Girls Basketball: Columbus Grove to face Rootstown for state title

Mar. 13—When Brian Schroeder gathered his players into his classroom at Columbus Grove High School during the summer, he posed a question to them about their goals for the upcoming season.

The team responded by setting the bar with winning a regional title, something that hadn't been done previously in the history of the program.

But Schroeder, in his 12th season as head coach, set his sights higher and let his group know that his goal for them was to win the state title.

"Coach Schroeder believed that with the work we could put in and the team we could become, it could happen," senior guard Lauryn Auchmuty said.

"We've gone game-by-game and practice-by-practice every day since then. We've built a team that's pretty great. We're just a giant family. From the summer to now, we've just improved tremendously."

Now, several months after that significant summer meeting, the Bulldogs are just one Saturday afternoon game at UD Arena in Dayton away from winning a Division VI state championship.

Columbus Grove's final opponent is Rootstown, one of five teams in the Portage Trail Conference in Northeastern Ohio, along with John F. Kennedy Catholic, Lake Center Christian, Mogadore and St. Thomas Aquinas.

The Rovers are 27-1 and enter the weekend riding a 17-game winning streak. Their lone loss was to Revere, 54-51, back on Jan. 2.

"They have four girls who can hurt you and they play eight or nine girls, so their coach does a really good job of subbing them in and out and keeping them fresh," Schroeder said of Rootstown. "They only have one loss, so it's always fascinating to go down to state and see Northwest Ohio against Northeast Ohio to see the different styles of basketball."

Nadia Lough, a 5-10 forward, leads Rootstown in scoring at 13.1 points per game on 52% shooting. Lough also grabs 7.5 rebounds per game, second on the team to Colbie Curall, a 5-9 junior who averages 10.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

Kelsey Bittecuffer and Addy Germann, a pair of 5-2 senior guards, round out the Rootstown's balanced offense with 10.2 and 9.6 points per game, respectively.

As a team, the Rovers shoot 39% from the field, 31% from three and 66% from the free throw line.

Rootstown is a team that, Schroeder said, plays a disruptive full-court man-to-man defense designed to frustrate opposing teams.

"They're going to pick you up early and send two to the ball with really aggressive hand activity. They're pressuring hard and playing a physical brand of defense. It's the type of team that really wants to speed you up and force you into bad decisions."

Both teams needed a little tournament magic to get out of the state semifinals. The Bulldogs, of course, topped Minster 43-40 on a late-game layup and some free throws from Lauryn Auchmuty and the Rovers squeaked out a 57-54 win over Fort Frye six days after pulling off a 37-36 victory over Smithville to win a regional title.

Columbus Grove enters Saturday led by Auchmuty at 23.2 points per game, followed by Nicole Nesby with 10 points and 7 rebounds and Aubrey Schroeder with 8.6 points per game.

As a team, the Bulldogs shoot 45% from the floor, 33% from three and 58% from the free throw line.

During his team's final week of preparation, Schroeder said the key has been a balance between focusing on the task at hand and enjoying everything that comes along with qualifying for a state final.

"The girls understand that this is the biggest game they've ever played in and it means a lot to our community," he said. "There are a lot of distractions in terms of everyone talking to you about things and wanting to do things for you. We're trying to balance our girls being able to experience all the great things that come along with this but also keeping their eyes on the prize.

"Every year at state, you see some teams that come down there with the mentality of 'icing on the cake' because they made it there. There's nothing wrong with that, but that's not our group. We're in it to win it and they've really bought into that way of thinking. They've stayed very focused, even this week."

Reach Chris Howell at 567-242-0468 or on X @Lima_Howell

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