Titans look to keep going full throttle

Taylor and Manchester will try to impose different styles in regional.

By BRYAN GASKINS Tribune sportswriter

CLASS 2A REGIONAL:

At South Adams, Saturday

10 a.m. — Prairie Heights (7-15) vs. Harding (14-7)

Noon — Taylor (20-3) vs. Manchester (21-2)

8 p.m. — Championship

To say the least, the Class 2A South Adams Girls Basketball Regional semifinal game between the No. 3-ranked Taylor Titans and the No. 7 Manchester Squires is going to be a clash of styles.

The Titans (20-3) prefer a full-throttle attack fueled by a ball-hawking defense. They average 63.4 points per game, which ranks 20th in the state, and allow just 40.5 ppg.

“We’re going in with one thing in mind and that is to play 84 feet for 32 minutes. That is our forte,” Taylor coach Dennis Bentzler said.

Manchester, meanwhile, will counter with a different approach. The Squires (21-2) allow a measly 34.8 ppg, which ranks No. 2 in the state. Their patient offense produces 49.4 ppg.

“I’m not sure we can compare them to anyone on our schedule,” Bentzler said. “They will make 10 or 12 passes in the half-court before putting it up and from my understanding. They are more deliberate than anyone we’ve played.

“It’s going to be one of those cat-and-mouse games where they want to do one thing and we want to do another. Something has to give.”

Prairie Heights (7-15) and Harding (14-7) will meet in the 10 a.m. opener Saturday at the Stardome. Taylor and Manchester will follow at approximately noon, and the winners will return at 8 p.m. for the championship. Taylor is the defending champion.

The Titans are coming off the Oak Hill Sectional championship. They beat Madison-Grant (59-31), Eastbrook (49-39) and Northwestern (47-44) to cut down sectional nets for the third straight season.

Taylor struggled offensively against Eastbrook and Northwestern, shooting a combined 31 of 103 from the field in those games. But, the Titans made up for their cold shooting by forcing a combined 58 turnovers.

“We didn’t shoot the ball well either night,” Benztler said, “but what I did like was our kids just gutted it out both nights defensively and found ways to win. That combination has carried us a long way in the last four years. When you can play great pressure defense and you’re strong-minded and believe you are going to win, that is going to carry you a long way even when you struggle offensively.”

Bentzler wants to take Manchester out of its comfort zone by cranking up the tempo. He points to a fast tempo as one way of negating the Squires’ physical advantage inside.

“There is not much alike about our teams. We’re going to try to run and they are going to try to play a deliberate style,” he said.

Manchester is led by 5-foot-11 junior forward Libby Pattison (9.7 points, 7.9 rebounds per game), 5-7 junior guard Audrey Siebrase (7.8 ppg, 4.4 assists per game) and 6-0 junior center Christa Peden (7.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg). Other key contributors for the Squires include 5-10 junior forward Holly Vogel (6.2 ppg), 5-3 senior guard Sarah Purdy (5.7 ppg) and 5-3 senior guard Casey Thomas (5.3 ppg).

Bentzler will counter with a battle-tested group of players who are making their third straight regional appearance. The Titans’ starting lineup shows four seniors — 5-foot-5 guards Morgan McWhorter and Jackie Lasley, 5-7 forward Jamie Dunlap and 5-11 center Brianne Christophel.

“Our seniors are 73-20 over the last four years and 10 of those losses came when they were freshmen and three of them started all season,” Bentzler said. “These four years have been some of the best years of coaching in my life.”

McWhorter leads the Titans’ attack with 14.8 points, 3.6 steals and 2.5 assists per game. Dunlap follows with 10.2 ppg, Christophel offers 8.3 points and a team-high 5.4 rebounds per game and Lasley averages 6.5 ppg.

The starting lineup is rounded out by 5-5 junior forward Brittni Oliver, who averages 6.7 ppg and team-high figures of 4.6 steals and 3.9 assists per game. Bentzler counts on 5-9 freshman Terri Oliver (8.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.0 spg) and 5-7 junior Denae Beavers (4.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg) to offer shots of energy off the bench.

“I like the way our kids have bought into their individual roles. They all understand what they need to do to make our team successful,” Bentzler said. “We don’t have any superstars, but we have different players step up in different games and that makes us hard to defend. Brianne Christophel had 21 points and led us against Madison-Grant [in the sectional opener], Jamie Dunlap had 17 and led us against Eastbrook and Morgan McWhorter had 23 and led us against Northwestern.”

Bentzler notes his team knows the Stardome well, which he hopes will lead to a strong shooting performance Saturday.

Prairie Heights vs. Harding

Harding came into the season as a favorite to win the Class 2A state crown, but took a hit with the loss of 5-5 junior guard Rashida Ray, who averaged 20.3 points and 4.5 assists per game in four games. Still, Harding remains a formidable team thanks to its inside duo of 6-3 senior Danielle Ben-Tsvulun (11.7 ppg, 9.6 rpg) and 6-0 junior Stephanie Nye (10.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg). Ben-Tsvulun is a Notre Dame recruit.

Also for the Hawks, 5-9 sophomore guard MyQueisha Bratton offers 12.6 ppg and 3.9 apg.

Harding comes in with a 14-7 record, which came against a schedule loaded with 4A and 3A opponents.

With a 7-15 record, Prairie Heights is the surprise in the four-team field. Prairie Heights, which upset Garrett to claim its sectional crown, is led by 5-5 senior guard Lauren Bosworth, who averages 18.8 ppg.

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