Margaretta shoots for same regional result

CASTALIA — Margaretta's girls basketball team will try to duplicate the magic that led to a Division III regional title last year — right down to Thursday's pregame meal. "We have a lot of girls and coaches who will be eating the same meal at the Olive Garden in Findlay," Margaretta coach Ray Neill said. The Polar Bears stopped at that restaurant last year while winning two regional games to advance to the state semifinals. The trip will be the same and the four teams playing in the regional at the Elida Fieldhouse are the same. The matchups are even the same: Margaretta vs. Harvest Prep at 6 p.m., followed by Ottawa-Glandorf and Liberty Center. "If you're in a regional, you're playing a team that has been good all year or is hot at the right time," Neill said. "Our goal is to get to the regional and roll the dice and try to duplicate what happened last year." Last year, Margaretta led Harvest Prep by 14 points in the second half before the Columbus-area team took a late lead. A 3-point basket by Lilly Edwards gave the Bears a 51-50 lead with 1:35 to play, and Margaretta held on for the breakthrough win. The Bears then knocked off Ottawa-Glandorf in the regional final. O-G, ranked No. 3 in this season's final D-III poll, plays a regular-season game at Elida and also played its district tourney in the large arena. This regional features three of the state's eight top-ranked teams: O-G, No 5 Margaretta and No. 8 Liberty Center. Harvest Prep is 17-9 and was the No. 6 seed in its district played at Capital University in Columbus. The Warriors defeated Pleasant (62-59) and top-seeded Mechanicsburg (63-59) to get to Elida. The Warriors have a roster led by sophomores, including 5-foot-7 Maliyah Lofton, who averages 16.5 points and 4.7 assists per game. She scored 16 against Margaretta last season. Sophomore Israelle Smith (10.4 ppg) scored nine points last year against Margaretta. MoNae Gamble, a 5-9 sophomore, averages 8.6 rebounds and 4.4 steals. Adjoa Acheamong, a 6-0 sophomore, scores 7.1 ppg. "We see a lot of the same players and an athletic, long team," Neill said. What Margaretta won't see is defending state champion Africentric, which is playing in a loaded regional in Springfield. "Based on recent results, the longer you can stay away from Africentric is a plus," Neill said. Margaretta will take a 24-2 record and a 10-game winning streak into the regional round. The Bears' defense has been stifling in the postseason, allowing a total of 70 points in four tourney wins. "We have to stay connected," said senior point guard Lilly Edwards. "A lot of team start out hot and then mellow out. We have to keep the foot on the pedal for four quarters." Margaretta's Kylie Leibacher scored 28 points in the win against Harvest Prep last year. This year, the Bears don't have a big scorer. No Margaretta player has hit 20 in a single game all season. "Maybe the basketball gods will give us our first 20-point scorer," Neill said. "We haven't had that game where our four predominant scorers have all been really good offensively. Maybe that's what it's going to take to win a regional championship." Sophomore guard Ellyse Schaefer is the only Margaretta player averaging double figures at 10.3 points per game. Cassidy Lane (9.6), Raegan Heck (7.7) and Edwards (6.6) also are capable scorers. Heck and Edwards led the Bears in scoring in last year's regional title win against Ottawa-Glandorf. Margaretta has won five district titles in the last seven years, so its players are used to the bright lights. They grew up watching the Bears win. "I remember when Jayden Moore played and I was there watching her," Lane said. "I wanted to be at that level and I wanted to be exactly where she was and do exactly what she did." Neill, a Margaretta graduate, feels the connection between his team and the community. "I have great young ladies coming from great families. It starts there," he said. "It goes into that discipline structure. It goes into the classrooms and hallways at Margaretta High School. It's a culture that's been set by a whole lot of girls before."