No. 1 Loudonville continued its quest towards a state title this week with a commanding 65-17 win over No. 15 Lowellville in the District semifinals of the Division IV state tournament, and Corri Vermilya hit yet another set of milestones in her illustrious basketball career.
Vermilya dominated with 25 points, 17 rebounds, six steals and two assists in the win that sent the Redbirds to their fourth District Final in eight years. She now has 667 points this season, which broke her own record of 664 that she set during her sophomore season. Vermilya also now had 1,201 rebounds over her career, which makes her the only player in Ohio history with 2,300 points and 1,200 rebounds.
To put it into perspective, Coach Tyler Bates pointed out that MaKayla Elmore, who was a star at Hopewell Loudon and now plays Division 1 basketball at Clemson, scored 2,214 points and grabbed 1,125 boards. Kayla Linkous, who went to Tri-Village High School and went on to play ball at Cedarville University, scored 2,235 points and had 1,183 rebounds.
Vermilya has played top tier basketball every season in a Redbird uniform, but this one is standing out as potentially her finest. She is not only playing dominant basketball, but it is turning into huge wins for Loudonville.
“As outstanding as they were, Corri has improved on her past few seasons - playing at her highest level of efficiency, while making our team as competitive as ever,” Bates said.
Her younger sister Mya Vermilya continues to be a rising star that has the whole state on watch, as she is primed to do big thing for years to come. She is making an immediate impact on the court during her freshman season with the Redbirds, and in the District Semifinal she put up 17 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
“Any time that we have siblings who are able to play together, it's fun to see that special bond that they share,” Bates said. “Corri and Mya have put in a ton of time to help this program get to where it is today. It's especially fulfilling to see Mya play so hard, because she knows what this season means for Corri and the other seniors.”
While the Vermilyas get plenty of the limelight, Sophia Spangler once again showed why she is considered one of the best players in the Mid-Buckeye Conference, with 12 points, three boards, three assists and three steals.
Alesha Felix also had a solid all-around game in the win, putting up seven points and five rebounds.
“We continue to get contributions from a number of kids on our team,” said Bates. “Alesha Felix has been outstanding on the boards. Sophie Lee came in and gave us a spark to start the second quarter. I am proud of all of our girls.”
Defense was the name of the game in this one, and Bates was pleased with his squad about the way they went out and laid it all down on the court.
“When we choose to communicate and play as hard as we can defensively, we can be pretty good on that end of floor,” Bates said. “It’s fun to watch our team when we are connected and playing as one unit defensively.”
Loudonville goes on to face No. 9 Mogadore, who are coming off a 51-41 semifinal road win at Southern. They have won three straight games. The game will take place at Norwayne on March 2 at 1 p.m.
