer (KY). The Titans, however, struggled with No. 9 seed Manchester, only winning 39-27 last Thursday.
Junior Ava Hassel was named All-Ohio Division IV third-team last year as a sophomore and it wouldn't be a surprise if the now junior guard is named once again when the season is over. She leads the Titans in scoring with 16.3 points, 4.2 assists, 3.3 steals and 68 made 3s. Hassel can hurt teams if left open or given too much space on the offensive end, reaching 20-plus points in eight games and with a season-high of 25.
Joining Hassel in the backcourt will be senior Taylor Schmidt, an all-Ohio honorable mention last year. Schmidt has been averaging 10.7 points and has been a nuisance for opposing teams on defense, getting 132 swipes (5.5 steals per game) and even registering 10 steals in two games. Also contributing for the Titans will be Olivia Smith, Claire Dettwiller (6.8 points and 6.6 rebounds), Isabel Cassidy, Cassie Schaefer, Paetyn Collins, and Lauren Campbell.
"They are good. They like to pressure, like to get out and run and like to convert off their pressure. We have to work really hard to prevent those conversions from happening. Getting the ball in the right places and not forcing or causing bad turnovers," Murray said. " It's going to be a good game, this is their fifth district championship. So for them, they have been here. We haven't, so for us I think we are hungrier for it, I really do. We are very goal-driven and we are playing a team that has beaten us pretty comfortably for the last two years (50-12 in 2018-2019 and 81-40 in 2017-2018). I think we are a better team right now compared to in the past and it's going to be a tough game."
Contact Tyler Bennett at tbennett@newsandsentinel.com