Your championship MVP…Addy Homan scored 20 points to lead the Redskins to their first OHSAA state title in women’s basketball. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Sonny Fulks)
The Redskins had a lot on their minds when they came to UD Arena on Friday night. And they used it all as motivation to win in dominating fashion.
Dayton, OH – The St. Henry girls basketball team doesn’t lack for hope and belief in good outcomes. But they needed a booster shot of both Thursday night.
The girls – it seemed when everyone left Wright State after a heart-stopping semifinal victory – might have been carrying the weight of a severely injured teammate into Friday night’s Division VI state championship game, not knowing the state of her health.
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They had seen their friend, senior and starting center Molly Wendel, suffer a head injury after a violent fall in the first quarter. They saw her leave for the hospital flat on her back in a neck brace.
Veteran columnist Jeff Gilbert writes Ohio State football and basketball and OHSAA sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
They lifted her up in a prayer circle. Then they trusted those prayers and overcame what seemed an impossible situation and rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win.
They did it for Molly.
But to win again? Without Molly and without injured senior point guard Morgan Baumer, a first-team all-Northwest District performer, on the floor? The odds would have been more than their fans could have reasonably expected given the gravity of what they had seen and felt the night before.
But late Thursday evening, while celebrating their state semifinal victory, the teammate they prayed for only a few hours before walked into the room.
There was Molly. A few stitches in her head. A concussion. But a big smile on her face.
“It was just awesome to see all their love, all their support on me, and to hear that they won and finished that game for me,” Wendel said.
Morgan Baumer (left) and Molly Wendel were in uniform for the title win…and the love and support of their teammates.
Her teammates were relieved.
“Words can’t even describe it,” Karlee Buschur said. “It was a very scary situation, and nobody wants to see their teammate and best friend go down like that. To hear the news that she had no brain bleeds or fractures and she was going to be OK with just a couple stitches … it felt really good because we were praying pretty hard on that court just asking God to come into her body and bring all the angels to her to heal her. And that’s what he did.”
Reinvigorated, determined to win one more time for Molly and Morgan, determined to win for each other, determined to win for their town, the Redskins did more than win. They dominated Canton Central Catholic, 53-34, at UD Arena to win their school’s first state girls basketball championship.
The Redskins wrote Baumer’s “3” and Wendel’s “14” on their shoes so their teammates would symbolically be on the court with them.
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“That’s what gave us the advantage in the game,” senior guard Alexis Buschur said of playing for their injured teammates. “We didn’t have a lot on the line, but we had a lot we were playing for. I think that gave us the ultimate advantage in this game because you could tell we wanted it that much more.”
Everybody helped…freshman Karlee Baumer scores on a first quarter drive to the hoop.
Head coach Nate Uhlenhake spoke of how proud he was of his team. Not just for winning, but for how they won, for what they overcame, for how their bond wouldn’t let them give up.
“I’m so proud of these girls for having the courage to display that,” he said. “That doesn’t happen all the time.”
Baumer and Wendel would have rather been on the court with their friends. But they sat side by side on the bench cheering every good play and giving encouragement after every not-so-good play.
“To be here tonight for my teammates and just see that they put everything on the floor for me and Mo and our whole entire community meant the world to us,” Wendel said. And honestly, I was questioning last night if I was going be able to make it, but I’m here better than ever.”
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For Baumer, it was her second straight game to watch and wish she could play. With 17 seconds left, Uhlenhake put her in the game. She touched the ball and passed it. But what meant more was the love of her teammates.
“It meant everything, absolutely everything to me,” she said of the past week. “When I went down that game [in the regional final], when I heard that they were playing for me, it just made my heart so happy. And honestly, I don’t really have words for it, except for it’s such a surreal feeling, and I don’t really know what else to say.”
Uhlenhake expressed the same sentiment. Then he found the words.
“There’s not really words to describe the season, the way a group of people have come together in their faith, their belief in each other, and their belief in God, truly just giving him all the glory,” he said. “It’s nothing like I’ve ever been a part of before.”
And the Redskins were nothing like Central Catholic coach Tim Vandervaart had seen this season.
