Earlier this season, Fort Loramie won its 1,000th game, the first girls program in state history to accomplish that feat. The Redskins also advanced to their 13th state final four and are seeking their fifth championship overall.
The Redskins — who beat Waterford 42-29 in last year’s D-IV state title game — are also seeking to win back-to-back titles for the first time, as well as the first D-VII title in state history.
“First of all, winning one is hard,” said Redskins coach Carla Siegel. “I think any coach will say that. When you get the opportunity to try to go back-to-back, it’s just unheard of. I think there’s a lot going on with this team in attempting to go back-to-back, but also being the first team to win in D-VII because there’s never been a D-VII before. There’s a lot of newness to this weekend and they’re excited about the opportunity. I’m sure (Waterford coach Jerry Close) and his team are excited about the opportunity too.”
Both teams are led by the Player of the Year in their respective districts. Fort Loramie senior Avery Brandewie was named Southwest District Co-Player of the Year, who is one of five senior starters along with Victoria Mescher, Autumn Turner, Ariel Heitkamp and Maddie Shatto, who is out with an injury.
“Those seniors have done a great job of getting their team on board and following the mission they’ve set forth ever since November,” Siegel said. “They’ve done a really good job being leaders and getting our team to where we need it to be at this point.”
The Redskins graduated seven seniors, including four who saw extended minutes in last year’s state title game. However, the young players who stepped into those roles gained valuable experience throughout the season, especially when it comes to learning the intricacies of the program’s trademark pressure defense.
“When you think of Fort Loramie, you think of defensive pressure and trying to make the other team work hard to get shots,” Siegel said. “I think the newer players have bought into that philosophy and have been doing a good job with that. We’re 29 games into the season, so hopefully the newness of our team isn’t as detrimental as it was back when we started in November and December.”
The Wildcats are led by senior guard Kendall Sury, the Southeast District Co-Player of the Year.
Waterford - which is located in Washington County, 30 minutes northwest of Marietta - also returns 6-foot-4 post player Avery Wagner, who recently signed to play at Purdue University Fort Wayne.
The Wildcats are seeking its first title since
2022 and third in program history. The schools are meeting in the state championship game for the third time.
“It should be a really good battle,” said Close. “It’s two really good teams. I have a lot of respect for their program. When I got into coaching, it was Fort Loramie and Berlin Hiland that we were always chasing and we’ve been able to conquer one but not the other. We’re hoping that we play well. We’re just looking for a good game and to see what happens.”
The Redskins also beat Waterford 55-48 in the 2015 D-VI state title game.
“I think it’s going to be a wonderful game for D-VII across the entire state to have Waterford and Fort Loramie going head-to-head once again,” Siegel said “I think this is our third time going head-to-head and I think that speaks volumes about the Waterford community and the Fort Loramie community when it comes to girls basketball.”
Girls Basketball
State Finals Schedule
Saturday at UD Arena
D-V: Creston Norwayne (25-3) vs. Portsmouth (26-1), 10:45 a.m
D-VI: Rootstown (27-1) vs. Columbus Grove (26-2), 2 p.m.
D-VII: Waterford (26-1) vs. Fort Loramie (25-3), 5:15 p.m.
D-I: Pickerington Central (24-3) vs. Cincinnati Princeton (21-6), 8:30 p.m.
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