MAC Girls Basketball Game of the Week - Minster at Fort Recovery

For the past few weeks, a good portion of the Midwest Athletic Conference had been playing for second place in the league standings, since there seemed little hope of bumping the Versailles Tigers from the top spot. That all changed last Thursday when the Marion Local Flyers handed the Tigers their first loss in league play, throwing a wrench in the conference standings and igniting hope to several other teams in the league. As it stands now, the Tigers, Fort Recovery Indians, and New Knoxville Rangers are all knotted for first place in the MAC with one league loss apiece, while the Minster Wildcats and Coldwater Cavaliers are both a game back with two losses in conference. This week Nann Stechschulte’s Minster Wildcats will travel west to face Doug Bihn’s Fort Recovery Indians in a battle that will have further impact on the conference lineup. “We always want to compete for the league title,” Bihn commented. “At this point in the season we have to continue to improve - we have to have some kids step up and play well for us to win.” Stechschulte’s approach is cautious as well in terms of the league race. “We always take it one game at a time – there is always pressure in every league game. We will NOT approach this game any different now that we're within a game of a tie for the lead.”

Following a two-game skid, the 13th-ranked Indians got back on the winning track last Thursday with a road victory at Coldwater and on Tuesday night will look to improve to 12-4 overall when they face the Ansonia Tigers. Heading into the contest, Fort Recovery’s Tori Lennartz continues to be one of the top scorers in the area by averaging 16 points per game, including over 25 three-pointers. “We have to have several kids continue to step up - my seniors have been very coachable and their attitudes have been great,” complimented Bihn. “Minster is a very well-coached and disciplined team - we have to come ready to play and we'll have a chance.”

The Wildcats have won seven of their last eight games and are 10-5 overall. They lost to top-ranked Ottoville on January 19 before rebounding with an 8-point victory over Parkway last Thursday evening. Offensively, the Wildcats are led by Bridget Geiger at 14 points per game, while Claire Fischer and Kayla Richard both add seven points each time out. On the defensive end, Geiger, Richard, and Sara Dahlinghaus have combined for more than 100 steals to give power to Minster’s relentless defense, and they will continue to have their hands full this week against the Indians. “We have played seven of our last ten games on the road, which is a tough stretch – with another one on Thursday,” remarked Stechschulte. “Our play has been better for the most part, but we still need to be more consistent from game-to-game and even quarter-to-quarter. Ft. Recovery is a very solid team that likes to play up- tempo end line to end line. We need to take care of the ball, be patient on offense, and as always play good solid defense and rebound.”

by Robb Hemmelgarn