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With postseason near, Thomas wants to keep growing
But after a home loss to Upper Arlington, the Cardinals will start to turn their attention to putting it all together for a postseason tournament run.
Upper Arlington got past the Cardinals 49-37 Friday. Jan. 20. Last week's tally left the Cards at 6-7 overall and 4-5 in OCC Central play.
Coffman leads with an 8-1 record, followed by UA at 7-2 and Central Crossing at 6-2.
"We didn't get the job done (Friday)," said Cardinals coach Laurie Barr. "(Upper Arlington) is well coached and they played well."
TWHS junior guard-forward Frannie Frazier, who plays both in the low post and in the front court, led the team with 11 points Friday, the only player in double digits. The Cards, who trailed 30-13 at the half, did outscore the Golden Bears 14-4 in the fourth quarter.
Barr said she has seen the type of effort they need to put themselves in a position to win, most recently in their 56-24 home OCC victory over rival Worthington Kilbourne Jan. 13.
"We've seen growth in all areas," Barr said. "It's a matter of getting a game where all the growth comes together in one game.
"We saw that in our win over Kilbourne. I hope to see that a little more regularly."
Senior guard Kim Hoerauf had 18 points in the win over Kilbourne and Frazier added 12.
"I'm happy with a lot of individual efforts and our younger girls are continuing to grow and fill in roles," the coach said. "Our post players and inside game, with Mariana Bonilla, Kamille Freeman, Ally Lucas, Frannie Frazier and Whitney Miller, are all working real hard and continue to grow as players."
The stat sheet confirms a lot of players are getting a chance to prove themselves as 12 of the 14 players on the roster are averaging double digits in minutes.
"Nya Cason has provided good defensive pressure, and Frazier and Hoerauf have consistently run the point, getting assists," said Barr. "Frazier has done a good job looking inside and down the court for fast breaks. She has played really consistently for us."
Frazier leads the team with 12.8 points a game, but has played one less game than Hoerauf, who is averaging 12.6. Frazier is also the top rebounder at 7.3 per game, and leads the team in assists (2.5 per game) and steals (4.7).
Thomas Worthington was to face Hilliard Davidson Tuesday, Jan. 24, at Davidson, a team it beat 45-40 at home over a month ago.
Barr, who says the Cards need to improve their defensive intensity, knows they are in for a rugged road game. They can't expect to win if they are continue to give up 49 points like they did against UA.
"(Davidson) is always a tough team," she said beforehand. "They'll be ready; we'll need to be ready."
There's still a lot at stake, and Thomas has three of its remaining four regular-season games at home, beginning Friday, Jan. 27. when Dublin Coffman pays a visit (7:30 p.m).
"I just want us to continue to grow and believe in themselves that they can do it," Barr said.
The coaches of the Worthington Kilbourne and Thomas Worthington high school girls basketball teams gave themselves homework in preparation of the Division I district tournament draw Feb. 5.
Wolves coach Steve Palmer took advantage of not having games Jan. 31 and Feb. 4 to scout other squads.
“You have to do your homework as a coach to put yourself in the best position possible,” said Palmer, whose team played at Central Crossing on Feb. 7 and visits OCC-Central Division leader Dublin Coffman on Friday, Feb. 10, in the final games of the regular season. “You’re looking for a situation you feel fits your team the best for your team to come out on top.”
Cardinals coach Laurie Barr had a similar strategy for the postseason draw.
“We’ve tried to keep ourselves with teams where the kids play AAU with kids on the other team or that we’ve played against that team in the regular season,” said Barr, whose team played Hilliard Darby on Feb. 7 and closes the regular season Friday, Feb. 10, against visiting Central Crossing. “When they know some of the tendencies of that team, they have a sense of confidence to counter what the other team is doing.”
Thomas will face 12th-seeded Zanesville in the first round of the district tournament at 7:45 p.m. Feb. 16 at Pickerington Central. The Cardinals haven’t played the Blue Devils this season. They could meet OCC-Central rival Hilliard Davidson — Thomas beat the Wildcats 45-40 on Dec. 9 and lost to them 62-46 on Jan. 24 — in the second round Feb. 22.
