“That’s guided us the whole way, and they were spot on,” Holweger said.
After a scrimmage, the coaching staff talked with each player about their roles. The sheet with the roles next to each player’s name still hangs in their locker room. And the consistent adherence to those roles has taken the Panthers to a place the program has only been once and not since 1978. At 8 p.m. Friday, the Panthers (23-5) play in the Division I state semifinals at UD Arena against Pickerington Central (25-3), a seven-time state champion making its 15th appearance.
“The roles are very accepted on this team,” junior forward Ava Wade said. “We come in, take care of business, do our job and then, if we come out, let the other person do it.”
Senior guard Morgan Meek appreciates the value of well-defined roles.
“To put that on paper, it made everyone realize that they have a value to the team,” she said. “Doesn’t matter if they’re starting or not.”
Two roles are universal: play good defense and be a leader, whether by example or words.
Junior guard Bryn Martin’s most important role is obvious: score and take the crucial shots. She averages 21 points, is the Southwest District Division I Player of the Year and was a finalist for Ohio’s Ms. Basketball award. She also leads the team in assists because of the double-teams and box-and-one defenses she faces.
“Bryn is a great leader,” Meek said. “Just the way she plays she makes people want to play with her and play as hard as her.”
Meek shares ball-handling and point-guard duties with Martin, is a good passer, is a high-energy provider and makes open shots.
Senior forward Chloe Downing’s versatility means she often guards point guards, is counted on for rebounding, getting steals and scoring in double figures when needed.
“It’s a great team to be a part of, and I’m glad we’re doing this together,” Downing said.
Wade wears the toughness label. She guards the best perimeter shooter, has to fight through lots of screens, posts up and rebounds. And she proved with a team-high 16 points in the region semifinal win that she can do that, too.
“Before the game we each try to focus on something,” Martin said. “The other day Ava’s job was to face guard someone. I said, ‘Ava, just focus on face guarding, and everything else will come.’”
Aniya Trent, the Panthers’ 6-foot-2 junior center, is a versatile defender, blocks shots, rebounds and gets points inside like she did with 12 in the double-overtime semifinal win over Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame. She scored the tying basket to force the second overtime.
“We all know we’re all capable of having a great game, and Bryn knows we all are too,” Trent said. “We really have a trust with each other.”
Off the bench, Holweger turns to junior Brooke Clear to make big shots and defend, junior Tessa Blain to be a good on-ball defender, junior Lydia Gabbard to defend and set screens and junior Carly Turman, injured most of the season, to help defend inside against big teams like Pickerington Central.
“We’re at the point where we just want to win,” Meek said. “Whatever it takes for us to win, that’s what everyone’s here to do.”
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