SIDELINES BASKETBALL

ND reaches state for first time

Rogers wins first City League title

The Notre Dame bench goes wild as the Eagles take the lead in the closing minutes of a 55-51 comeback victory over Wadsworth in the Division I regional championship game.

With a veteran, senior-dominated team, Notre Dame played one of the tougher nonleague girls basketball schedules in Ohio this season, hoping to reap the rewards come tournament time.

Fourth-year coach Travis Galloway's Eagles (22-5) were indeed rewarded by season's end, posting a 14-0 record to win the first Three Rivers Athletic Conference title, and later district and regional crowns.

Rallying from a 10-point deficit late in the third quarter, Notre Dame beat Wadsworth 55-51 in the regional final to earn the school's first trip to the state semifinals, where they fell 54-45 to Kettering Fairmont in Columbus.

The Eagles were led by seniors Cat Wells, Michelle Holmes, and Demy Whitaker. Galloway was named Ohio D-I co-coach of the year.

To get to the regional, Notre Dame first had to get past Northern Lakes League champion Northview (21-2) by a 54-43 count in the district final. Veteran coach Jerry Sigler picked up career win 650 as the Wildcats, paced by seniors Miriam Justinger and Jessica Jessing, won the NLL title with a 14-0 mark.

Just as their school's boys team did this season, the Rogers girls picked up their first City League championship. Coach Lamar Smith's Rams (19-5), led by junior point guard Cha'Ron Sweeney and sophomore guard Sasha Dailey, suffered a 63-61 loss to Lima Bath in a Division III regional semifinal.

It was a new conference, but the same result for coach Denny Meyer's Lake Flyers (16-6 overall), who followed their titles in the final three years of the former Suburban Lakes League with a championship in the first season of the Northern Buckeye Conference. Lake, led by senior Hannah Cox, went 11-3 in NBC play to edge Rossford

Ottawa Hills (19-3) captured its fourth straight title in the Toledo Area Athletic Conference, posting a 14-0 mark in TAAC play. The Green Bears of coach Sean Mercer were led by senior guard Nancy Rumpf and senior forward Caroline Arnos.

Northwest Ohio Athletic League champion Archbold (24-1) went 8-0 in league play and closed the regular season at 20-0 and ranked No. 2 in Ohio in Division III. Coach Brian Ziegler's Blue Streaks, who were paced by sophomore Cassidy Wyse and senior Abby Short, were ousted in tourney play by seventh-ranked Liberty-Benton 40-32 in the regional semifinal.

L-B, led by All-Ohio player Cait Craft, fell in the state semifinals.