It finally came too late as Loveland outpaced Stebbins in the third quarter and went on to win a Division II district championship game 45-38 between the two teams on Saturday at Fairborn High School’s Skyhawk Arena.
“I thought we got cold shooting and scoring-wise,” Stebbins head coach Autumn Johnson said. “We didn’t look to get it downhill as much or make the right reads and the right passes. I feel like that’s the biggest thing for me is I think we just got cold offensively. Not a good time to get cold.”
Stebbins was seeking its third-ever district title and first since 1983.
Loveland (16-8) were the first team to break through with any sort of sustained run by outpacing Stebbins 7-0 to take the largest lead by either team, 25-19, midway through the third.
Stebbins never got back within four and trailed by double digits for a majority of the fourth quarter. Each time the Indians appeared to begin building momentum, Loveland quickly shut it down by answering at the other end.
The Tigers didn’t get much from leading scorer, junior Bella Rogers, who only scored three points in the second half, but shot 8-for-11 as a team from the free throw line in the fourth quarter to help close out their win.
“We knew their number four is really good,” Johnson said of Rogers. “And so I feel like we had a good game plan going in and our girls that was guarding here, and then with her on help side. We had her to 11 today, so pretty proud of that.”
A turnover prone first half for Stebbins (16-8) saw them go more than nine minutes without scoring a point. Loveland’s slight height advantage helped clog passing lanes and execute several successful ball pokes.
“I do think it had an effect just with their length with passing things and like that,” Johnson said. “Thought we turned over the ball a little too much sometimes and then not rebounding. They had a couple times where their big girl would just tap it back out to somebody else.”
Loveland tied the score at 10 a minute into the second quarter but couldn’t take advantage afterward, scoring one point over next 6:27 of game time. The game was tied at 13 at the break.
Stebbins got 14 points from senior Aubrey Fritz and 10 by junior Eva Maddix. The Indians closed its season for the second straight year playing for a district final and won consecutive Miami Valley League division titles.
Johnson called her senior class the hardest workers on the team and reminded her underclassmen of the example that was set for them in the postgame wrap-up.
“Our underclassmen have had great role models in our seniors because that’s the way it should be,” she said. “Kids that play the most minutes should be your hardest workers. And our seniors are such a great senior class. Going to be missing them next year for sure.”
Loveland advances to play either Kings or Mount Notre Dame in a D-II regional semifinal game.
Credit: Steven Wright
Credit: Steven Wright
Miamisburg postseason run ends against Seton
Seton jumped out to a large lead early and cruised to a 60-29 win over Miamisburg in the other D-II district championship game at Fairborn.
“We went into it with the right mind frame of just trying to give them the best battle that we could,” Miamisburg head coach Sean Sims said. “We know they’re a very good team, very well coached.”
Seton (21-3) led 24-9 after the first quarter thanks to several fast break layups and converted free throws.
Miamisburg sophomore Jordyn Mumpower scored a pair of baskets in the opening quarter, but the Vikings couldn’t keep pace with one of the top teams from the Cincinnati-area.
The Saints led by 29 at halftime. The game went into a running clock situation with 4:21 remaining after Seton extended its lead to 60-25.
Mumpower scored 18 points for Miamisburg in the loss.
The Vikings (6-19) were in the district title game for the first time since 2010 after a pair of victories against Xenia and Troy and won four of its final six games.
“It’s really big for us. If we would have won, it would have been the first time in 30 years,” Sims said. “We actually have one of our players, her mother was on that team. So we were just talking about how cool it was to be in the spotlight, to be able to have this opportunity, we’re very grateful.”
Seton advances to play Winton Woods in a D-II regional semifinal game.
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