Rocket volleyball spikes its way to solid start
BY ANTHONY AMORINI | COMMUNITY PRESS | Friday, April 18, 2008

MT. WASHINGTON - A divisional shift and a pair of wins against
LaSalle High School has the McNicholas Rockets' boys volleyball team
thinking about post-season titles already this spring.

The Rocket boys currently house a record of 7-2 after winning a
Greater Catholic League Central Division championship in 2007 with a
record of 20-6.

Even with the momentum of a conference title, the Rockets were sent
home with a loss in the first round of the 2007 tournament as the
boys fell to Moeller High School.

However, this spring the post-season for boys volleyball teams in
Ohio has been split into divisions.

McNick will play in the Division II event.

Powerhouse teams from the GCL South Division including Elder,
LaSalle, Moeller and St. Xavier will play in the Division I bracket.
"The key competition will be the (GCL Central) teams," sixth-year
head coach Denny Murphy said of the Division II tournament, citing
Roger Bacon, Purcell Marian and Chaminade-Julienne as the teams to
beat in the region. "If we get out of our region we'll be in pretty
good shape. We can play."

At the Wolf Classic, an out-of-town tournament in Columbus, McNick
posted a fifth-place finish including a win over its GCL South
Division rivals from LaSalle.

Host by Worthington Kilbourne High School, the event took place
Friday, April 11, and Saturday, April 12.

After losing in the first round of the Wolf Classic, McNicholas
rallied to finish the event at 2-1.

During a five-game match, McNick fell behind by a score of 2-0
before besting LaSalle in three-consecutive games to win the match,
3-2.

McNick also posted a five-set win over Roger Bacon this spring, 3-2
(16-25, 25-18, 18-25, 25-23, 28-16), showing Murphy his 2008 squad
is a resilient one, the coach said.

"The boys have a lot of fight in them," Murphy said. "We are gaining
experience and our offense is improving."

Though the program's size has grown in numbers to house 25 players,
Murphy was understandably concerned at the start of this season
after graduating three All-GCL players following a successful 2007
campaign.

Included in the trio of 2007 McNick graduates was Kyle Kane, the GCL
Central Division player of the year last spring.

"I had the same players for two or three years and I got spoiled,"
Murphy joked of the talent in the Rockets' Class of 2007. "But now
it's nice because we aren't just relying on one or two people
anymore.

"Rebuilding is the wrong term. We are finding new ways to accomplish
things," Murphy added of his current varsity squad.
McNick senior Mark Hamad (libero) and Michael Oberschmidt (setter)
are captains for the Rockets.

Junior Gary Bauer (outside hitter) is also a returning starter for
McNick.

New additions to the starting line-up include senior Randy Reese
(outside hitter), junior Sean Von Hoene (outside hitter) and
sophomore middle hitters James Hofmann and Steven Battaglia.
"We have a solid bench," Murphy said of his substitutes. "There
isn't anyone (in the starting lineup) that I haven't benched for one
reason or another. It always seems to work. Our bench guys do a
great job and (the starters) do better when they go back in."
McNick has several matches against quality Division I opponents on
the horizon.

The Rockets host St. Xavier High School on Friday, April 25,
followed by a home match against Milford High School on Saturday,
April 30.

St. Xavier stands at 4-1 with Milford housing a record of 5-0.


Davidson makes lead stand McNicholas starter allows only two hits in complete-game effort
BY TOM RAMSTETTER | ENQUIRER | Sunday, April 20, 2008

Senior right-hander Matt Davidson pitched seven strong innings for
McNicholas, allowing only two hits and two runs in the third inning,
and the Rockets outlasted Ryle 4-2 Saturday morning in the opening
game of the Doc Morris Scholarship Tournament at Dixie Heights.
"I was just trying to go after them late in the innings," Davidson
said. "They were just hitting the ball. The curveball wasn't really
working that great, so I was just trying to get the first-pitch
changeup and get them off balance."

Senior designated hitter Kyle Massa did the most damage with the bat
for McNick, ranked No. 4 in the Enquirer Divisions II-IV coaches'
poll, going 3-for-3 with two RBI.

Massa drove in the first run of the game with a two-out single that
he pulled down the right-field line to drive in junior center
fielder Jake Powers from second in the top of the first. Powers had
drawn a two-out walk and stole second with Massa at the plate.
Massa then singled in the final run of the game with another two-out
single, this one knocking in senior catcher Andrew Clements in the
seventh for a two-run lead.