Kilbourne will face New Albany in the first round at 7:45 p.m. Feb. 18 at Davidson. The Wolves haven’t played the Eagles this season. They could have a second-round matchup Feb. 22 with league-foe Upper Arlington, which beat Kilbourne 46-32 on Dec. 9 and 53-22 on Jan. 24.
Palmer said part of the preparation for the tournament draw involved knowing the strengths and weaknesses not only of his team, but those of possible opponents.
“Two years ago, we didn’t have any post play at all, so we were looking for a team that wasn’t post oriented and that we matched up well with,” he said. “Some teams are pressing teams and if you go up against them, you know you’re going to get pressed a lot. If you have good guards, you’re OK with that.”
Both Thomas and Kilbourne have been getting solid guard play. The Wolves have been led by sophomore Kayla Pack and senior Marissa Elliott, and the Cardinals have been led by junior Frannie Frazier and senior Kim Hoerauf.
“Kayla and Elliott have been kind of our 1-2 punch,” Palmer said. “They both can play the one or two (guard positions). Their games are very similar. For that, prospective guard play doesn’t concern me a lot. Our post play is coming along. The last couple of games they had played well.”
Thomas and Kilbourne have enjoyed little recent postseason success.
Since 2006, the programs have just two tournament wins. The Cardinals beat Mount Vernon 60-45 in the first round in 2010 and the Wolves beat Watkins Memorial 38-31 in the first round in 2008.
In last year’s tournament, Thomas lost to Newark 56-44 in the second round after a first-round bye and Kilbourne lost to Olentangy Liberty 39-26 in the first round.
Both teams were struggling entering the week, but their coaches remained upbeat.
Going into the games of Feb. 7, Thomas was 3-5 overall and Kilbourne was 1-7 overall since Jan. 1. Entering those same games, the Cardinals were fifth in the OCC-Central at 5-7 and the Wolves were last at 1-11.
Coffman led the league at 11-1, followed by UA (10-2), Central Crossing (9-3) and Davidson (7-5). Darby was 3-9 and Westland was 2-10.
“We may not have as good of a record as some people, but our league has prepared us for the tournament,” Barr said. “There’s never been a game that we can go, ‘Oh, tomorrow night’s team is going to be a cake walk so we don’t have to take that seriously.’ The gap between the top and the bottom is getting smaller and smaller.”
“After the regular season, everyone is 0-0 again,” Palmer said. “You go into the tournament and see where and how you stand.”
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Thursday January 19, 2012 11:31 AMSenior forward Whitney Miller believes the Thomas Worthington High School girls basketball team is capable of beating Upper Arlington.
However, she knows that if the Cardinals are going to upset the two-time defending OCC-Central Division champions when they play host to the Golden Bears on Friday, Jan. 20, their confidence must not waver.
"We need to mentally prepare for that. We always go into the Arlington game (intimidated)," said Miller, whose team lost to UA 47-41 on Dec. 2. "They’re a tough team to beat, but we can definitely do that. We have to go in there with the right mindset."
The intimidation is understandable. Only the Cardinals and Dublin Coffman have beaten UA in OCC-Central play since the 2008-09 season. The Bears went 26-2 in the league the past two seasons.
UA is 6-2 in the league this season, having lost to Coffman 39-38 on Dec. 10 and 54-43 on Jan. 13. Coffman and Central Crossing are tied for first at 7-1. Thomas and Hilliard Davidson are tied for fourth at 4-4, followed by Hilliard Darby (2-6), Westland (1-7) and Worthington Kilbourne (1-7).
"There’s no bottom team this year," Cardinals coach Laurie Barr said. "Everyone plays like the top team and you have to come prepared every night."
Miller was a sophomore the last time the Cardinals defeated UA, 45-42 during the 2009-10 season. Entering that contest, the Bears were 12-0 and ranked second in the Division I state poll, but Thomas pulled off the upset as 2010 graduate Brooklyn Martinez hit a 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left.
