(3-15-18) The teams are now set for the 2018 OHSAA D IV Girls Basketball State Finals, #2 Ottovile will take on #4 Minster Saturday morning at 10:45 am.
The Championship game will be a rematch of a regular season game played on January 20th that Minster won at home 55-54. In that game Minster found themselves down with five minutes to go 45-38, that’s when 1st Team All State player 6’2 Junior Courtney Prenger would score 11 of her game high 22 points in the final minute of play.
After the game Ottoville Head Coach Dave Kleman talked about Prenger to the Lima News:
“Prenger is a wonderful player. She is Xavier bound and there is a reason she is going to Xavier. I just wish she was a senior.”
Ottoville (AP #2) makes their seventh appearance in Columbus. In 2005, the Big Green advanced to the championship game before losing in the title game. Bridget Landin, a 6-foot senior, is a D IV All State 1st team member and was named the Northwest District co-Player of the Year, averaging 13.5 ppg.. Kasey Knippen, a 5-foot- junior is also scoring in double figures with 11 points per game. Senior CJ Kemper helps out scoring at 9.5 ppg.
The Big Green’s other loss this season was to Blanchard Valley Conference Champion Liberty-Benton (2-13-18) 56-51.
Minster brings a balanced team to Columbus for the school’s fourth trip to the state final four, with their last trip coming in 2010. The Wildcats have won two state championships in 1998 and 2004. Two of the Wildcats starters have already made their college decisions, senior Taylor Kogge, a 6-foot-2 forward (7.1 ppg.) is headed to Ohio Northern and 6-foot-2 junior post Courtney Prenger (11.7) has verbally committed to Xavier University. Prenger was just named to the D IV All State second-team and was also a first-team Southwest all-district player. Named to the third-team all-district squad is freshman Ivy Wolf, a 5-foot-8 point guard averaging just under 10 points per game.
Two of Minster’s three losses this season came to two teams playing each other this week in the D III State semifinal game at Columbus. Those Wildcats losses were to Midwest Athletic Conference Champion Versailles 46-39 on January 25th, that loss would leave Minster in 2nd place in the MAC for the year. The other loss was to Elyria Catholic on January 14th 44-41. Their third loss came to another D III team Anna 45-40.
Check here – ‘Battle Of The Wildcats’, #1 Waterford Up Next For Minster
Division IV Semifinals
courtesy OHSAA (stories and box scores)
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ottoville (27-2) earns its first trip to the OHSAA Girls Basketball State Championship game since 2005 by defeating New Washington Buckeye Central (26-2) 44-25 on Thursday at the Jerome Schottenstein Center.
D-IV State Semis and Ottoville tops Buckeye Central 44-25. Lady Green have made the Final Four seven times in school history and now attempt to win their first-ever state title. Bridget Landin finished with 21 for Ottoville, Jenna Karl with 15 for Buckeye Central. pic.twitter.com/tZ0CUSuboJ
— Fish Report® (@Fish_Report) March 15, 2018
No. 2 Ottoville controlled the game throughout after taking a 12-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Lady Green were stifling on defense as they forced 17 Buckeye Central turnovers and kept the Buckettes from scoring double-digits in any quarter. Division IV First Team All-Ohio honoree Bridget Landin led the way for Ottoville, and finished with a game-high 21 points, and 11 rebounds.
Buckeye Central senior, and fellow All-Ohioan, Jenna Karl was the lone Buckette to finish in double-figures, as she finished the game with 15 points on 6-11 shooting.
WOSN You Tube Video
Ottoville will face No. 4 Minster (24-3) on Saturday at 10:45 a.m.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the second Division IV semifinal game at the Jerome Schottenstein Center on Thursday, No. 4 Minster defeated No. 1 Waterford (26-2) 46-31. The Wildcats (25-3) will play No. 2 Ottoville on Saturday at 10:45 a.m. in the 2018 OHSAA State Championship game.
Another big defensive performance for Minster as Wildcats beat Waterford 46-31 final. Minster will face Ottoville in state final on Saturday at 10:45 a.m. pic.twitter.com/P3l7r0faSk
— Bryant Billing (@TopBillingSport) March 15, 2018
Minster’s Taylor Kogge scored the opening basket 1:29 into the first quarter, and the Wildcats would the keep the lead for the remainder of the game.
Going into the game, Minster knew it had to slow down Waterford’s two First Team All-Ohio seniors Alli Kern (Kern was also named OHSAA Division IV Player of the Year) and Megan Ball, and they did just that. Kern and Ball combined to shoot 6 of 16 from the field. Overall, Minster held Waterford to 27% shooting and forced 18 turnovers.
Second Team All-Ohioan Courtney Prenger led Minster in scoring, finishing with 13 points and adding five rebounds.
WOSN You Tube Video
In Saturday’s matchup with Ottoville, Minster will be looking to win its third state title, and first since 2004.
Ottoville’s Tournament Trail
2/24 @ Pandora-Gilboa 
61 – 23
3/1 Lincolnview 55 – 20
3/3 @ Columbus Grove 51 – 33
3/8 Hopewell-Loudon 62 – 46
3/10 Leipsic 52 – 29
3/15 Buckeye Central 44 – 25
Minster’s Tournament Trails
2/24 New Knoxville 61 – 27
3/1 New Bremen 51 – 33
3/3 Fort Recovery 53 – 40
3/8 Tri-Village 41 – 27
3/10 Fort Loramie 44 – 28
3/15 Waterford 46 – 31
Stateline Sports Network 