Jonathan Alder’s Emma Shepherd, right, pressures an inbounds pass. The Lady Pioneers will travel to Granville on Saturday to play for a Division II district championship. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
Tinley Graves of MHS goes up for a shot against Thomas Worthington. The Lady Monarchs will play at Dublin Coffman Saturday afternoon for a Division I district title. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
One local high school girls basketball team has reached this level several times.
On the other hand, it’s brand new territory for another.
The girls hoop squads from Jonathan Alder and Marysville will be battling for district championships Saturday afternoon.
It’s “old hat” for the Lady Pioneers, as they have played for a Division II district crown the past two seasons.
It will be uncharted waters for the Lady Monarchs when they tip-off in a D-I title contest.
Jonathan Alder’s girls basketball has had a good amount of success over the past 15 years or so.
Few in Pioneer Nation will ever forget the 2005-2006 squad that went on to win a D-II state championship.
It’s more foreign for the Lady Monarchs, who have won a handful of post-season games here and there.
This will be the first time in recent memory (and in mine) the MHS lady hoopsters have advanced this far in the tournament.
Both teams are headed by excellent leaders.
Steve Cawley has been at the helm of Jonathan Alder for the past four seasons.
To advance in the tournament to the district championship level three times in that short period of time has been a remarkable accomplishment.
The Lady Pioneers claimed a district title a year ago and then fell in the regional semifinals.
That team was loaded with talent, with the likes of Sidney Bourquin, Abby Jones and Melissa Walbom.
The trio averaged in double-figure scoring during the 2019-2020 campaign.
Each, however, graduated last spring, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this year’s Lady Pioneers.
Junior Mary Ferrito, who was a key part of last year’s team as a sophomore, is second in the Central Buckeye Conference in scoring. She’s averaging 16 points per game.
Ferrito also leads the circuit in assists with 5.8 per game.
She is not, however, the only weapon in JA’s arsenal.
Freshman Evan Platfoot has turned heads with her first-year numbers.
She’s averaging 12 points and 3.3 assists per outing, while shooting 37% beyond the three-point arc.
Emma Shepherd, a veteran of last year’s squad, is scoring 8.1 points and grabbing 8.2 rebounds per game.
Maddie Wilson is also scoring 8.3 points per game.
In my opinion, the key factor to Marysville’s success is their balanced scoring attack.
Kass Lee, Tinley Graves, Ava Krutowskis, Ava Wilkerson, Leah Brown and Alyssa Strahm are all threats for double-figure games.
Madi Sloan has also scored in doubles on a few occasions.
Wilkerson, Lee and Krutowskis are all averaging nine points per game.
Graves and Brown are notching between five and seven per outing.
That type of balance makes the Lady Monarchs difficult to guard.
If an opponent shuts down one or two MHS players, there are several others capable of carrying the offensive load.
Both Jonathan Alder and Marysville will face stiff challenges in their quest for district titles.
The eighth-seeded Lady Pioneers (15-5) will play at No. 1 seed Granville.
Tip-off for that game on Saturday is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The No. 16 Lady Monarchs (18-5) will travel to No. 2 Dublin Coffman for a 4 p.m. start on that day.
Hopefully, both local teams will be able to keep their seasons going on to the regional level.