Russia’s volleyball program earned its first regional title and state berth in November, and six players on that team also take the court for basketball. They were able to enjoy a similar celebration to November on Saturday after scoring the last five points in the final 30 seconds.
“Honestly, the word that comes to me is gratitude,” Russia junior Celeste Borchers said. “I feel so lucky to be a part of both these programs and break these glass ceilings that have been over both programs for a long time. I feel so thankful to do it with some of my best friends.”
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
The Raiders (24-3) lost in a district final last year and in regional semifinals the previous two years. As a talented group has gained experience, it has reached new heights.
The team won the Shelby County Athletic League title outright for the first time since 1994 and has earned the most wins in a single season in program history.
“I’m happy for these 15 young ladies because they work so hard in practice,” Russia coach Michael Bashore, who is in his third season, said. “The other thing too is the girls who don’t get a lot of playing time give us fits every day in practice. They’re just as good of defenders as anybody, they don’t get enough credit for what they do.
“… This is just such a fantastic group of kids. A lot of them have been here three years, and this is kind of our plan, and we finally made it.”
Cedarville finishes 18-9 overall. The Indians, which will lose five seniors to graduation, had lost in second round games before capturing the program’s first district championship with a 42-39 win over Fort Loramie on Feb. 28.
“We made history this year,” Cedarville coach Hailey Peters said. “And I told my girls over and over again, yes, this is not the result that we wanted, but be so proud of the legacy that they have left for Cedarville, the five seniors I have. For my returners, let’s keep this up. Let’s keep doing this again.”
Russia’s Hazel Francis, a junior guard, was named Shelby County Athletic League player of the year and was named co-Div. VII player of the year in the Southwest district.
Similar to a 45-28 semifinal win over Ridgedale on Wednesday, though, she was held in check and scored one point.
Russia’s had balanced scoring all year, though, and several players found ways to score on Saturday. Borchers, a forward, led the squad with 15 points while sophomore guard Aryana Cordonnier scored 10.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
Borchers attacked the interior and found ways to score as Cedarville focused on limiting opportunities in the post, and Cordonnier and a few others found long-range options.
“Offensively, we had to be really patient,” Cordonnier said. “We had a lot of open looks, but we had to be patient and wait for the better one.”
Borchers, Cordonnier and Francis are all key players for Russia’s volleyball team.
“It’s been super fun, especially since it’s never been done before, in either spot,” Cordonnier said. “I think once we did it in volleyball, we knew we could do it again.”
The Raiders, which have won 12 straight, scored the last six points of the second quarter on 3-pointers by Cami Schafer and Callie Goubeaux to take an 18-12 halftime lead, then scored the first seven of the third to take a 12-point lead.
The Indians slowly cut the gap. Katelyn Reed, who suffered a nose injury in the first couple minutes and missed playing time while being fitted with a mask, scored a driving layup with about 2:30 left to cut the deficit to 34-30, and she muscled her way into the paint again to cut it to 35-32 with a little more than 30 seconds left.
But Russia threw it down the floor to Borchers, who made an uncontested layup with about 25 seconds left to push the lead to five points.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
“We needed a basket, and we needed an easy one, and we work on our break every day in practice,” Bashore, who is a two-time coach of the year Southwest district selection in Div. VII, said. “That’s just practice paying off.”
Cedarville’s Maria Christian, a sophomore guard who was a first team all-Ohio Heritage Conference South Division and D-VII Southwest district selection, led the team with 13 points.
Russia will play Attica Seneca East in a state semifinal at 1 p.m. on Friday at Wright State University’s Nutter Center. The Tigers (20-7) will also be making their first state appearance in program history.
“We’re going to go back to work, bust out butts on defense and fight like hell,” Bashore said. “That’s just what they do.”
If victorious, Russia will play in the D-VII state final on Saturday morning at University of Dayton Arena.
“We just have to stay confident,” Borchers said. “We know the team that we are, and we know how we play. Just trust our defense and trust our execution on offense.”
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
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