"We were just pumped up and ready to go," Miller said. "We need to play together and to pass. Sometimes we have the tendency to play as individuals. We need to have all five of us work together."
Barr saw that kind of effort in a 56-24 win over Kilbourne on Jan. 13. The Cardinals jumped out a 17-6 lead in the first quarter and extended their advantage to 28-11 by halftime. Senior Kim Hoerauf scored 18 points and Frannie Frazier scored 12 to lead Thomas."(Against Kilbourne), we came out and played together as a group for four quarters," Barr said. "I think this win is going to give us momentum going into the second half of the season," Miller said.
•Kilbourne coach Steve Palmer said the worst part of losing to Thomas is his team has to wait seven days to play again.
"This is going to stick with me for a while," Palmer said. "Thomas deserved to win by 30 points. They have a team that played harder and played smarter than we did. They understand what a rivalry game means and they came with their ‘A’ game. We don’t understand that."
The Wolves will look to end a four-game losing streak when they play host to Darby on Friday, Jan. 20. The Panthers won 39-37 when the teams met Dec. 6.
Kilbourne must contain Darby’s perimeter attack, as the Panthers entered their game against Westerville Central on Jan. 17 having made 15 3-pointers in their previous three games.
Senior Annie Hilditch had 23 of Darby’s 70 3-pointers through 11 games. She tied the program record by making six 3s in a 48-36 loss to Thomas on Jan. 3.
Kilbourne held Darby to two 3-pointers in the first meeting, but the Wolves have allowed 22 3s in their last eight games, including five in a 48-38 loss to Central Crossing on Jan. 3 and five in a 58-50 loss to Coffman on Jan. 6.
"We didn’t come to play last time (against Darby), but we have a week to prepare for them this time around," Palmer said. "We have a week of practice and try to correct some things we saw (against Thomas). We have to keep moving forward."
Wolves’ Elliott, Pack provide offensive punch
Worthington Kilbourne High School girls basketball coach Steve Palmer knows his team faces a challenge when it travels to Thomas Worthington on Friday, Jan. 13, for an OCC-Central Division game.
The Wolves, who lost to the Cardinals 53-45 on Dec. 2, will be looking to contain guards Kim Hoerauf and Frannie Frazier, who combined to average 32.6 points a game in Thomas’ last three contests: a 55-36 win over Cleveland Heights Beaumont on Dec. 29, a 48-36 victory over Hilliard Darby on Jan. 3 and a 47-41 loss to Central Crossing on Jan. 6.
In the teams’ first matchup this season, Hoerauf had 18 points and Frazier scored six.
However, Palmer knows the Cardinals face a challenge of their own, as they must try to contain guards Kayla Pack and Marissa Elliott.
“You have to pick your poison with us,” Palmer said. “Some teams try to take Pack away, but Elliott will have a good game. Other teams take Elliott away and Pack will step it up.”
Pack had 18 points and Elliott scored 13 in the previous game against Thomas.
“Kyla and Marissa are sharpshooters on the outside and can drive to the basket,” Thomas coach Laurie Barr said. “You can’t leave them open. Last time it was such a good battle all the way around. We know Kilbourne’s going to be ready to play us, so we have to make sure we’re ready to play them.”
Pack, a sophomore who is averaging 14.5 points and five rebounds, and Elliott, a senior who is averaging 12.8 points and four rebounds, both have scored in double figures in 10 of the Wolves’ 11 games.
“We work very well together,” Elliott said. “We feed off each other’s energy. If I’m having an off night, she will take over. If she’s having an off night, I’ll take over.”
“Marissa’s like my older sister,” Pack said. “She has shown me the type of player I want to become when I get older.”
While many teams have more than one player averaging in double figures in points in the same season, Kilbourne has had only two players finish a season averaging 10 points or more the past five seasons. Kelsey Sutton was averaging 12.4 points during the 2007-08 season before sustaining a season-ending knee injury in mid-January of that season, and Tori Besser averaged 10.3 points during the 2008-09 season.
