The team holds up the District Championship trophy and secured their spot in regionals.
Photos by Drew Terhall | The Daily Advocate
Senior MacKenzea Townsend led the team with 17 points and got the offense going as she found success inside the paint.
The bench gets on the court to celebrate with the rest of their teammates after the buzzer sounds.
By Drew Terhall
Dailyadvocate.com
TROY — For the first time in school history, the Mississinawa Valley girls basketball team are District Champions. The fifth seed Lady Blackhawks defeated one seed Legacy Christian, 51-46, at Troy High School in the OHSAA Division IV Southwest District Finals on March 2.
Head coach Michael Paige said despite some mistakes throughout the game, the team kept battling forward to get this historic win.
“They were still a little wore out from Wednesday. But, we played hard. Legacy is a good team. They were 21-3, they played a lot of good teams,” Paige said. “It was going to be a tough game for us just trying to get past that mental hurdle. But they kept going and they got it.”
Mississinawa Valley had to ease into the game. Legacy Christian took a lead early before Mississinawa Valley tied the game early.
From that point, the teams went back and forth. Both defenses set a physical tone early and didn’t allow many easy buckets. Paige said they have been focusing on their defensive effort as he is confident in the team’s ability to score in many different ways.
At halftime, it was an 18-18 game. Legacy Christian couldn’t hit outside shots and couldn’t find success getting inside the paint. Mississinawa Valley had some early turnover issues and couldn’t find their rhythm early.
That changed in the second half. Senior MacKenzea Townsed scored the first six points of the second half and the Lady Blackhawks had an early lead.
Paige said once they got inside to Townsend, they took control of the game. It took the post players like Townsend, senior Brenna Price and sophomore Brooklynn Seubert to get the team going.
In those big moments, teams normally go to their upperclassmen. Paige said when the shots weren’t going, he leaned on those seniors to give the team some life on offense.
“When it’s not going to fall, those are the moments we need Kenzea and Brenna, our two seniors, and then Brooklynn coming off the bench to step up and give us a post presence down low. They were able to do today. They were a big part of our win today,” Paige said.
The Lady Blackhawks went on a run and got out to a double-digit lead at one point. But, the Lady Knights weren’t going away easily. After the third quarter, the Lady Blackhawks led 34-29.
Whenever Mississinawa Valley tried to go on another run, Legacy Christian matched them. They refused to go away quietly. Paige said he wanted the team to control the tempo better as Legacy Christian was able to play well in that tempo with them.
At times, the Lady Knights inched closer to the Lady Blackhawks when they would make a mistake or turnover the ball.
Mississinawa Valley’s confidence never wavered. Townsend said all it takes is a high five from your teammate to keep the morale up and the focus directed on the next play.
“We follow the high five rule. You mess up, you get a high five. You make a good play, you get a high five. Everything starts with the high five. High five gets you going,” Townsend said. “We all always give high fives, we are always hyping each other up, no matter if we make a mistake. We say we get it back next time, you’re good, relax.”
It was much of the same in the fourth quarter. In front of a large Mississinawa Valley crowd and a loud student section, the Lady Blackhawks took care of business and secured the District Championship.
Paige and Price said having the crowds they have had has helped them. They help bring energy to the team at times when the team can’t create it on their own.
To get the students involved, some of the parents donated tickets so they can be in attendance. Everyone at Mississinawa Valley is enjoying this ride together.
“Our crowd has helped us with our last two victories. When we lose momentum, they’re able to give us energy back just with all of their energy and with everything they bring. We need our crowd. This team is a community, it’s not just a basketball team,” Paige said.
“It’s amazing. It definitely helps just knowing that whenever we might be down, they’re always rooting for us and never giving up on us,” Price said.
Townsend led with 17 points. Junior Taylee Woodbury had 15 points. They will take on two seed Marion Local on March 7 at 6 p.m. at Butler High School.
Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]