"He's a good hitter and we weren't supposed to be pitching to him,
but we made a mistake," Ryle coach Pat Roesel said. "We were
basically trying to make him hit our pitch and we gave in and gave
him something to hit and they scored that run. It was something you
can't do."

Massa wasn't expecting to get a pitch to hit but got a second-pitch
fastball he could handle.

"A little bit," Massa said when asked if he expected the intentional
walk. "I got the fastball and I just hit it to right field."

McNicholas had a 3-0 lead after two more two-out runs in the second
inning. Junior second baseman Andy Jostworth singled in Thomas
Stoltman and senior right fielder Brandon Heffernan scored on a wild
pitch by Ryle starter Charlie Lovan. Davidson belted a two-out
single to start the rally and was replaced by courtesy-runner
Stoltman before Heffernan and Jostworth followed with singles.
Ryle junior third baseman David Etscheid lined an RBI single off
Davidson's shoulder in the third inning and junior right fielder Gus
Murray followed with a run-scoring fielder's choice to make the
score 3-2. The senior settled down after that, however, and allowed
only a fifth-inning walk the rest of the way.

"Toward the end I was just trying to mix it up, go right after them
with fastballs," Davidson said.

Lovan took the loss, going all seven innings and allowing seven
hits. Three of the four runs he allowed were earned.

Ryle hit several balls hard. But with the wooden bats used for this
tournament, many well-struck balls found fielders.

"We put the bat on the ball and just hit it at them a little bit,"
Roesel said. "It's a little different. It's kind of fun to play, but
it's a different game."

Davidson said it made it easier to pitch.

"You can depend more on your fielders," Davidson said. "You can
pretty much just let them hit the ball a little more and don't worry
about trying to strike them out. Just let them hit it."

McNicholas   1200001-470
Ryle              0020000-222

WP: Davidson (3-1). LP: Lovan. Hitting leaders: M-Massa 3-3, 2 RBI.
Records: M 8-5, R 5-8.


Ferris wheels and deals
Senior strikes out 14 as McNicholas improves to 6-0
BY MARK SCHMETZER | ENQUIRER CONTRIBUTOR | Thursday, April 10, 2008


Greg Stilzel doesn't mind admitting that he'll be glad when Ronni
Ferris graduates from McNicholas.

In fact, "glad" doesn't quite go far enough for the Badin softball
coach.

"Very glad," Stilzel said Wednesday after watching the Rockets
senior throw a no-hitter in McNicholas' 3-0 win over the visiting
Rams. "We knew what we were facing in coming down here."

Ferris, an Enquirer all-star last season, rang up 14 strikeouts and
finished with a flourish by striking out the side in the seventh
inning while improving her personal record to 5-0 and helping the
Rockets - the No. 2 team in the Enquirer Divisions II-IV coaches'
poll - get to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the Girls' Greater Cincinnati
League Grey Division.

No. 5 Badin fell to 4-4 overall and 3-1 in the GGCL Grey, a
half-game behind McNicholas.

"We knew it'd be a battle," Stilzel said. "I thought we did a pretty
good job getting into position to make things happen. We had the
tying runs in scoring position twice, but when you have somebody as
dominating as Ronni, it's tough getting things going."
The lead McNicholas built in the second inning and added to in the
fifth was threatened when the Rams loaded the bases with two outs in
the third inning and had runners on second and third with one out in
the sixth. Ferris caught junior Lindsey Williams' popup to end the
third-inning threat and got junior Whitney Mueller and senior Ashley
Crossley swinging to end the sixth, starting a string of five
consecutive strikeouts to end the game. She issued just one walk and
hit two batters while putting together her first no-hitter of the
season and eighth in the last two years.

The Rockets, who allowed just six runs while going 26-2 last season,
posted their fourth shutout this year.

"We're still learning," McNicholas coach Kathy Lach said. "We have a
lot of inexperience. They're jelling. They know what to do. That's
half the battle."

McNicholas put together a 2-0 lead with two out in the second
inning. Senior Katie Losekamp walked and scored when junior Brie
Powers' hard grounder up the middle on junior right-hander Stacie
Weber's first pitch got through for a double.

Freshman catcher Hannah "Hank" Schoolfield launched the next pitch
over Williams' head in left field for another run-scoring double.
McNicholas is focused on taking the season one step at a time -
league and sectional tournament before trying for what Lach
described as the "elusive" district.

