Lakers vie for first district title; Wildcats enjoying huge turnaround

Since the moment Danbury lost in last season's district championship game, a return trip has been the goal. On Saturday night, they'll get a chance to flip the script. "I told the girls then we weren't far away from getting to that level," Lakers coach Joe Miller said, "and they certainly didn't make me a liar." The top-seeded Lakers (23-2), with a single-season program record 23 wins, will take on No. 2 seed New London (20-4) at Willard at 6 p.m. in a Division IV district final. Danbury, seeking its first-ever district title, advanced with a 62-36 win over South Central. New London handled Monroeville, 49-27. "It's been a tremendous, memorable year," New London coach Eric Mitchell said. "Both teams want to come in and play well and love the support of our communities. But at the end of the night, only one is gonna continue into that Sweet 16, and somebody's season is coming to an end." The Lakers put four players in double figures against the Trojans. Maria Maringer totaled 16 points, with 14 from Kelly Uhinck, 12 from Ella McDonald and 11 by Mia McDonald. The only starter not in double figures was point guard Maci Brown, who dished out six assists and had seven steals. "She certainly could score more, but she is always trying to find the open player and do what we can to make sure we get the best shot," Miller said. "Her teammates are good about making themselves available and then catching those passes. Those transition passes she throws, those are dimes, 50 or 60 feet passes over all those arms." The Firelands Conference champion Wildcats are led by senior post Emilee Rowland, who scored a game-high 12 points in the district semifinal. Alyssa Henry is another New London senior and all-conference player, and it's a stellar sophomore class around them with RaeAnn Mitchell, Valery Henry and Gracie Thomas. New London is two seasons removed from a 1-21 campaign. But with the mixture of youth and experience, they won 17 games last winter and 20 so far this season. "It's a special group," Mitchell said. "Their work ethic, the way they respond to anything we ask of them, they do it. We tried to beef up our nonconference, and I think that really helps us." The Wildcats and Lakers are both quality defensive teams. New London has held 16 teams to 30 or fewer points, while 14 Danbury opponents have failed to top 30. Mitchell expects the pace of the game to be a huge factor. "They're one of the best transition teams I've seen in years," Mitchell said. "That's just something we have to make an adjustment to… They just can't get the ball out of the net fast enough and go. Brown does a tremendous job of getting the ball up the court to go." It's the final most people expected, and both squads will head to Willard believing they can make history. "Everybody knows what's at stake," Miller said. "It's survive and advance. You're only promised one more game. Every game you go in 0-0. We'll do our very best to play well on Saturday."