Russia’s Callie Goubeaux scores a pair of points to help the Raiders to a big halftime lead. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Russia’s defense delivered again, and got just enough offense to provide their most memorable win since 1994…Russia sweeps Fort Loramie in the season series to secure their first SCL title since 1994.
Russia coach Mike Bashore could hardly contain his excitement. He didn’t try, actually.
And why should he? For the first time since 1994 (or 32 years), his Russia Raiders basketball team won the Shelby County League girls title Thursday before a big crowd at Fort Loramie, toppling the young and struggling Redskins for a second time this season, 36-21.
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Someone in the crowd added that specifics don’t matter. “Doesn’t matter who high scorer was. I’ll just remember that we won.”
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Let history show, just the same, that Arayana Cordonnier, daughter of the former basketball coach, Spencer, led the Raiders with 11 points, and percentage-wise scored a third of her team’s points. Doesn’t matter. After 32 years, uh, well…you know. All that mattered was…they won!
And not without some irony that Russia has had to live with throughout the Carla Siegel era at Loramie, their four state titles, the 1,000 program wins, and every other superlative you can mention about Fort Loramie basketball. Frankly, in recent history, it’s been a minute since someone besides Loramie won the SCL..2017, according to the league’s website. And during that time Russia had been on the frustrating end of hearing, and reading, about the Redskins’ dominance.
But if not this year, when? Loramie (13-7) is young and injury struck since the early days of the season, with as many as four players (two starters) missing with either stress fractures or ACL knee injuries.
Russia’s Cami Schaffer flips in a basket during Thursday’s 36-21 win for the Shelby County League title.
And Russia, despite finishing as bride’s maid more than once over the last decade, has quietly built a contending team for district and regional recognition this year on an old Loramie tried-and-true method. The Raiders play defense. And that defense must have given Loramie some flashbacks Thursday to some of the afore-mentioned better days.
“I’m proud of these girls,” said Bashore Thursday, minutes after Russia held Loramie to just 6 points in the first quarter, 3 points in the second, 5 points in the third, and 7 in the fourth.
“Tonight was the first time in eight years that they didn’t win the league,” he added. “And I think eleven out of the last twelve. So getting the league title was our goal at the beginning of the year, and you knew you’d have to go through them. They’re a great team, they’re well-coached, they fight all game long, and you have to be prepared for every second of the game. We did a nice job in the first half to move the ball around, hit some big threes, and our defense settled in there from the middle of the first quarter to the end of the game. Until the very end of the game they had 15 points, so I’m very proud of that. We hang our hat on our defense.”
It was 12-6 at the end of the first, with points coming off Loramie turnovers and a pair of three-point shots by Cordonnier and Callie Goubeaux.
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Loramie, on the other hand, showed their youth and inexperience by being timid to drive the ball to the rim, spread the floor, and not take advantage of Russia’s overplaying the ball.
“We showed our youth tonight,” admitted Siegel afterwards. “It’s not an excuse when you say that we’re inexperienced. I’ve lost track of how many different lineups we’ve used this year and that’s not my style. I want to know which five are going to play and what to expect. It hasn’t been that way.”
Loramie’s Olivia Brandewie strains to shoot through the Raider defense in Thursday’s SCL title showdown.
It was 24-9 at halftime, and clearly Russia held all the cards with Cordonnier and Goubeaux having scored 15 of their 24 points. And Bashore’s defense rattled Loramie’s attempts to settle down and find some old, predictable looks on offense.
And they tried. Loramie ran offense and did its best to find a crack or a lane to the rim. But there was no Darian Rose or Courtney Reed to be found. Only the memories. The Skins’ just couldn’t score.
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Russia led 36-15 at the 1:41 mark of the fourth quarter when Loramie’s Liza Poeppelman ignited for a pair of buckets and a free throw to reach the 21 point mark. There’s no such thing as moral victories with Carla Siegel, but to Bashore’s point, they never quit trying. Poeppelman ended up leading her team in points with 8. Only one other player, Olivia Brandewie, scored as many a 6.
It’s been a tough year for Loramie, and Siegel – the knee injuries with her lineup and a knee replacement for the coach.
Russia’s Hazel Francis evades all the arms to score during the second half of the Raiders’ 36-21 win.
And, the constant rumors over whether this was it for Siegel. Would she retire? Had she had enough?
“They’ve been saying that since 2020,” she deadpanned outside her office, post-game. “So it must be tournament time.”
As competitive as anyone currently coaching in Ohio, 13 wins in the midst of an obvious rebuild is no way to be remembered, and no time to quit.
“Why would I want to leave after this,” she smiled. “We played hard tonight. And while we didn’t score, I was pleased with our defense. We held them to 36 points. That’s a good basketball team and congratulations to them. But we’re young and we need to play a lot of basketball. It’s just been a different year.”
And different for Russia, as well. Sitting on 18 wins and the league title, in an era of seven divisions of basketball Mike Bashore has that one element that trumps bigger, faster, and more explosive teams come tournament time. The Raiders, to his professing pride over it, play defense, and defense always travels.
“We didn’t want any shares [of the title],” Bashore smiled. “We’ve worked too hard, and I know that she (Siegel) wouldn’t want to share it, either. 11-1 in the league represents an amazing effort by these girls. And for what they’ve done since last year, 18-3 is an amazing run. It isn’t me or anything I’ve done. I’m just along for the ride.”
The trip of a lifetime…after 32 years!
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