Ferris, who didn't know she had a no-hitter until told after the
game, is a little more impatient after seeing her team lose to
eventual state champion Greenville in the district final last season.

"We've never won a district in my career here," said the St. Louis
University-bound right-hander, who set the team's single-game
strikeout record with 19 against Seton last Saturday. "It would be
nice to get a district - getting past that game."

Badin           0000000- 002
McNicholas    020010x- 373

WP - Ferris (5-0, 14 Ks); LP - Weber (4-4). Leaders: M - Hollenkamp
2-3; Powers 2-3, 2B, RBI; H. Schoolfield 2B, RBI. Records: B 4-4
(3-1 GGCL Grey), M 6-0 (3-0 GGCL Grey).





A PAIR OF DEUCES

 

Coming off strong 2007 campaigns, both the McNicholas baseball and softball teams were accorded #2 rankings in the Enquirer’s DII-III pre-season polls.

 

The softball squad, led by pitcher Ronni Ferris (Sr), completed the schools first ever undefeated regular season last year. Ferris, along with fellow seniors and all-GGCL selections Shayne Farrell and Shannon McCarthy, give coach Kathy Lach a strong nucleus to contend for another league crown and deep tournament run. They open play Tuesday (4/1) at Harrison.

 

Willie Corbett’s baseball team will feature Andrew Thole (Sr) and Paul Uhl (Jr). Thole hit .453 last year, with 37 RBI’s. On the mound, Uhl was 5-4 with a 1.85 ERA. In the article, Corbett states (we can go 1 to 9 through the lineup this year and feel confident someone can gets things going”. The Rockets travel to Bethel Tate tomorrow (3/31) for their opener.


TEAMS ON TRACK

 

McNicholas has enjoyed several years of continuous success in track. First under Rob Heise, and more recently Dan Rosenbaum has kept it going. 2008 looks to be no exception. The ladies squad, coming off of an 8^th place finish at the 2007 State meet, are the area’s top ranked DII-III team heading into this spring season. The men’s team checks in with the #4 ranking in their poll.

 

The men kick off the season today (3/29) at the “Early Bird” meet at LaSalle. Both teams will be in action this coming Wednesday in a tri meet with Winton Woods and Withrow.


Rockets lead in race for All Sports Trophy
COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF REPORT | March 3, 2008

The McNicholas High School Rockets are a successful spring season
away from capturing the All Sports Trophy for its Greater Catholic
League Central Division.

During the fall season, the Rocket boys posted a score of 30 points
to finish first in the four-team Central Division.

Badin High School finished the fall season in second place with 24
points.

During the fall, Roger Bacon and Purcell Marian high schools netted
18 points and eight points, respectively.

Roger Bacon housed the Central Division's highest score for the
winter season at 27 points.

Badin scored 21 points during the winter season, followed by McNick
(18 points) and Purcell (14 points).

Through the fall and winter seasons, McNick has accumulated 48
points and is situated in first place in regards to the Central
Division's All Sports Trophy.

With 45 points each, Badin and Roger Bacon are close behind in a tie
for second.

Purcell netted 22 points through the fall and winter seasons.
Baseball, track, tennis and volleyball will factor into the
standings during the spring season for the GCL Central Division's
All Sports Trophy.

Last year, McNick finished second in the race for the All Sports
Trophy to Roger Bacon, 65-63.



McNick junior Joe Dennis wins 100th match
BY ANTHONY AMORINI | COMMUNITY PRESS | March 6, 2008

BETHEL - McNicholas junior and Bethel-Tate resident Joe Dennis
reached the 100-win plateau on the varsity wrestling mats one year
early this winter.

Capturing the 100th win of his career at the 2008 Division II
District Championships, Dennis posted a record of 34-10.

"It was one of my goals (to reach 100 wins this year)," Dennis said.
"I knew it would come at districts. I just had to keep winning."

The district finals represent the second round of the post-season,
concluding Saturday, Feb. 23.

Sectionals, representing the first round, concluded Saturday Feb.
16.

The top four wrestlers in each weight class advance to the next
round.

Goshen High School hosted both districts and sectionals.

At sectionals, Dennis was victorious in all three of his matches at
112 pounds, finishing in first place while winning his second
sectional championship.

