Margaretta made for March

CASTALIA — The calendar has turned to March, which means Margaretta basketball is heating up. The boys and girls basketball teams at the small high school in southwest Erie County have made winning tournament games an annual event for years. Together, the Polar Bears and Lady Bears have won 50 postseason matchups since 2018. That number likely will change in the coming days and weeks. Margaretta is the only area school that has its boys and girls teams still moving through tournament brackets. After senior sharpshooter Ellyse Schaefer helped cut down a net after the Bears won their fifth straight girls district championship last Saturday in Fremont, she was asked about moving on to the Division VI Sweet 16. "It's kind of weird thinking it's not normal for some teams, but it's our program standard," Schaefer said. "We don't take it for granted, but it's expected, and we work hard to make sure we reach that goal." Margaretta's boys — who are ranked No. 4 in the state in Division V by MaxPreps — also are poised to cut down nets. They take a 20-3 record into Tuesday's 6 p.m. district semifinal against Huron at Lakota High School. The Polar Bears need two more wins — and they're favored to get them — to advance to the regional level for a third straight season. "It's a privilege to be in the tournament every year. Our squad enjoys it," Margaretta star senior Julian Washington said. "It means everything to be part of a culture like this. It's everything I could've ever wanted. We got a great group of guys who bond together and that helps us on the court." Both programs have experienced plenty of success. The Polar Bears and Lady Bears have a combined record of 137-19 the last three seasons. Over the past nine they are 357-104. The Lady Bears take a 24-1 record and No. 1 state ranking to Bluffton for a regional semifinal against Ottawa Hills at 8 p.m. Thursday. It's a long trip and victory is not guaranteed. But it's a lock that Margaretta will bring a good crowd. After all, it is a basketball school. "Some games we have more fans than the home team," senior center Cassidy Lane said. "It's so special to have a community that follows us and is really supportive." Spirit buses will carry students to games this week. The players appreciate the added boost. "It's funny. You see no one there and you're like, 'Dang, it's almost game time,' " Lane said. "Then everyone piles in and you know it's gonna be fun. I love playing in front of large crowds because it gets the adrenaline going." Washington, considered the best player to ever play at Margaretta, also appreciates the support from his classmates. "The students really get into it; we're having spirit buses go to games and that's really exciting for us," he said. "Three-hundred kids came on the spirit buses last year to Lakota. It was pretty noticeable. Being at a neutral site, it feels like you have a home-court advantage with all the kids there and the families supporting you. I like seeing the green-and-white wave." The teams support each other, too. The boys are front and center for the girls games and the girls support the boys. "We're on them to come to games; we can count on each other," Schaefer said. "It's exciting and we all love basketball so much. It's cool to see our school thrive on something we love. "I do feel like it's a basketball school. The fans are insane. It's a small community, but we can always count on people being here. It's really cool to see what both of us can do." Senior Judah Keller, who has helped the boys team with 68 games the last three seasons, says the programs have good synergy. "We cheer them on, they cheer us on," he said. "I will say we are a little louder at their games than they are for us, but we're a little obnoxious." Keller enjoys cheering on his little sister, Renna, a talented freshman who comes off the bench for the Lady Bears. He and Washington are not bashful about starting the "we want Renna" cheer. "She hates it, let me tell you," Judah said." She gets home and she says, 'Why do you do that?' I tell her we're supporting her. She doesn't understand yet." Judah has seen the Lady Bears win big for years. Margaretta's girls have been to five final fours — the first in 1993, the most recent in 2023 — and they have dominated the Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division. "I remember coming to the girls games and asking my dad (boys head coach Steve Keller) about why the girls are always cutting nets down," he said. "I didn't understand because I was so little. Looking back, they were doing it all the time. We're kind of at that point now, too. Winning district is a priority, but we want more." The Margaretta boys are 68-9 the last three seasons and have won 20 or more games in four of the last five. Neither program has had a losing record for years. Since the Sandusky Bay Conference expanded to three divisions in 2017-18, the Margaretta boys have won 19 tournament games. The girls have won 31. The Margaretta boys are 161-64 — a winning percentage of 72 percent — since 2017-18 and the girls are 196-40 (83 percent). Margaretta's program-building starts early. At a girls home game in early February, girls in grades 1-3 took the court at halftime to show off their dribbling skills. Girls varsity assistant Corey Britton heads up the "fun"-damentals program. During varsity introductions, the girls lined up on a baseline and gave the starters high-fives. Five lucky girls got candy from their heroes. After the game, the seniors signed autographs for their young fans. "It's so emotional to see the little kids here to support us," Lane said. "We're their role models and they want to be like us. I was the exact same way. I wanted to wear the green like they did and now I want to do the same thing for the younger girls now. "It's so adorable and it's special knowing they'll grow up to be Lady Bears." The varsity girls help out with the program, which covers six Saturdays. "It is nice to work with them because that used to be us," senior Lillian Belak said. "I knew what it meant to me when I was that young and what the older girls did for us." No doubt some of those girls will be cheering on their heroes this week. Both teams know the season is running short and they are enjoying the ride, which include plenty of team dinners. "We know that it's the second season," Lane said. "Coach (Ray) Neill's been preaching this for a while now. We know if we don't play well, we go home. We don't want to do that. We have to stay focused and take every game seriously because March is big." When it's over, there will be plenty of fond memories upon which to draw. "It's incredible. It means the world to me," Judah Keller said. "I'll be so sad when the season's over because I'll never have a community back me the way Margaretta does now."