“I’m excited for (our players),” said Stebbins coach Autumn Johnson. “They’ve put in the hard work at the end of the day and they’re the ones that are trying to change the culture with us and I feel like we have to give the kudos to them.”
Northmont beat Miamisburg 33-28 in the other semifinal, advancing to districts for the first time in 25 years — despite finishing the regular season with three wins.
“I preached to them that records don’t matter in the tournament,” said Northmont coach Maggie Neanen. “They’ve busted their butts for two weeks to prepare for this moment. I’m very proud of them.”
Stebbins 29, Troy 25: Junior Miley Amann had a game-high 13 points, hitting three 3-pointers as the Indians improved to 16-7 overall. They advanced to face Harrison (22-1) — which beat Kings 52-31 at Fairfield — at noon Saturday at Fairborn High School.
“We’re excited for our program,” Johnson said. “I feel like we’ve been trying to change the culture a little bit, play a little bit faster pace than what they’ve traditionally played in the past.”
The Indians beat Troy twice in Miami Valley League play, including a 13-point victory on Jan. 29.
Stebbins jumped out to a 19-7 lead on a 3-pointer by Amann with less than three minutes remaining in the first half.
The Trojans held the Indians scoreless for more than six minutes in the third quarter and pulled to within three points at 25-22 on a putback by sophomore Jayda Dillow.
Stebbins, however, would increase their lead to 29-22 late in the fourth quarter on a steal and layup by sophomore Aubrey Fritz and a free throw by senior Alianna Davis.
“We knew it was going to be a tough matchup,” Johnson said. “They played us really physical. They slowed down our tempo really well. We like to play a faster paced game and they picked the ball up early in transition, which didn’t allow us to push like we normally like to. We didn’t shoot well, but they scouted us. They know you’ve gotta stop (Fritz). You’ve got to keep lane penetration to a minimum, so I felt like they scouted us well. We knew they were going to play us tough.”
The Indians won the program’s first-ever division title this season, sharing the MVL Valley Division title with Sidney. They hope the district final appearance will help propel them to more championships in the future.
“We’ve going to try to set the bar even higher,” Johnson said.
Northmont 33, Miamisburg 28: Thunderbolts senior Brenna Williams had a game-high 13 points as Northmont (4-19) beat their Greater Western Ohio Conference rivals for the second time this month.
Vikings freshman Jordyn Mumpower had eight points for Miamisburg, which finished its season 6-17.
The Thunderbolts last advanced to the district finals in 2000. It was the program’s first postseason victory since the 2018-19 season.
“It was a total team effort,” Neanen said. “Since we drew Miamisburg, we’ve preached: ‘We have a chance, we have a chance, we have a chance.’ It’s something Northmont girls basketball hasn’t done in a long time. It’s special.”
The Thunderbolts jumped out to a 8-1 first quarter lead on a 3-pointer by senior Laynee Barrett and never looked back. They led 18-11 at the half and extended the lead to 23-16 in the third quarter on two free throws by junior Ariane Eloi.
The Vikings pulled to within two points at 30-28 on a bucket by Mumpower with less than a minute remaining, but a putback by Williams and a free throw by Eloi sealed the victory for Northmont.
Williams had 21 points in the Thunderbolts’ 46-44 win against the Vikings on Feb. 5. She scored nine points in the second half in Monday’s win.
“She’s been big for us all year,” Neanen said. “She gets beat up on all game. I wish more people would appreciate her. … She’s a huge threat for us and a great leader.”
Northmont advanced to play St. Ursula Academy at 11 a.m., Saturday, at Mason High School. The Bulldogs (12-11) beat Little Miami 46-39 in the other district semifinal game at Fairfield.
The Thunderbolts are competing in D-II for the first time after the Ohio High School Athletic Association expanded the girls basketball postseason tournament to seven divisions. They’re happy they won’t see another GWOC opponent in the postseason.
“I hated playing Miamisburg tonight, but it’s a great feeling and I think we can do some damage in D-II,” Neanen said.
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