|
Tri-Village coaches Brad Gray (Back) and assistant Mike Fisherback, congratulate each other Saturday after the Lady Patriots steam rolled Ft. Loramie in the
regional title game by 21 points.
Gray hopes to be doing this Saturday afternoon with a state championship.
CNO Photo by Doug Randolph
|
Lady Patriots leave today...
Quest for state gold starts Thursday
By George Starks
DARKE COUNTY- One thing is obvious. No matter what happens by the end of play Thiursday, Darke County has done itself proud in the high school hoops arena.
This afternoon, the Lady Patriots bus will pull out for Columbus. Tri-Village has a date with Berlin Highland on Thursday in the state capitol.
The chant rose up from the Tri-Village student section with 2:18 left in the Division IV high school girls basketball regional championship game:
“No school Thursday!”
And for many of the adults in the Tri-Village area, there will be no work either.
With no days lost to bad weather this year, Thursday could be determined to be a calamity day.
And on Thursday afternoon, many of the residents of the villages of New Madison, Hollansburg and Palestine will be heading east to Columbus.
“It feels great, especially for a small town like us,” Tri-Village sophomore Krystal Falknor said after her team’s easier-than-anticipated 69-48 win over Fort Loramie in front of nearly 2,000 fans at Tipp City High School.
“Our community is really close. We’re really tiny but this whole town is going to Columbus.”
That Tri-Village (25-1) prevented Fort Loramie (19-7) from going added to the victory. The Redskins had ended the Patriots’ season the last two years in the regional final.
Tri-Village was determined there wouldn’t be a third denial for the ultimate trip..
With the Patriots pounding the ball down on the block to the D-IV Player of the Year in the Southwest District, the Lady Redskins could do little to stop it.
When they did stop Linkous, Tri-Village would find Krystal Falknor.
“I’ve said it over and over, we are not a one horse team,” said Gray. “Kayla deserves all the accolades she gets. She desreves to be Player of the Year but the success of this team is not just because of Kayla.We have five or six kids on this team that can light it up on offense as well as a few that can handle the ball and rebound. We are a team of ten, not just one.”
“We were ready to go out and play basketball, just play another game,” said the Patriots senior. “This is what we’ve been pushing for the last two years. We’re just ready to bring home the title.”
The Patriots, 23-1, will have their chance Thursday afternoon starting around 3 p.m. |
|
|
|
