KCJH Girls Victorious
County Team Claims First Basketball Championship

Many coaches preach that defense wins championships. This philosophy was proved true Thursday evening by the Kiowa County Junior High girls as they fought off Meade for the league tournament championship. KCJH used a tough trapping press to rack up 15 steals and 29 rebounds. Katelynn G. and Dena L. led the way with 4 steals apiece, while Heather M. pulled down 11 rebounds. KCJH won the game 35-27.

Head Coach Staci Derstein commented, "We played pressure man-to-man defense which made it hard for the other teams to run their half court offenses."

In its first year, the KCJH girls team finished 13-3 on the season, and also claimed a share of the regular season league title. Kristi Heft and Marsha Stahl assisted Derstein with the 35 girls out for the team this year.

"All year I have stressed team play," Derstein said. "This group of girls is very unselfish and passes the ball well.  They will be very fun to watch in high school."

Riann H. led the team in scoring with 12 points on the night and Dena L. added 11 points.