DAYTON, Ohio — Avery Brandewie scored 17 points, and Fort Loramie won its fourth state title after beating Waterford 42-29 in the Ohio High School Athletic Association girls’ basketball Division IV state championship game at UD Arena on Saturday.
The Redskins (28-2) led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter and didn’t allow Waterford to pull within nine the rest of the way.
“I'm just so proud for them that they get to experience it for the seniors,” Fort Loramie head coach Carla Siegel said. “I mean, to go out with a win in your last game, that's just something that you just hold onto forever. So I am extremely proud for them. I'm proud for the program, for all the little girls that were in the stands today that want to play and be like these guys.”
Perhaps no moment summed up Brandewie’s game more than the end of the third quarter on Saturday.
Fort Loramie led Waterford 30-21, and Brandewie had pulled down a defensive rebound as the Redskins transitioned across the court with 29 seconds remaining. Jaden Rose found Brandewie in the final seconds at the top of the arc, and Brandewie banked a 3-pointer giving her 17 points on 8-of-16 shooting.
“I don't even know what was going through my mind, I'm going to be completely honest,” Brandewie said. “We were running the play for Maddie Shatto, and I saw the time on the clock. I just grabbed the ball out of the air and I just shot it.”
It seemed almost everything was falling into place for the junior. She’d just led the Redskins to the state championship game with a 22-point performance on 6-of-7 shooting in the semifinals on Thursday.
It was a performance that helped seal Fort Loramie’s first state championship victory since 2021.
“I coach for the girls, I don't coach for me,” Siegel said. “This might be the fourth for the program, but this is her first one, it's her first one and all the girls.”
Fort Loramie won its 30th Shelby County Athletic League title this season and finished 12-0 in conference play. Fort Loramie closed the first half on a 9-0 run forcing eight turnovers and holding the Wildcats scoreless for the final seven minutes.
The Redskins led 20-11 at halftime. Waterford (24-4) shot 50% in the first quarter and kept it close with four ties in the period. Kendall Sury led the Wildcats with 19 points on 75% shooting while going 7-for-7 at the free throw line.
“I'm just proud of my team, the way they handled themselves today and the effort that they gave,” Waterford head coach Jerry Close said. “I can't say enough good about this team, where they come from, where we started out the season till now.”
To view the recorded game, click here.