During his first-place match at sectionals, Dennis pinned
Wilmington's Isaac Bray at 2:50 to win his individual title.

To open the sectional championships, Dennis pinned Roger Bacon's
James Avant at 2:44.

Dennis defeated Norwood's Ryan Addis, 6-1, during his sectional
semi-final match.

The following week at districts, Dennis suffered the same fate as
many locals in a bracket deep with talent.

St. Paris Graham's David Taylor defeated Miami Trace's Codey Neff to
win an individual state title the week after districts.

Both Neibert and Neff qualified from the Goshen district
championships to state, as did the fifth-place wrestler at the state
finals, Lancaster Fairfield Union's Alex Minnard.

St. Paris Graham, one of the top-ranked Division II programs in the
nation annually, won district and state team titles this winter.

"It's pretty tough. You just have to come to wrestle," Dennis said
of his district site, stacked with state placers.

Placing at state requires a top-eight finish.

For his senior season, Dennis looks to accomplish the final goal of
his varsity career: To make the podium at the state finals.

With 100 wins in the rearview, Dennis will focus all his attention
on state in 2009.

"It's good pressure," Dennis said. "I don't think it's hit me yet,
but I know I have to get it done. I want to place at state."


Kevin Huber

The February 23, 2008, issue of Bearcat Sports Digest highlighted Kevin Huber, 2004 McNicholas graduate.  Click here to check it out!


SPARTANS IN A NAIL BITER
by Randy Sias, 2-24-08

The McNicholas basketball season ended on a Roger Bacon put back with 3
seconds left, giving them a 55-54 sectional title win over the Rockets. If
ever there was a game between two evenly matched teams, this was it. The
loss was disappointing in that McNick took both regular season contests
from the Spartans.

It took 3:56 for anyone to score in the first period as it was a horse
race from end to end. Tyler Blatt did the honors for a 2-0 lead. A Drew
Yards "3" and late pair of buckets by Greg Ross stretched the lead to
11-6. Bryan Mai scored to open the second period. A couple of minutes
later his steal led to a basket by Cody Bryant for a 16-10 margin. A "3"
from Blatt soon followed, and the Rockets enjoyed their largest lead of
the game at 19-12. At that point, the Spartans went into a press. While
not particularly effective as such, it did seem to elevate their half
court defense, and they started to have some success in the paint. They
outscored the green 'n white 10-6 in the last five minutes, and closed to
25-22 at the half.

The second half was played eyeball to eyeball. There would be ten lead
changes and four ties. Having led since the opening basket, the Spartans
finally overtook McNick at 32-31 with 5:05 left in the third. A 7-2 spurt
late in the period put the Rockets back on top 40-36. It was short lived
however, as Roger Bacon opened the final stanza with a 10-3 run of their
own to go up 49-45 with 4:19 left. A technical foul on a Spartan player,
following a foul, enabled Ross to tie it back up at 49-49 at the 3:26
mark. A trey by Mai with 1:06 left gave McNick a 54-53 lead. The Spartans
failed to score, and fouled Yards with 39 ticks. Unfortunately, he missed
the front end of a one and one, that could have iced the game. The
Spartans worked the clock down to 12 seconds before calling a TO. They
inbounded to their game high scorer, Jordan Hudson. He drove and missed a
leaner with 0:05, but a rebound and follow up by Eric Brichler proved to
be the winner. Bummer!

Ross finished with 16 points, followed by Yards with 12. Hudson matched
Ross with 16, while Bichler was right behind with 14 points. The Spartans
will move on to district play in Dayton.


McNicholas 11 14 15 14 54 (8-13)
Roger Bacon 8 14 18 15 55 (11-12)



Sectional wrestling: Team finished 9th, scored 68 points, placed 4.
by Coach Barnett, 2-18-08

Nick Schweickart pinned a senior from Batavia to advance to the semi finals.  He finished 6th in the sectional as a freshman.

Will Keri advances to the District as a Freshman with a 4th place finish. Will has one up on his brother Tony who had to wait till his senior year to wrestle at district for the Rockets. Way to go Will. Tell Tony NO EXCUSES.

