The No. 1 Loudonville Redbirds are district champions for the third time in school history, and Coach Tyler Bates also secured his 200th victory by beating No. 9 Mogadore 61-44 on March 2.
“When you can achieve something that hasn't been done often, it is a good day,” Bates said. “This was only the third district championship in our program's history, so it is certainly something that the team should be proud of.”
Mogadore took a 2-0 lead, but the Redbirds led the rest of the way in a 61-44 win to move onto the regional semifinals of the Division IV state tournament.
Loudonville led 21-7 after one quarter, with Corri Vermilya leading the way with 10 points. Sophia Spangler put up six points, Jena Guilliams hit a three and Mya Vermilya added a basket to round out the scoring.
“Our girls were ready to go from the opening tip,” Bates said. “They played a great first quarter and we were able to ride that fast start for the remainder of the game.”
Corri Vermilya hit a three and had five points in the second quarter, but Loudonville was outscored 15-12, and it was a 33-19 lead at the half.
Both teams put 11 points on the board in the third quarter, led by Vermilya’s four points. Guilliams also hit her second three of the game in the quarter. The Redbirds finished with a 17-11 fourth quarter, with Guilliams making it the trifecta for threes.
“It was great to see eight different kids score for us in the victory,” Bates said. “Our seniors did a great job leading their team and the underclassmen provided us with some outstanding energy.”
Corri Vermilya had 23 points, 13 boards and was 6-for-6 from the foul line in the game. Spangler scored 12 points, while also grabbing four boards and dishing three assists. Guilliams had nine points on her trio of threes, and pulled down four rebounds. Mya Vermilya had nine points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Addison Wolford had three points, Sydney Strouse and Alesha Felix each had two points, and Sophie Lee also had one point.
“Today was a physical game,” Bates said. “I was proud of our girls for coming out and winning the first quarter. We did just enough the rest of the way.”
The Redbirds also won the district title in 2021 and 1992. Bates now has a record of 200-68, which is an impressive winning percentage of .746 over his career. This season the Redbirds have a 24-2 record and counting.
This year Bates is the Mid-Buckeye Conference Coach of the year and his Redbirds have won the Mid-Buckeye Conference, has the conference’s top player in Corri Vermilya and four all-conference players in his lineup (Spangler, Guilliams, Mya Vermilya, Wolford), and is now making a quest toward a state title. The big milestone win is one that he attributes to hard work and a great supporting cast over the years.
“It was special to get win number 200 with the district championship,” Bates said. “I remember the early days of my coaching career and there many nights when 200 wins or a district championship seemed light years away. We have had some tremendous players over the years and I have been blessed with some great assistant coaches.”
The journey is not over for this Redbird squad. Bates said while he thought the team played hard for stretches during the district final, he said there is some polishing still needed to keep the momentum going in the playoffs.
“We are going to have to sharpen up our offensive execution and lock into our game plans as we move forward,” Bates said.
It is a battle of number one seeds in the regional semifinals, with Loudonville taking on Danbury. The Lakers are 24-2 on the season, and riding a 12 game winning streak. They have outscored opponents 1,278-776 and won their district title 42-27 over New London. The Redbirds will need to contain senior All-District guard Maria Maringer, who averages 15.7 points, three boards, 3.2 steals and 1.6 assists. Maringer recently hit the 1,000 point mark in her career.
The game takes place on March 7 at 6 p.m. at Massillon Perry High School.
