Girls state basketball: Wadsworth will have hands full with Princeton's experience, physicality, scoring

The Cincinnati Princeton girls basketball team lost Mari Gerton (Florida State) and Kali Fortson (Bradley) to graduation from its 2025 Division I state runner-up roster, but one of the top programs in Southwest Ohio over the last decade-plus has been deep enough to reload.Led by the dynamic Erin Thomas on the perimeter, the Vikings (22-4) are battle-tested after enduring the wars of the widely-respected Greater Miami Conference that also features Mason and West Chester Lakota West and Cincinnati Sycamore. That is one of the multiple familiarities they have with Wadsworth (24-2), which won the Suburban League National Conference that had what is believed to be an unprecedented five regional qualifiers and three finalists.UD Arena on the campus of the University of Dayton will be the place to be at 6 o'clock tonight when the Grizzlies tip off the seventh state semifinal game in school history (1997, '98, '99, 2006, '16, '18). The winner will be the slight underdog against Kettering Fairmont (26-0) or Pickerington Central (23-3) late Saturday night."The first thing is excitement," Wadsworth coach Andrew Booth said. "They're excited to have the opportunity and excited they've made it to this level, but the overriding thing with them is they don't want it to end just by making it down there."The focus is good. As we started the week here at practice, a lot of of things can distract you around school, so one thing they're figuring out is how to handle all those people being happy for them. It's a cool experience for them, but they realize we have some work to do while also enjoying the experience."Princeton, which won the 2023 D-I title, returns three starters from the team that lost to Pickerington Central 47-44 in last season's championship. Thomas is at the forefront, as the ESPN four-star recruit averages 19.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.9 steals while shooting a stellar .479 from the floor, .370 from 3-point range and .843 from the foul line.Other than Thomas' scoring, the Vikings are impressively balanced. Kamryn Lowe (9.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.7 apg, 2.7 spg) has been the consistent secondary scoring option, Haven Sneed (4.8, 4.0, 2.7, 2.5) is the third returning starter and Kiara Harris (7.6, 3.9) and Najah Love Muhammad (8.8, 5.4) saw notable minutes off the bench last season against Pickerington Central.The good news for Wadsworth is Princeton is neither big nor deep — the latter means it is unlikely to bring consistent full-court pressure — with Thomas at 6-foot, Harris at 5-9, Lowe and Love Muhammad at 5-8 and Sneed at 5-5. The key will be how the Grizzlies match strength vs. strength, as the Vikings, who hammered Lakota West 65-47 in the regional finals, rely on speed, athleticism and aggression to wear down opponents.Sound familiar? It should."They are not tall, but they are big and strong in terms of their overall builds," Booth said. "You can tell they have been in the weight room, and they like to use that physicality, especially on the defensive end. They can choose their spots when they use pressure, whether that's full court or in the half court, but they get a lot of their baskets on loose-ball turnovers and offensive rebounds. That off the bat jumps out on film."You better take care of ball and put a body on someone when they shoot it. They have a high-level scorer in Erin Thomas, and the rest are all capable of scoring. It's going to be a battle. We're going to have to play at or near our skill level, which is what it should be at this level of the tournament, but I solidly believe our kids are up to the challenge."Wadsworth snapped Mentor's 23-game winning streak in the regional finals and has allowed a microscopic average of 30.3 points during its 10-game winning streak. The Grizzlies are built most similarly to the 2016 championship team in the sense that attacking the rim is preferred over 3-pointers and multiple role players can score around star small forward Lauren Decker, the Northeast Inland District D-I co-Player of the Year.Decker, a 5-9 Robert Morris (Pa.) volleyball recruit, has taken her game to the next level in the postseason and is now averaging 15.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 4.0 steals. Sophomore twins Natalie Maddox (8.1, 7.5, 2.0, 2.1) and Julia Maddox (7.8, 5.2, 1.9, 2.0) bring unmatched energy to both ends of the court, Natalie Moser (8.1, 4.9, 3.3, 2.3) continues to improve in her first season as the starting point guard and Marah Minor (5.0, 25 3-pointers) is a modern stretch-5 who makes big 3-pointers seemingly whenever the Grizzlies need them.Wadsworth has rolled nine deep all season and won't rein in the minutes slotted for Leah Blake (2.5, 1.6, 1.2, 2.0), Analise Lucey (5.2, team-leading 35 3-pointers), Tenley Mendel (2.9, 2.4) and LyndiGray Tetzel (1.2, 0.8). The Grizzlies' depth could be an advantage, especially if they prove they can match Princeton's speed and physicality early on."At the pace we like to play with, I don't think it would be in our best interest to change the way we play," Booth said. "We're comfortable with that style. We've been playing very good defense as a whole all year, and we're able to do a good job identifying what the key parts of our scouting report will be and executing them."The 2006 and 2016 teams embraced the pressure of state championship or bust, while 2018 understood it needed to play perfectly against Solon. This group is remarkably different with a loosey-goosey, free-thinking approach that has made it largely immune to nerves in the biggest games of the season.Booth has complemented his players with a calm, confident coaching style, making for a perfect blend of personalities.The biggest key, however, is the trademark Grizzly tenacity has never wavered on the court."They are definitely loose," Booth said. "You don't have to worry about this group getting uptight. They are who they are and they're not going to apologize for it."That's the coolest thing about them. They ooze teamwork, excitement, enthusiasm, aggressiveness, all those things. They also display that during practice and in everything they do. They do it 110% and they have a love not only for basketball, but also a love for life."Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.