THE SHOT: FRITZ SCHOOLFIELD: THE SHOT made memories that will last a LIFETIME. If you have a shot at something take it. You have to shoot to win. Sectional final against an opponent that you have only beaten by a point; against an opponent who has BEATEN you by a point. In
OVERTIME for the WIN; for a SECTIONAL TITLE. HE TOOK THE SHOT. FRITZ TOOK THE SHOT STRAIGHT TO THE TOP OF THE SECTIONAL PODIUM. 2 x District Qualifier, SECTIONAL CHAMPION: SENIOR FRITZ SCHOOLFIELD.

WHAT IS THE MAGIC NUMBER JOE? 97....97 wins...working on 100 as a Junior.  100 Win mark no MENACE to Dennis. Is Coach Barnett really Mr. Wilson? They are both fat with gray hair. Only Coach Robbe knows the truth.

Very few win one Sectional Title. Joe is now a 2 X SECTIONAL CHAMPION. Congrads...Joe...let's do it again next year....one more time for the record book.

THE NEXT LEVEL: The Rocket's Green glare. Is a ROCKET wrestler ready to take the next step. Do we have what it takes to get out of District. Have we done the work? Put in the time? Paid the price to be a champion? District @ Goshen this Friday & Sat. Friday sign in @11:00 a.m.; weigh @12:00; First Round @2:00; Second Round @6:00; Sat. 11:00 a.m. Third Round; Finals @6:00.

Come watch Will, Joe, and Fritz on their Quest to Reach the next Level. Come watch the Nation's #1 Team Graham. Come watch Hillsboro's Dustin Carter in pursuit of the STATE tournament


ROCKETS GIVE COWBOYS THE BOOT
by Randy Sias, 2-19-08

In last year’s sectional tournament, Wyoming showed McNicholas the door.
The Rockets returned the favor with a hard fought 46-43 win, at Anderson
this evening.

The Cowboys entered the game with a 15-6 record, as the #2 seed. Wyoming ,
sporting two 6’7” starters, seemed to present match up problems in the
paint for the fifth seeded Rockets. However, in the GCL tradition, hard
nosed defense neutralized the height advantage. In fact, one of their two
twin towers clearly did not like the physical play inside. He spent most
of the game so distracted by trying to out physical the Rocket defenders,
that he all but negated himself from the offensive end of the floor.

McNick drew first blood when Drew Yards hit a trey for a 3-0 lead. Every
possession was a battle. Tanner Stacy hit back to back “3’s” for the
Cowboys, late in the first, to spurt them to a 12-10 lead after one.

The second stanza was a low scoring affair as the banging continued. Greg
Ross notched the first six points of the period as McNicholas battled back
to take a 20-16 lead into the locker room. Ross had half of the teams’
points for the half.

As the third period unfolded, it seemed the physical nature of the game
was taking its toll. Things seemed to be getting testy. A fan even got
ejected for saying the magic word from the stands. Fortunately, the
officials maintained control, as the Rockets managed to outmuscle the
Cowboys 8-7.

Entering the final period with a 28-23 lead, the green ‘n white really
seemed to be in control. They started working the clock and they never led
by less than four, until the final buzzer. With about 1:30 left, Wyoming
had to start fouling, and the teams went on to trade twenty free throws
over the final 90 seconds.

Ross led the team with 18 points, and 9 rebounds. Andy Jostworth chipped
in with 11 points and 7 boards.

McNick advances to the sectional final game versus Roger Bacon, at 6:00pm,
this Saturday at Anderson . The Rockets took both regular season games
from the Spartans. Something tells me this won’t be any ‘gimme. Beating a
team three times is never any easy task.


McNicholas 10 10 8 18 46 (8-12)
Wyoming    12  4  7 20 43 (15-7)


Rocket siblings represent McNick at districts
BY ANTHONY AMORINI | COMMUNITY PRESS

At the 2008 district championships, McNicholas High School aquatic
standout Matt Luehrmann booked a trip to Canton for the boys state
championships.

Qualifying to state in the 500-yard freestyle, the Rocket sophomore
turned in a time of 4:39.03 to finish in fifth place at the district
finals.

Miami University hosted districts Friday, Feb. 15, and Saturday,
Feb. 16. The state championships take place Friday, Feb. 22, and
Saturday, Feb. 23, in Canton at the C.T. Branin Natatorium.
Matt's time in the 500 freestyle represents a new school record for
the Rockets.

Though Matt broke his own record, the sophomore was still happy to
improve upon his personal best time.

"Just raising the bar there," Matt joked of improving his school
record.

At the beginning of the winter season, Matt was completing the 500
freestyle in a time of 4:50.

