On the rebound from a 22-point Saturday loss at Division II Lima Bath, the Fort Loramie girls (16-1) will take on an impressive New Knoxville squad (13-2) at home on Tuesday.
The hot-shooting Rangers are hitting 37 percent behind the arc and nearly 50 percent from the floor through 15 games. The Midwest Athletic Conference club is nailing 73 percent of its free throws and is committing only 10 turnovers per outing.
New Knoxville’s two losses were to Minster, 38-29, and to Fort Recovery, 43-38.
Fort Loramie was ranked number one in Ohio in the girls D-IV AP Poll published on Jan. 19, but might fall from the top spot when the new poll is released Tuesday. New Knoxville was 10th a week ago.
ScoresBroadcast.com will begin its pre-game segment tonight at 7 PM. WMVR, 105.5 TAM FM, will simulcast.
The Redskins, who started poorly at Bath, shaved a 20-8 deficit to 25-20 midway through the second quarter, but could get no closer. Bath steamrolled in the final two periods as the Redskins, uncharacteristically, committed 24 turnovers, a dozen in each half.
FL’s Colleen Brandewie came off the bench to score seven points in the third and fourth quarters. Bath’s defense slowed Kenzie Hoelscher, who mustered only two baskets for the entire game.
Head coach Carla Siegel’s players now turn the page and put behind them Saturday’s initial setback of the year. That defeat snapped a 42-game program win streak. It was the club’s first regular season loss since December 2018. The Redskins have not dropped a home game since Dec. 11, 2017.
Because of a lack of depth, New Knoxville (NK) may not match Bath’s ability to apply pressure beyond mid-court. However, the Rangers are extremely efficient.
NK’s patient offensive style and often-used zone defense limit opponents’ possessions. The Rangers record a dozen steals per contest and have registered nearly 200 assists on the season. NK is yielding 30 points per four quarters of play.
Three Rangers average double figures. Morgan Leffel, a 5-7 wing, is at 14 points per contest; 5-10 post Avery Henschen scores 12 each outing; and Ellie Gabel, a 5-6 guard, is at ten. Gabel is a 35 percent three-point shooter. Leffel is the only senior on the varsity roster.
Sixteen-year head coach Tim Hegemier has won two-thirds of his games while leading the NK girls program.
During this current series of eight years of tussles between Fort Loramie and NK, New Knoxville is winless. However, five of the contests have been decided by a total of only 16 points. The Redskins won a thriller three years ago, 44-41. Fort Loramie took the first of these head-to-head matches in November 2012, 55-51.
Seniors Hoelscher and Dana Rose, who stand at 6-0 and 6-1, respectively, continue to lead the Redskins in scoring. Hoelscher is at 13.5 points per game; Rose, 11.
The team was allowing only 24 points per contest before Saturday, when Bath drained 20 field goals.
