Martin surpassed the Division I semifinal record of 32 points. The championship game record is 34 by Jodi Roth of Shelby in 1983. Roth holds the two-game record of 61. Central coach Chris Wallace wouldn’t be surprised to see Martin surpass both of Roth’s records in Saturday’s 8 p.m. final against Olmsted Falls.
“It ain’t like we didn’t do anything,” said Wallace, who in 20 years of coaching has never seen an opposing player score 38 points. “We were chasing her around, but her motor, her will to want it more is one of the best I’ve seen, and that’s saying a lot. I don’t give a lot of compliments like that. Her will to want against us was greater than I’ve seen.”
Martin, the Southwest District player of the year and a Ms. Basketball finalist with 30 Division I offers, scored every way imaginable, and Central was powerless to stop her. She made difficult driving shots in traffic, three 3-pointers and was 11 of 23 from the field. Martin also knows how to get fouled, and the Tigers fouled her 10 times. She made 13 of 14 free throws.
“I just took whatever came to me, and my teammates did a great job of getting me open,” Martin said. “They saw that I was hot, and they set amazing screens. It wasn’t just me playing out there. It was all five of us, and I’m very proud of every single one of them. Thirty-eight points is 38 points – it doesn’t really matter. What matters to me is winning.”
The Panthers (24-5) get to play game No. 30 Saturday for a chance to win the first state title in school history. The only other time the girls team played at state was in 1978 in Class AA. They defeated Delphos St. John’s in the semifinals, then lost for the first time to Columbus Bishop Hartley by two points in the final. In that state tournament, Springboro’s Amy Tucker scored what is now considered a Division II record 70 points.
“We’re not satisfied,” Holweger said. “We’re still very hungry, and we’re going to do everything we can to close this out.”
On Friday the team visited elementary classrooms and got a big sendoff to the arena. And the Springboro fans turned out more than they have all season, the students packing one end of the arena.
“We knew the magnitude of this yesterday when we went out to breakfast and got a big ovation while we’re eating eggs,” Holweger said. “And just the unity in the community – it’s always been a special town to all of us. And we’re glad to be sharing this ride with them.”
The crowd hung on every possession, cheered every basket and every bounce that went their way, and groaned over every moment that didn’t.
When Martin, who is a junior, made consecutive 3-pointers followed by a 16-footer, and Downing, a senior co-captain, followed in a missed shot, the Panthers forged a 42-32 with 1:47 left in the third quarter. The crowd was loud and hoping that run would do it.
But Central, which had struggled against Springboro’s surprise deployment of a 2-3 zone, began to find openings and make shots. The lead was down to 44-41 by the end of the quarter, and the Tigers stuck close.
Downing’s 3-pointer and layup over the top of Central’s press thwarted the Tigers’ turnover-fueled comeback in the fourth and kept the lead at three points.
“I’ve been working on my shot with one of our coaches, and he told me right before the timeout had ended before that play, we need a three out of you,” Downing said. “They all collapsed on Bryn, and it was open. I just knew that I had to take that shot in order to get some momentum going.”
From there the Panthers settled down and finally broke away in the final 90 seconds. While the Tigers were missing too many shots, Martin made four free throws, Aniya Trent got behind the press for a layup and Morgan Meek made the final two free throws.
“For anybody that was around the huddle, I’ve been saying it for a long time, ‘You’re the best and I mean it,” Holweger said. “I love these kids and their their grit and their energy and their toughness.”
The Panthers need one more game of that kind of play against Olmsted Falls. The Bulldogs (25-3) lost in the state final last year. They’re not a big team, but the did what they wanted in a 62-38 win over Rocky River Magnificat.
“They’re great defenders – we’ll have to take our best shots,” Martin said. “They move the ball, and they set really good screens. They’re very fundamental.”
The high of Friday’s win was evident. The Panthers celebrated together on the floor, went to the student section to celebrate with their friends, then gathered at their bench to wave and thank everyone else in town.
“We already talked about it in the locker room,” Downing said. “This game is behind us. We have to move on. We have to refocus.”
Most of Saturday will be about watching game film, learning the scouting report and eating well.
“It’s going to be a battle, and it’s going to be whoever the grittier team is, whoever rebounds, whoever plays the best defense,” Downing said. “It’s gonna be a good one.”
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