"An 11-second drop from the beginning of the season is incredible,"
Matt said of improving his time to 4:39.03.

Matt's older brother, McNick senior Danny Luehrmann, made his third
appearance at the district finals.

Having qualified to districts since his sophomore season, Danny
competed in the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke this winter.
In the 100 backstroke, Danny finished in 16th place at :55.17.
Danny and Matt competed in the second of four heats at districts in
the 200 freestyle, swimming one lane apart.

Matt turned in a time of 1:46.50 to finish the 200 freestyle in 20th
place as Danny finished close behind at 1:49.28, taking 28th place.
"It's good to have someone to race all the time because we are
really competitive," Danny said of his relationship in the pool with
his brother.
McNick head coach Steve Van Hoene has thoroughly enjoyed the
presence of the siblings on his team this winter, the coach said.
"They are an impressive pair. They are natural swimmers and they are
very dedicated to it," Van Hoene said.

Matt was named as the Greater Catholic League Central Division
Swimmer of the Year after the senior led the Rocket boys to its
first GCL Central swim championship in school history this winter.
Alongside the Luehrmann brothers, Joe Candito, Steven Vogelgesang,
Max Wellenhofer, Jake Horn and Ryan Crowley medaled as individuals
at the GCL finals.

Winning all three relays at the GCL finals, John Casnellie and
Charlie Ruse were also contributors for McNick.


GRADUATE SOARS AT ST. AMBROSE UNIVERSITY
In more ways than one...

 

To learn how Michelle Maciag is shooting for the stars both on the field and off, click here.


JUST SHORT

by Randy Sias, 2-10-08

 

Addendum to girls game article - A quick check of the record book reveals that Hollenkamp's six, "3's" ties her for second for most in a game. McNicholas Hall of Fame member, Becky Alexander hit for 8 in a game against Purcell Marian in '93-'94, and 6 against Badin in '94-'95. Only four players have made five or more in a game. Alexander did it a total of six time in her career. Joining Hollenkamp and Alexander in that illustrious group, were Amber Webb (vs Kettering Fairmont in '04-'05) and Jill Budde (vs Wyoming in '03-'04).

 

The outcome of Saturday’s women’s sectional game between McNicholas and Indian Hill, was a reflection of the entire season in many aspects. After leading from 4:05 before halftime, until 4:38 left in the game, the Rockets let the Braves back into the game, and fell 62-61 in overtime.

 

There are seasons when you win the close ones, and those where you don’t. The Rockets young squad has been nothing but scrappy in every game, but have tended to fade down the stretch. Many times the height disadvantage they have played under in nearly every game has come to be a factor in crunch time.  In this game, Indian Hill at 15-6 looked to be a clear favorite going in. However, the ladies have really started to jell in the last few weeks, and have been playing their best ball of the season. Further, no one can take a GGCL opponent lightly, regardless their record. The Braves learned that.

 

The first period was played with great intensity by both teams. While there were turnovers a-plenty, they were clearly the result of defensive efforts, and not sloppy offense. Sitting back in a 2-3 zone, IH challenged the Rockets to beat them from the perimeter. Three pointers have not been a strong suit for McNick this year, so it seemed a sound strategy. The ladies picked the right game to heat up. Three different players hit treys in the opening period, and the green ‘n white would end the half at 6 of 14. While the Rockets scoring was distributed in building their 14-12 first quarter advantage, the Braves were riding on the shoulders of Junior, Amy Taylor, who got half their points. Taylor was part of a trio of Indian Hill starters that were as tall, or taller than any McNick starter. The Rockets post player, 5’9” Junior Kelsey Sullivan, was extremely active on the defensive end of the floor, and certainly did everything she could to offset the advantage IH had in the paint.

 

The second period, was a mirror of the first. Punch – counter punch. Two ties, two lead changes. Another 14-12 decision for McNick, and Taylor still had half of her team’s points.  Amy Hollenkamp hit her 2^nd of what would be her season high 6 trey’s with 12 seconds remaining, which made it 28-24 at the break.

 

Continuing the theme, the third period was a stalemate as the teams maintained a rather hectic pace up and down the floor. As the time ticked away, the battles in the paint became more heated, and influential to the outcome. The Braves would come away with a 44-33 edge on the boards, and points off of offensive rebounds would ultimately be a difference maker.

