Lakota West, Beavercreek taking aim at regional berth

Beavercreek High School hasn’t reached the Division I regional girls basketball tournament since 2009, and Beavers coach Ed Zink knows ending that drought this season will be challenging.

All they have to do is get past imposing Lakota West in a district championship game.

Beavercreek and the Firebirds, ranked second in the Associated Press Division I state poll and a perennial regional presence, are scheduled to meet on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Princetonin the finale of a four-game set of district title contests.

The Beavers (17-8) are on a three-game winning streak.

“We’re still playing,” Zink said. “I think we’re playing pretty well right now. We ended the season with two losses, but we’ve played pretty well in the tournament. I think our last two games have been two of our better games.”

West (23-2), which lost to Mason in the last year’s regional championship game, is playing better.

The Firebirds are riding a 10-game winning streak, and their intense pressure defense hasn’t allowed more than 36 points in any of their last five games. The Firebirds are allowing an average of 28 points per game this season, but coach Andy Fishman believes they still have room for improvement.

RELATED: For high school sports coverage in Butler and Warren counties, go to Facebook and like Rick Cassano

“Our effort is outstanding,” Fishman said. “It never seems like we’re going to come out and not get after it. That’s something we always hang our hat on and gives us confidence. I think we’re still figuring things out. I know it’s late in the season, but I feel like we need to have sustained opportunities to keep everybody on floor we want to have on the floor. For different reasons, we lose players from time to time.”

Junior guard/forward Abby Prohaska, who has made a verbal commitment to Notre Dame, led West in scoring, rebounding and assists during the regular season. Senior guard Keaira Youngblood was the only Beaver to average double figures in scoring during the regular season at 12.8 points per game.

“I think Beavercreek is a cross of several different teams that we’ve played,” Fishman said. “They’re more similar in body types and skill positions with Kings, who we just played. At least half of the teams we played have a true ‘5’ kind of player who posts up under the basket. Beavercreek’s best big kid is more like (5-foot-10) with a strong body – athletic – in (junior) Lexi Moore. Lexi is a real talented player. She can play with her back to the basket or away from the basket. She has decent range on her jump shot and is a heady player.

“They usually have four guards on the court with her pretty much all the time. They handle the ball and shoot the (3-pointer) like Kings does as well, but they can slash to the basket. They have a two-headed point guard with Youngblood and (junior) Carmen Williams. They have some depth off the bench, and they have size off the bench in the post position, yet I don’t know if judging from playing other teams more like us, they’re going to need some ball handlers on the floor.

“I know you never have an advantage coaching against a legend like Ed Zink, so our girls are going to have to win this game for us. You know Ed will put his team in the best position to win.”

Zink hopes a recent improvement in Beavercreek’s ball handling will help against the in-your-face Firebirds.

“We had a few games where we had some problems with turnovers, but we’ve really cut those down,” he said. “We just continued to work on it. It’s starting to take hold, I think. That’ll come in handy against Lakota West with that pressure. We’ve got to take care of the ball, No. 1. If not, it’s going to be a long afternoon for us.”

Zink believes Beavercreek is in its best shape of the year physically, and he’s hoping that the Beavers’ beefed-up regular-season schedule will help them handle the upgrade in opposition. They played four of the teams on Saturday’s schedule, including Wayne twice.

“I think Wayne is similar to Lakota West, except they don’t put the full-court pressure on like Lakota West,” Zink said. “Wayne gets up and down the floor like Lakota West.”


Saturday’s game

What: Division I district final, Lakota West (23-2) vs. Beavercreek (17-8)

When: 5 p.m.

Where: Princeton High School, 100 Viking Way, Sharonville

Next: Winner advances to a regional semifinal Wednesday at Fairmont's Trent Arena, facing either Ursuline or Mason at 8 p.m.

About the Author