Last weekend was a monumental one for the Whitko girls basketball program, as the team defeated No. 4 Bluffton to capture their first ever sectional championship. Despite this groundbreaking moment for the school and the players, they’re not satisfied yet.
“The sectional championship we were able to win was a big step in what we want to accomplish. Last year, we lost in the championship game to Bishop Luers who eventually won state,” Whitko head coach Justin Jordan said. “We felt like we were right there and this year getting over that hump was a big accomplishment. Ultimately though, that’s not our main goal.”
The sectional title was just another first for a team that has rewritten Lady ‘Cats history while they’ve been there. They’ve won at least a share of the Three Rivers Conference two years in a row for the first time ever. Their 39-8 record over the past two seasons is the best in program history. Jordan was quick to praise his players for how quickly they’ve turned the program around.
“The biggest part of this is the buy-in from the players,” he said. “I’m hard to play for at times but they trust in what I’m teaching them and I try to instill a lot of confidence in them.”
On Saturday afternoon, they’ll aim to break down another barrier as they play in their first ever regional game against 24-2 Bremen.
The biggest game in school history is coming at a good time for Whitko, as the team is playing its best basketball of the season when it matters most. Outside of an eight-point win over Bluffton in the championship game, the Lady ‘Cats cruised through the sectional, defeating Woodlan 64-47 in the opening round and South Adams 78-23 in the semifinals. The team has won 12 of its last 13 games, the only loss being an upset defeat against Northfield that cost them the outright conference title.
The Stonebreaker sisters, Reese and Jayma, are among the many standouts that make up a very deep Whitko team. Reese leads the team at 14 points per game and led the way with 19 in the sectional championship game. Senior captain Adriyanna Phillips averages 12.9, while Jayma puts up 12.7 a night. Her biggest game of the playoffs came in the opening round, when she scored 23. Senior Braisha Harrison missed a large portion of the season, but has made the most of her return. Her season-high 16 points came in the semifinals.
The team boasts eight players that have appeared in 23 or more games, and three more that have played in at least 10. Ally Brown and Jocelyn Luecke are two more sophomores that are able to make an impact on any given night. Hazel Leffers is a freshman off of the bench that has appeared in every game. On any given night, Whitko can beat you in a variety of ways.
“I believe how deep we are really does build everyone up. We have three girls in double figures but we also have three or four more that can score anywhere between 5-10 points a night and that adds up quickly,” Jordan said. “It’s been a huge boost for us when we do sub because there really isn’t much of a drop off.”
On the other side, the Lady Lions, fresh off of an appearance in the 3A semi-state game last year, have been making waves in their first season since moving down. Bremen cruised through its sectional, defeating Jimtown 53-16, LaVille 46-27 and Knox 65-29 in the championship game. The team’s last loss came in the middle of December to 3A sectional champion Culver Academies.
Like Whitko, Bremen boasts three double digit scorers, led by the incredible Kila Foster. And her 18.8 points a night. She leads the team by shooting 47% from the field and 36% from three. Eliana Grubbs averages 13.8 and also leads the team in assists, while Emma Kincaid rounds out the top three with 12.4. She also grabs the most boards a night with 6.3.
“Having watched several of their games I know they have three talented players who we will try to slow down. They primarily play zone which is all we have seen for the last two months,” Jordan said. “We plan to get after it on defense like we always do and hope to contain Kila.”
The game will be played at Caston High School at 1 p.m. on Saturday. It’s the first of two 2A regional games.