SoutheasternOhioPreps.com

Rematch of Division IV State Championship from 2024

Good luck to Waterford in your State Championship matchup against Fort Loramie.

If Waterford can keep the turnovers to a minimum here then I like their chances, big IF though.

I think Waterford comes in as the underdog. Division VII is tougher than D-VI or even D-IV and Fort Loramie is a proven program. They are the returning champs and I know Waterford had illness and injuries last year but that is part of the game, unfortunately. They will definitely need to play better than they did on Friday to beat this team. But is sounds like they had been playing pretty well in the previous games so let's hope that team shows up. Size wise I think it is a good matchup across the board so this should be a good one. Last chance for the TVC to get a championship this year so best of luck to the Wildcats.

Watching limited clips online, I definitely think this is an uphill battle for the Wildcats. FL has good size and a pseudo point guard that is 6 feet tall with an wingspan that looks even bigger. She can play inside or out and it doesn't appear that she is even their best player. They rely on pressure and, as noted above, the turnovers will be hard to control. If they can keep it to 10 they may have a shot but FL is good and deep. This will test their ability to come up with a good gameplan and the kids ability to execute the game plan. Rooting for Waterford but being realistic as well.

I was at the FL/Waterford game last year... i will be rooting for Waterford of course but i will be shocked if they win. FL is HUGE overall and extremely athletic...they were WAY more physical than Waterford last year...if they can overcome this then they have a shot.

Good luck Waterford

This will be a game of defensive battle. Waterford has proven that they can play with the best of them. They’ve defeated some pretty good teams, but I have to agree that division seven maybe one of the tougher divisions to play in. Fort Loramie and Waterford have been in the state championships More times than most teams that are headed to Dayton combined.
The key for Waterford is going to be turnovers. They’re going to have to limit them. I don’t know if you can look at last Friday’s game as a game that had so many turnovers due to the physicality. More jump balls than there were fouls and with Waterford‘s size and experience, I think they may have a little bit of an upper hand. Pottmeyer will have to remain within herself and play within her game and stay on the floor. That hurt them in Friday night’s game. Her being on the bench slowed their game down a bit and also did not allow them to execute their offensive and defensive plans the way that they do when they are on the floor together. When the starting five is on the floor, it is a well oiled machine. The three seniors and their leadership on the floor is by far some of the best that I’ve seen on previous Waterford teams. They remind me a lot of the 2022 senior group that won a state championship. Wagner and Sury will definitely be something to handle but Smithberger is the one who will be a huge factor. She is the workhorse under that basket who will do anything to win a game. Rebounds, points, blocks, boxing out, sealing the baseline for her teammate. That girl is the key to a successful offensive and defensive game. You can score a lot of points, but someone’s gotta help you get there and Smithberger is the one that definitely plays that role. Her presence in the court is necessary and she hasn’t gotten the credit this year. Malec and Pottmeyer are gonna really have to play a lot bigger than they are. The Redskins have height and I think they’re all about the same size other than their 6 foot point guard. If Waterford can execute a game plan, which the coaching duo of Close and Hilverding - are two of the best in the business at creating and managing a game plan- Waterford will have to play with a lot of pressure defensively and knock down shots. Wagner and Smithberger will have to crash the boards hard.
Bench player will have to contribute with more than just being on the court. They will have to maintain the offense and defense. That’s one factor I think FL has over Waterford- they have a deep bench. I think it’s been mentioned before- the 2022 Waterford team had a couple key players, Sury being one of them, who came on the court and maintain the level of hard nose, defense, and being able to execute the game plan flawlessly.

FL is just good. From watching their game last Friday- they have the 6’PG who is dominant. She can do pretty much anything and can score anywhere. 23 points I think in that win over ottoville which means she will be the main focus of Waterford but I think all of their starters are good.
Their defense is suffocating. Their length gave Waterford fits last year. It was a lot of forced turnovers which resulted in points. They are going to bring that full court press that Waterford will have to break every time. They will definitely utilize their speed and their size to stretch Waterford out.

This will definitely be a good game. Two exceptional programs with two Hall of Fame coaches and two teams that have proven why they are at the top year after year.
Best of luck to the Wildcats. Bring home another state championship to southeast Ohio.

Agree that it should be a really good game and a big time defensive battle. First one to 30 may win. But that has been the case in Waterford's two championships so who knows.

Curious where Spiderjohn has been and what the coaching staff is thinking. Worries me that he's been silent.