“St. Henry’s a great team – they’re a phenomenal team,” he said.” They’re easily the best team we’ve seen all year.”
Nate Uhlenhake lets loose, post-game…”I’m so proud of these girls, not for just winning, but for how they did it.”
The Redskins (27-1) showed the Crusaders just how good they were and how much desire they had from the jump, stealing passes, stealing dribbles and winning almost every loose-ball battle.
Alexis Buschur picked the point guard’s pocket and scored an easy layup to tie the score 4-4. Ava Homan stole the basketball and passed to Addy Homan for a jump shot for a 6-6 tie. Olivia Gast’s quick hands stole the ball and Addy Homan made another jump shot to lead 8-6.
“It definitely sets the tone because other people see it, and it gives them a confidence boost,” Alexis Buschur said. “Then together we’re all playing as one solid defensive team. That’s how we’ve been all year.”
The Redskins stole the ball five times and forced seven turnovers in just over six minutes. The thievery, the pressure, the speeding up of the Crusaders never stopped. In the end, the Redskins forced 17 turnovers, stealing the ball 12 times, and scored 14 points off those turnovers.
Alexis Buschur comes up with one of twelve steals on the night – seventeen CCC turnovers in the Redskins’ title win.
“They’ve got athletes everywhere, everybody’s mobile, everybody’s fast and quick and moves,” Vandervaart said. “They did to us what we did to other teams.”
The tone set, the Redskins kept the defensive pressure high, holding the Crusaders to 31.4% shooting, helped only by some too-little-too-late 3-pointers. They dominated rebounding with a 36-19 advantage, led by eight apiece from Ava Homan and Karlee Baumer.
The offense eventually found some half-court rhythm, pushing the halftime lead to 26-13 and the third-quarter lead to 45-18. The largest lead was 47-18 early in the fourth.
Sophomore Addy Homan, who took on a bigger ballhandling role with the injury to Morgan Baumer, scored 20 points on 7 of 15 shooting to be named game MVP. Karlee Buschur added 11 points.
Great sports, great food, and a great place to meet with friends. Come to McSobers after the game.
The injuries highlighted the Redskins’ depth, elevating Addy Homan and senior Olivia Gast into the starting lineup. And creating a bigger role for freshman Karlee Baumer, who won the team’s MVP championship chain for her play in the semifinal.
Karlee Buschur got the squeeze from two CCC defenders, but got the basket and the Division VI state title for her efforts.
Uhlenhake can start only five players at a time. But the past eight days proved that he has eight to choose from without missing a beat. The six he had left, plus senior senior Clair Buschur, carried the Redskins to the title Saturday.
“It makes my job easy,” he said. “Put them on the court and they can go play.”
Uhlenhake had to rely on his team to simply go and play more than ever Friday. The heavy winds that blew through Ohio knocked down a series of utility poles in St. Henry. They did their shootaround with emergency lights on. They couldn’t review video clips together of Central Catholic. Uhlenhake had to share them with the players so they could watch them on their phones on the bus ride.
The scouting report, as abbreviated as it was, was more than enough. That story only adds to the list of adverse situations the Redskins dealt with, to the story of their season.
A legacy….“Ten years from now, 30 years from now, this group is still special because we cemented that legacy, and I will cherish that forever.” – Nate Uhlenhake
“For me, it’s about we have cemented a legacy with this group that nobody can take away,” Uhlenhake said. “Ten years from now, 30 years from now, this group is still special because we cemented that legacy, and I will cherish that forever.”
As much as Uhlenhake’s team leaned on each other from the starters to the practice players who helped prepare the starters for games like state championships, they relied on their fans who provided strength in numbers and voice.
“One thing I’ll carry with me is that we just did more than win a state championship – we just brought an entire community together,” Alexis Buschur said. “We reshaped St. Henry athletics and reshaped that mindset. It’s just so amazing to see so many people supporting us, and we’ve been through so much. To be able to go out there and do that, it’s just so special.
“My little girl dreams were to just come up here and win a state championship. And when you have your best friends go down and your whole community in the stands, you just want it even more.”
For each other. For St. Henry.
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