Thursday, March 16, 2000
E. Brown girls meet another undefeated
BY BEN WALPOLE
Enquirer contributor
Richard Kiser has had great success in his 23 seasons as coach of the Eastern Brown girls basketball team, but this year's accomplishments are unprecedented even by his standards.
The Warriors will play Bluffton at 7 p.m. tonight in a Division III state semifinal at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus.
Kiser's teams have won 10 South ern Hills League championships, played in 11 district title games, and reached the regional tournament seven times, but this is the Warriors' first appearance in the state final four.
“It's hard to put into words,” Kiser said. “It's been such long time. There's a lot of great teams out there, so this is not an easy accomplishment.”
Eastern Brown enters tonight's game with a 25-0 record. Kiser's teams posted 19-1 records going into tournament play three times, but no basketball team in school history had ever had a perfect regular-season record until this year, when both the girls and boys teams accomplished the feat.
To keep the perfect season alive tonight, Eastern Brown must control Bluffton's Caity Matter, who is averaging 25.2 points a game and was first team all-Ohio. She has signed to play for Ohio State.
Tara Buroker (10 points per game) leads a big and talented Bluffton frontcourt. The Lady Pirates other starters are Abbie Schaff (8.8 ppg), Rachel Holt (2.1 ppg) and Abbie Pett (9.0 ppg).
Bluffton, 25-0 this season, lost in the state semifinals last year.
The Warriors hope to counter Bluffton's superior size with quickness.
“We're not a real big team,” Kiser said. “We'll try to press, try to run. Hopefully our up-tempo game will give us a little bit of an advantage.”
Eastern Brown's attack is keyed by two underclassmen: Elizabeth Burrows (17.0 ppg) and Micah Harvey (18.0 ppg). Burrows leads the team in scoring, rebounding (7 rpg) and assists (4 apg).
Other key players include Sara Kress (3 ppg), Michelle Dickston (7 ppg), and Sarah Jodrey (6 ppg).
Eastern's depth is also an advan tage.
“We've gotten some really good play throughout the tournament from our bench,” Kiser said.
Abby Scott came off the bench to score nine points in the 65-61 regional final win over Beverly Fort Frye.
Kiser hopes last year's experience will help the team. The Warriors went 23-3, losing in the regional finals.
“We were a very young team last year,” Kiser said. “When you get a taste of it (postseason play), it makes it a lot easier when you get there the second time.”
Sports Stories
Xavier 67, Marquette 63
Price takes seat and stays there
Notre Dame 75, Michigan 65
Men's NIT scores - schedule
Unsung Hotz has watched Xavier grow
Women's NCAA Schedule
UC: Less fanfare, more focus
Clinton calling Kenyon
Men's NCAA Schedule
UC women open NIT at Pitt
Women's NIT Scores - Schedule
Ruehl leads UC divers into NCAA
Reds boast outfield of plenty
Minors Deion's way to majors?
Bowden blasts Reds' bullpen
Reds Game Report
Bengals re-sign Purvis
