Madison wins second straight district championship

PAT AUCKERMAN/AP

ENLARGE PHOTO

Photos: Madison vs. Madeira

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By Skip Weaver, Staff Writer Updated 12:32 PM Sunday, March 7, 2010

SPRINGFIELD — The Division III girls district championship between Madison and Madeira high schools was played in a neutral gym, but you wouldn’t have known that judging by the number of red-clad fans sitting in the visitor’s stands on Saturday afternoon, March 6.

It appeared as though the entire population of Madison Township turned out to support their Mohawks and they weren’t disappointed.

Madison claimed its second consecutive district championship with a 49-25 victory over the Amazons in the first of three district title matchups at Springfield High School.

The name of the game was tempo and Madison (24-0) set it from the opening tip off. The Mohawks rolled to a 10-0 first-quarter lead and never trailed.

“We got out to a quick start,” Madison coach John Rossi Jr. said. “That 10-0 first quarter dictated the game. To get that lead was critical for us.”

Junior Ally Malott had six of her game-high 16 points in that first frame. Senior Lindsay Hoskins and sophomore Ashley Cox added a bucket apiece.

But it wasn’t all offense for the Mohawks. In fact, the offense was less than perfect committing 18 turnovers and shooting just 40 percent from the floor (21-of-52).

It was a defensive effort that pushed Madison over the top.

The combination of senior Adrianne Lehman and sophomore Abby Jerger, as well as a few other Mohawks, limited Madeira’s top scorer Gretchen Staubach to just four points. She was averaging 13 coming into the game.

“It’s good to see we can still get a win when we aren’t shooting that well,” said Hoskins, who finished with 14 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists. “We know we can get it done with our defense.

“This was business,” she continued. “Last year’s win was sweeter because we had never done it before. This year we felt we should win it. But it still feels good.”

It didn’t feel as good in the Amazons locker room, but veteran coach Dave Schlensker looked at the positives for next year.

“I told the girls to keep their chins up,” Schlensker said. “I asked them to play hard for 32 minutes and they did.

“I think we missed some opportunities to get the ball to Staubach,” he continued. “We had her in some mismatches that would have helped us score more, but it probably wouldn’t have made up 24 points. Madison is really good.”

Lanie Frayer led the Amazons (15-8) with eight points, followed by Alyssa Frye with six.

“To win back-to-back district titles is great for the kids,” Rossi said. “Our kids are resilient. They responded the way we thought they would. I’m very proud of them.”

Madison will return to Springfield at 6 p.m. on Wednesday to face the winner between West Jefferson and Columbus Africentric in the regional semifinals.

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