“We’re getting 27 points a game out of two players,” Palmer said. “Two years ago, that was what we were averaging as a team per game. (Elliott and Pack) are both tough and gritty kids. They keep working with their nose to the grindstone.”
Both Elliott and Pack played lesser offensive roles last season, as Elliott averaged 6.3 points and Pack averaged 5.8. However, both knew it was time to step up, as Kilbourne lost three players from a year ago to graduation, including Olivia Zimmerman and Sarah Bechtel. Last season, Zimmerman and Bechtel averaged eight and six points, respectively.
“We needed to fill the gaps along with the other players,” Pack said. “I knew I was going to have to distribute the ball better and get my teammates open looks so we can win.”
Palmer said he noticed Elliott and Pack spending more time in open gym during the offseason and that the two routinely stay after practice to work on their games.
“Any time Elliott would be there (at open gym), Pack would be there,” Palmer said. “My first couple of years here, that was nonexistent. As a coach, you can encourage that and ask for that. But let’s be honest, peer pressure is so much stronger than coaching pressure.
“Now you hope there’s a ripple effect. You throw a stone in and it might take awhile for the ripple to get to the other end of the lake, but eventually it gets there.”
•MORE THAN A GAME — The contest between Kilbourne and Thomas also will be “Cancer Awareness Night.”
“Cancer is something that affects a lot of the players on our team,” Barr said. “So we want to promote (the fight against cancer).”
Barr said there will be a moment of silence before tipoff to remember friends and relatives who died from the disease as well as to commemorate those who successfully battled it.
Both teams will be wearing royal blue — a common color between the two schools — T-shirts promoting cancer prevention and search, and signs will be hung in the gym promoting the cause.
Improving Thomas girls ready for OCC's round two
By PAUL QUINN
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SNP photo by Craig James
Thomas Worthington's Whitney Miller ponders her next move with the ball while being surrounded by Westland defenders during the Cardinals' OCC Central road trip Dec. 20.   
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Coming off a holiday tournament in Cincinnati Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 28-29, Barr expects her Cardinals team to "get over the hump and get on track," she said.
The wins were welcome after coming off a 64-54 OCC loss at Westland Dec. 20.
"I knew it would be a tough start to the season," said Barr. "In the first seven games, we had just one home game. But we'll make up for that at the back end of the schedule."
"In all of our games, we've been right there," she said. "We have a lot of young players who are gaining valuable experience. As they jel, their improved play will propel us to better results."
In last week's holiday tournament, the Cardinals beat Wooddale (Memphis, Tenn.) and Beaumont School (Cleveland Heights). Barr feels the tournament was a growing experience that enhanced the team's chemistry.
"It was a great team-building experience," she said. "Going through new experiences together helps unite the team."
Against Beaumont, which Thomas won 55-36, senior Erica Morris paced the Cards with 15 points. Junior Fannie Frazier added 13 and senior Kim Hoerauf contributed 10.
Contributing to the team's success is their ability to play a complete game.
"It's more than scoring," the coach said. "We play defense and get steals and rebounds."
Among those who have best exemplified these fundamentals are Hoerauf, Frazier, Whitney Miller (senior guard), Ally Lucas (sophomore post player), and Jordan Fischbach (freshman guard).
Miller has played consistently, handling the ball and doling out assists, according to Barr.
"Whitney made the pass that enabled Ally to make a critical basket in our win over (Hilliard Davidson," the coach said, referring to Thomas' 45-40 OCC decision over the Wildcats Dec. 9.
"That important basket by Lucas is typical of her play," said Barr. "She has a knack for getting buckets at key times."
Barr is excited for the second round of conference play, which begins Jan. 13 at home with Worthington Kilbourne.
"We're definitely improving," the coach said. "And with the experience our young squad has gained, I think we have an increased focus."
The Cardinals were to start 2012 with a Tuesday, Jan. 3, game at home with Hilliard Darby, followed by an away contest Friday, Jan. 6, at Central Crossing (7:30 p.m.).
"They're both scrappy teams," Barr said of their upcoming opponents. "They're solid and play hard. They'll be tough games for us."
