FORT LORAMIE — After a slow start to the season, Fort Loramie has proven it’s back in shape.

The Redskins won their 11th straight game on Thursday by beating Russia 69-31 in a Shelby County Athletic League matchup. Thursday’s win came after the squad beat previously undefeated Ottawa-Glandorf 55-52 in a back-and-forth contest on Saturday.

The Titans led 42-41 heading into the fourth quarter on Saturday, but Fort Loramie (11-1, 6-0 SCAL) scored the first nine points of the third and led the rest of the way.

“I think what helped is we never let down on ourselves and just kept pushing and working hard,” Fort Loramie senior guard Skyler Albers said. “We just have to keep doing that and not get down on ourselves. Keep talking and communicating. That’s what’s key to our playing so good lately.”

Albers scored 16 points on Saturday and also scored a game-high 16 points on Thursday against the Raiders. Junior forward Victoria Mescher scored 15 against Russia and senior forward Summer Hoying added 10.

Fort Loramie is averaging 60 points per game in its last seven contests after averaging 49 in its first five. It has scored at least 49 in every game since a 36-33 loss to undefeated Miami East in a season opener.

“We had to go through some learning pains (early in the season),” Fort Loramie coach Carla Siegel said. “… They are working hard in practice, listening, changing. You see the growth in every game from our players. It’s fun to watch. As a coach, it’s rewarding to watch your players grow.”

The Redskins’ trapping defense has helped power the improvement; they are averaging 16 steals per game. They forced Russia into 21 turnovers on Thursday.

“We got through our injuries that we had early on, and when you can go eight, nine, 10 players deep, you wear the other teams out,” Siegel said. “I’m impressed with how hard the girls all play. They’re fun to coach, they’re receptive to what we say.”

As usual, the Redskins are balanced.

Mescher averages a team-high 12.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Albers averages 10 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game. Hoying averages 8.5 points and 5.3 rebounds. Senior guard Jaden Rose averages 6.6 points and team highs in steals (3.5) and assists (3.6).

“I can’t say enough about all of them,” Siegel said. “The eight-person rotation we have right now is great. They’re all doing their job. The biggest thing we stress here at Fort Loramie is we don’t have one superstar.

“We want everybody to be equally important to our team. I think this team does a great job at comradery and just supporting each other and cheering each other. It’s so important to the success of our team. Everybody’s cheering everybody else on.”

Senior guard Carissa Meyer has been battling a lingering ankle injury. She didn’t play on Saturday but returned Thursday and scored five points in limited action off the bench.

“When she’s in, good things happen for us,” Siegel said.

Senior forward Avery Brandewie is back after missing time early in the season after sustaining an ankle injury in a scrimmage. She led the team in scoring last year and hasn’t matched her offensive performance, but she continues to be active all over the court.

Brandewie finished with four points on Thursday (after having several shots rim out) but blocked five shots and had four assists.

“She’s a month behind everybody else,” Siegel said. “That time will come. She’s a great rebounder, a great passer, she communicates. She’s a great leader for our team. This is her third year playing varsity basketball, so she gets what we want.”

Fort Loramie built an 18-10 lead by the end of the first quarter on Thursday and pushed its advantage to 32-21 at halftime. The squad outscored the Raiders 17-7 in the third quarter and 16-3 in the fourth.

“We had a good halftime talk about defensive pressure,” Siegel said. “It felt like we lost a couple of Russia girls in the first half and gave up some wide-open buckets. I thought in the second half, defensively we did a much better job.”

Fort Loramie is scheduled to travel to St. Henry (8-2) on Saturday, to Anna on Tuesday and to Berlin Hiland next Saturday for the Classic in the Country, where it will face Thornville Sheridan (9-0).

The stretch will be the last of a bunch of road games in the first two thirds of the season. The Redskins have had five home games so far but will play on their home court in five of their last seven contests.

Botkins beats Anna, snaps five-game losing streak

Botkins beat Anna 36-32 on the road on Thursday in an SCAL game to snap a five-game losing streak.

The Trojans built a 13-6 lead by the end of the first quarter; they led 18-14 at halftime and 30-18 at the end of the third. Anna cut the gap with a 14-6 advantage in the fourth.

Deedee Pitts led Botkins (4-7, 2-4) with nine points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals. Camryn Paul scored nine points and Peyton Platfoot added eight.

It was the first win for Botkins since a 54-24 win over Fairlawn on Dec. 14. The Trojans are tied with Houston for fifth place in SCAL standings; the Wildcats won the team’s first matchup 49-42 on Dec. 21 in Houston.

Brenna Cobb led Anna (6-5, 4-2) with 12 points. It’s the third loss for the Rockets in their last four games. They’re tied with Jackson Center for second place in league standings.

Lehman Catholic snaps five-game skid, loses to Milton-Union

The Cavaliers broke a five-game losing streak by beating Fairlawn 53-45 on Saturday and played Milton-Union close on Thursday but lost 47-46.

After a bad second quarter, Lehman trailed 23-19 at halftime at Fairlawn on Saturday but used a 19-14 advantage in the third to take control, then a 15-8 advantage in the fourth to run away.

Lehman and Milton were tied 10-10 at the end of the first quarter on Thursday in Sidney, but the Bulldogs used a 13-5 advantage in the second to take a 23-15 halftime lead. The Cavaliers outscored Milton 16-12 in the third and 15-12 in the fourth.

Lehman senior center Mara O’Leary scored 27 points and had 13 rebounds in Saturday’s win over the Jets; she ranks fourth in the Three Rivers Conference with an average of 12.7 points per game and first with an average of 9.4 rebounds. Junior guard Layla Platfoot scored 14 points and had 11 rebounds on Saturday.

The Cavaliers are 2-6 overall and 0-5 in TRC play. They’re scheduled to travel to Troy Christian on Saturday and host Northridge on Thursday.

Reach Bryant Billing at 937-538-4818, or follow @SidneyOHSports on Twitter and @BryantBillingSDN on Facebook.