 

Clinging to a 4 point lead to open the fourth, the Rockets were outscored 8-2 in the first four minutes, until another Hollenkamp “3” broke the ice. She hit another with 1:52 left to give McNick a 49-46 lead. Indian Hills Kaitlin Dauner answered with a three. The Braves were down by two with 17 seconds left. Working the ball into Taylor , she missed a shot with 4 ticks, but got her own rebound, and banked in the tying basket at 52-52 with 1.2 seconds on the clock.

 

In any one point lose, one can look to about a dozen “if onlys” that made a difference. There were two in the overtime period that clearly stand out. First, both Sam Robinson (the teams only senior) and Sullivan both fouled out. That led to IH’s Taylor pretty much having her way inside, and she would score 7 over her teams 9 overtime points. Just as crucial was the fact that the Rockets went 0 for 4 on two crucial double bonus free throw situations in a 17 second span that would surely have changed how the last 1:30 of the game played out. Those were huge.

 

Hollenkamp led the scoring with 22 points. She was an amazing 6 of 7 on three point attempts. It may take me a while to research this one, but I would be surprised if anyone has done that before. In addition, she doled out 6 assists. Sophomore Lauren Mazzaro, who plays her game in overdrive most of the time, added another 15. She also had 7 turnovers. Lauren needs to take more care with the ball in the future, but she is darned entertaining to watch, I’ll tell ‘ya. Junior Jessica Danker was also in double figures with 13 points and grabbed 7 boards. Sullivan led in rebounds with 11. Ordinarily she is a more prolific scorer as well, however it seemed that the physical effort she was expending to combat IH in the paint, cost her some on the offensive end.

 

That concludes the ladies ’07-’08 season. While the 5-17 record was surely not what the players or fans had in mind, there is satisfaction in the fact that the ladies did not languish in their difficulties. They gave each game their best shot. It just wasn’t their year. The good news is that the cupboard is not bare. This years dilemma with having only one senior, is next years advantage. If they learn the lessons that a season like this offers in terms of the mentality it takes to win the close games, and particularly if they hit the weight room so they can be more effective in the paint and finishing plays, next year could be special.

 

McNicholas               14   14   13   11   9    61    (5-17)

Indian Hill                  12   12   13   15  10   62    (16-6)  



DEFENSE TRIGGERS MIS MATCH
by Randy Sias, Feb. 6, 2007
 

One has to go back to 1995-96 since the women’s basketball program has won as few as four regular season games. Such is the case this season. In spite of terrific effort, this young squad could not put four quarters together consistently. Lack of height, muscle in the paint, or a true “go to” player all combined to make it a rough season. That’s the beauty of the state tournament, in that it’s a new season. McNicholas started it with a convincing 71-41 win over New Richmond.

 

Defense was the key. Tenacious end to end pressure resulted in the Rockets getting nine steals in the opening quarter, on their way to a 21-0 start. All five starters figured in the scoring, in what had to be one of the teams’ best shooting nights of the year. The period ended with Amy Hollenkamp hitting a trey as time expired, for a 26-6 lead. She knocked down 9 of her game high 19 points in the first. They did not let up in the next period, as McNicholas ripped off a 12-2 run over the first half of the stanza. By halftime they had extended the margin over the Lions to 43-15.

 

It appeared that the Rockets were a tad less intense after the break. The teams battled to a stalemate in the third. The final period saw the bench get valuable minutes on the floor, as they brought the victory home.

 

In addition to Hollenkamp’s big night, Kelsey Sullivan added 12 points and led in rebounds with 7. Sam Robinson, the teams’ lone senior, contributed 11 points.

 

It was a satisfying win in every respect, and sets up a Saturday showdown with the winner of tomorrow nights game between Indian Hill and Aiken. The 10am game will be at Mason High School .

 

McNicholas        26   17   12   16   71   (5-16)
New Richmond      6    9   10   16   41   (6-15)



TOURNEY DATES SET

 

The men's and women’s basketball teams sectional games have been set. The ladies open play on Wednesday, February 6^th, against New Richmond. The game will be played at Mason, beginning at 7:30pm. The winner advances to meet the winner of the Indian Hill-Aiken game. Tuesday, February 19^th is the date for the men’s opener against the winner of the Taylor-Wyoming contest. The 7:30pm game will be played at Anderson . Remember to buy your tickets at the athletic office, so that McNicholas can keep a portion of the proceeds.