“We know we have to play for him,” junior Jordan Hobbs said. “We know he would be super proud of us.”
The Panthers (21-5) had just run over Lakota West (21-5) 71-43 in one of four Division I district finals Saturday at Princeton High School. Hobbs scored the first seven points and led the Panthers with 26 points. Peyton Nation added 16, Julia Secrist 12 and the Panthers shot 57.1 percent and outrebounded West 36-16.
»RELATED: ‘We knew he was with us’
“They put together a near-perfect basketball game,” Lakota West coach Andy Fishman said.
Tom Benjamin has been the Panthers’ coach for 15 years and developed a close friendship with Kemper, who coached in the girls program for 38 years. Benjamin broke down immediately after the game. His players saw him crying with his head down next to the bench. Secrist, a junior, was the first to reach him. She hugged him and soon the entire team was huddled.
“It was really emotional,” Secrist said. “It opened my eyes a lot to how much this team means to him and how much what we’re doing right now means to him.”
The Panthers will face Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame in a regional semifinal at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Princeton. The Cougars defeated Loveland 61-48, are unbeaten, ranked No. 1 in the state and are the defending state champions. But Benjamin could think only of what his players had just done and about his friend.
“What a great … it’s been a tough week … just a great effort by our kids … and I don’t know … I’m kinda at a loss for words right now,” he said with long pauses holding back tears. “I thought we were ready. We just had a great day … thrilled … I feel like Coach Kemper has been with us this week, and that’s been huge for us.”
Symbols of Kemper were abundant. Warmup shirts had his name on the back. The 8x10 photo was on the chair next to Benjamin where Kemper used to sit. Flowers sat on the chair, and his favorite drink, Diet Mountain Dew, sat under the chair.
“This win means everything,” Secrist said. “We’re just doing this for Coach Kemper now. We’re playing the best basketball we’ve played all season.”
Mercy McAuley 51, Wayne 49: The Warriors built leads several times and McAuley rallied each time. Finally, McAuley's Alex Smith made a 3-pointer from the left corner with 3 seconds left to send Wayne home with a fourth straight district final loss.
Travis Trice set his team up in a zone for the final 26 seconds with the goal of not allowing a open shot or an open driving lane. But Smith, who doubled her average with 26 points, made her third three to send the Wolves to Wednesday’s 6:15 p.m. semifinal against Fairmont (24-2). The Firebirds beat Cincinnati Walnut Hills 49-25 in Saturday’s final district title game at Princeton.
“I guess I’ll live with that versus getting slipped to the basket and giving up a layup or a foul trying to pressure up on defense and letting them go to a one-and-one,” Trice said. “As a coach you’ve got to live and die with those decisions.”
Wayne (23-3) shot 55.3% and got 14 points from Alyssa Hargrove-Hall and 12 from Aubryanna Hall, but the Warriors allowed the Wolves (19-5) to shoot 63.6%.
“We just didn’t play good defense,” Trice said. “Smith’s a good enough player to make you pay, and today she did.”
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