The No. 6 Mount Gilead girls’ basketball team wrapped up its season with a 51-25 loss to No. 1 Newark Catholic in the Division IV District Semifinals last week, and while they saw their hopes of a state title run vanish, Coach Danielle Bault said it was another strong push for the Indians in the postseason.
“It was a nice run to end the season,” Bault said. “We enjoyed getting the extra games and memories with our seniors and team. It's always exciting for the girls to see the support that they get as they make a run in the tournament. It provides that motivation for the girls to get back there again the next year. We always tell them not many girls get to experience sectional titles and district games, so enjoy the moment. It's a special thing.”
Bault said they knew going in that it was going to be a tough matchup taking on a team like Newark Catholic, as they had not lost a game the whole season. She noted that the Green Wave is a team that speeds things up and shoots well, and the Indians are much smaller and rely on slowing down the game.
Newark Catholic took a commanding 22-4 lead to start, and by halftime it was 32-10. Faith White opened up the third quarter with a three and the Indians had a 10-4 advantage in the frame. The Green Wave ended with a 14-5 fourth quarter to seal the victory.
Newark shot lights out from the start, which she admitted deflated the girls in the first quarter. However, they never gave up and fought their way right to the end. Bault praised Faith White for her play in the second half, doing a solid job on Kylie Gibson in the man-to-man defense. She also said senior Aubrey Thomas played well in her final game of her career, getting to the hoop, rebounding well and playing solid defense. Thomas led the team with 10 points, and White hit a pair of threes for six points.
“The second half we won the third quarter and broke the press pretty well,” Bault said. “It was great to see our girls still playing hard and fighting until the very end. We put in our JV players at the end and they even came in and played hard.”
Bault said Kylie Ridgdon came in off the bench and had a pair of deflections, Cassady Irwin had a strong drive to the basket, and Kenlee Trainer battled for boards.
“That's the attitude you are excited to see as you start looking into the next season,” said Bault. “We were proud of the effort. We have young guards, two sophomores and a junior, and them getting the experience against that press will benefit them as we move forward.”
Strong leadership and rising stars
The Indians wrapped up with a 13-12 record, and Bault was proud of the team for having beaten every team in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference at least once. They had two upset victories in the postseason, and won their second straight Sectional title. Olivia Long hitting a game winner in a comeback win at Fredericktown was a high point, as well.
White put together another great season, and was first team All-KMAC and All-District 11. While she had a slow start coming off a broken ankle, which may have gotten in her head, she then did a great job playing out of position. She averaged 9.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 steals.
“Once she embraced her role and started believing in herself she really started to show who she is as a player,” Bault said. “This is why she was first team everything this year. I hope she keeps this confidence moving forward. We are all excited to see what she can accomplish her senior year.”
Dani Pohlkotte put together an excellent sophomore season averaging 8.2 points, but Bault said what really impressed her was the work she put in to polish all areas of her game. She averafged 2.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals.
“Dani is more of an offensive minded player but she really took improving on defense, rebounding and handling the ball seriously this year and she quickly became one of our go to players,” Bault said. “Dani comes in every day to practice with energy, she talks on the defensive end, she goes hard on drills and all of that hard work translated into the games. She has a bright future.”
The Indians will graduate Thomas (second team All-KMAC and All-District 11) and Greer Simpson (honorable mention All-KMAC and All-District 11). Thomas averaged 8.3 points, 6.3 boards and 2.2 steals, while Simpson averaged 6.9 points and 6.3 rebounds. Bault said they are some of the toughest kids around.
“What they do doesn't always show up in the scorebook,” Bault said. “They do all the little things. They make the effort plays; they get on the ground, they get in help inside, they take charges, they battle for rebounds and this work ethic and attitude is what we will miss most about them. This is why they were so deserving of the accolades they received this year.”
The Indians have graduated plenty of great talent the past couple seasons, and Bault admits it is a rebuilding process, but she is very excited about the talent coming back next season.
“We have some great kids who will put in the work,” Bault said. “We have some really good classes coming up as well and we feel we will be competing for a while.”
