February 18, 1999

H-L at Calvert: Winner take all

By Dave Feltner
Sports Editor

They've won 88 of their last 94 games, they placed second in the state a year ago, and they are currently 18-1 and ranked No. 3.

They've taken on Division I schools and even manhandled the top team in Division II by 21 points.

But the one thing the Hopewell-Loudon girls basketball team does not have yet is this season's Midland Athletic League championship.

Thanks to a surge by another league challenger -- and some nifty scheduling -- the girls MAL title boils down to one game tonight between Hopewell-Loudon and Calvert.

The 18-1 Chieftains travel to the 18-1 Senecas at 6 p.m. tonight for a winner-take-all fight to the finish. Both teams are 9-0 in the league.

''I just told the kids and (junior varsity) coach Swanagan that this is the way we want it,'' Hopewell-Loudon coach Doug Reynolds said. ''You couldn't ask for it any better, both teams are undefeated. This is the way we like it, and I'm sure (Calvert) does, too. And I'm sure this is what the fans want.''

For the Senecas getting to this point has been a work in progress. Five years ago Jim Kuhn took over a struggling Calvert program, and the team has steadily improved ever since.

The dividends have been an 18-1 season and a No. 13 ranking in the Division IV poll.

''This has been in the works for three long years,'' Kuhn said. ''It's an opportunity that both teams have created. This is a once in a lifetime deal. The girls are finally playing for something and it's on our home floor.

''Those girls (from Hopewell-Loudon) have been together an awfully long time, and they know how to get the job done. I told our girls to just go out and play. The sooner we can settle into our game the better things will go for us.''

And therein lies the key to this battle.

The Chieftains thrive on full-court defense and have become experts at turning other teams' mistakes into quick, easy points.

Calvert, conversely, features a lineup with two 6-foot-2 posts, and prefers the half-court game, with a stress on precision passing and physical play on the blocks.

Whoever gets their way will likely hold the upper hand.

''We're going to have to compete with their size, and try to keep them off the boards,'' Reynolds said. ''(Sara) Riley's been real hot for them so we have to keep her from doing what she's been doing. We can't let her go out there and light it up. I don't think we'll stop her totally, but we have to keep her from having a great game.''

Riley has scored 30 and 29 points in the Senecas' last two games, wins over Norwalk St. Paul and Seneca East. She's become a cog to the Calvert offense since point guard Jodie Luidhardt went down with a knee injury in January.

Riley tops the Senecas in scoring (15.7), assists (4.1) and steals (3.6).

Inside the Senecas are led by Lisa Kuhn (13.6 ppg., 9.7 rpg.), Laura Kuhn (7.7 ppg., 5.3 rpg.) and Kristen Kastner (4.8 ppg., 5.2 rpg.), all of whom stand 6-foot-1 or better.

The Chieftains will counter with arguably the best player in the state, DiDi Reynolds, who will play her college ball at Ohio State in the fall.

Reynolds, the reigning Division IV Player of the Year, averages 26 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.2 assists per game.

Reynolds has plenty of backing. Kate Gase (13.2 ppg.) has hit twice as many 3-pointers as anyone else in the MAL, and Lindsay Borer (11.8 ppg., 6.5 rpg.) and Carrie Norris (10. ppg., 3.6 apg.) also score in double figures.

The Chieftian offense averages 87.2 points per game, some 27 more than the second best offense in the league. Calvert rates third in the MAL at 59.6 ppg.

Defensively, Calvert surrenders 42.5 points per game, while the Chieftains give up 45.5.

''I think (Hopewell-Loudon's) offense is their backcourt defense,'' coach Kuhn said. ''If you can handle that pressure, make good decisions and make them make the mistakes, then you can have success against them.

''I think you have to go right at DiDi,'' he said. ''She is the best player in the state so you have to make her play hard. If she has a weakness it's on defense. So I told our girls not to stand around on offense. You have to be a weapon.''

For coach Reynolds, this seems to be the perfect climax to the regular season, and the perfect springboard to the postseason.

''I had a feeling it would come down to us two,'' he said. ''And I'm really happy it did. With the tournament starting next week I can't think of a better way to end it.''

And to the winner go the spoils.