So Proud of Our Lady Spartans!
Update: 3/9/2021
Lady Spartans Basketball Wins 3rd District Championship, Falls to Worthington Christian in the Regional Semifinal
Waynesville clinched its 3rd Division III District Championship in 4 years on Saturday with a 33-29 victory over Mariemont. The Lady Spartans got off to a slow start offensively, only scoring 9 points in the first half. However, their defense held Mariemont to 17 points in the first half giving Waynesville the chance to close the gap to 4 points in the 3rd quarter. The 4th quarter belonged to Waynesville, who scored 17 points to take the lead. Junior Isabella Cassoni led the Lady Spartans in scoring with 21 points. Cassoni had 6 steals in the game and went 6-8 from the free throw line down the stretch in the 4th quarter to secure the lead. Senior Leah Butterbaugh had 5 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. Junior Emma Whitaker scored 4 points, senior Hannah Gill contributed 2 points, 2 assists, and 3 steals, and freshman Caroline Stupp contributed 1 point, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists. The win advanced the Lady Spartans into the Regional Semifinal making them one of only 16 Division III teams left playing in the tournament.
Waynesville faced #1 seeded Worthington Christian in the Regional Semifinal on Wednesday. It was a tight game through the first three quarters with Waynesville and Worthington Christian trading the lead. The Lady Spartans were only down 1 point at the start of the 4th Quarter when Worthington hit a couple shots and then went into a stall offense pulling Waynesville out of their zone defense. Despite their efforts, Waynesville was unable to close the gap, and after fouling to try to get the ball back, they ended up losing 40-52. Sophomore Megan Bailey led the team in scoring and rebounding with a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds). Butterbaugh and Cassoni contributed 9 points each; Butterbaugh also had 5 assists while Cassoni had 4 steals. Freshman Emme Greely finished with 4 points and 5 rebounds. Junior Alexei Van Schaik also scored 4 points while Whitaker and Stupp each scored 2 points. The Lady Spartans finish the season with a 16-8 record.
Update: 3/2/2021
WHS Girls Basketball to Play in 5th District Championship in a Row!
The Lady Spartans refused to quit or back down in Monday night's tournament game versus undefeated number 1 seed West Liberty Salem, and their grit paid off with a one-point victory and the opportunity to play for a District Championship on Saturday. After jumping out to an early lead over the Spartans, West Liberty Salem led by as much as 15 points in the second quarter. Through a true team effort, the Lady Spartans managed to cut the lead to 8 points, going into the locker room at halftime down 19-11. Waynesville made some nice runs in the 3rd quarter closing the gap to 5 points before West Liberty Salem pulled away again to end the quarter with a 28-19 lead. However, the 4th quarter belonged to the Lady Spartans, who used their full court press and defensive pressure to force turnovers and convert them into points on the offensive end. Throughout the quarter they chipped away at West Liberty Salem's lead until junior Isabella Cassoni connected with junior Alexei Van Schaik standing alone on the wing for a 3 pointer to give Waynesville their first lead of the game with 2 minutes to go. The Lady Spartans then managed the clock and hit free throws down the stretch to secure the 37-36 win. Senior Leah Butterbaugh took over in second half finishing the game with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. Applying tough on-the-ball pressure to cause turnovers and hitting key free throws at the end, Cassoni finished with 11 points. Van Schaik finished with 5 points, while senior Lydia Anderson, junior Emma Whitaker, sophomore Megan Bailey, and freshman Caroline Stupp each contributed 2 points. Bailey also pulled down 6 rebounds, and Stupp had 4 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists. Senior Hannah Gill and freshman Emme Greely contributed key defensive plays that helped keep the Lady Spartans in the game. The victory sends Waynesville to the District Championship game at Springfield High School on Saturday at 1:30 pm against Mariemont. This is the Lady Spartans' 5th trip in a row to the District Championship. The win also makes Coach Tim Gabbard one of the top 10 winning girls basketball coaches in the state of Ohio after he got the 600th win of his career at the end of January.
Head Coach Tim Gabbard had his 600th Career Win on January 30, 2021. This puts Tim in the record books as in the top ten most career wins in the state of Ohio for Girls Basketball. Way to go Gabbard!
