Tribe seeks to write own destiny

March was a dream month for the Indians.
After winning its third straight sectional title in February, the Fort Recovery High School girls basketball team opened March by breaking through for its first district title in a decade. A week later it upset heavily-favored Africentric Early College (Columbus) in the regional championship, earning a state berth for the first time since winning back-to-back state titles in 1990 and ’91.
It would be a lot to ask for this year’s Indians, who open their season at home Saturday against Memorial (St. Marys), to be like the 2010-11 team.
And that’s OK, because coach Doug Bihn just wants them to be themselves.
"I've been telling the kids all preseason, 'You're going to get compared so much to last year's team. You've just got to forget about that stuff. We're different,” said Bihn, whose team finished 23-3 and lost to eventual Division III champion Anna in the state semifinals. “Last year's team was a great team, but we have different people, different tools, different skills on this team. We've just got to make a name for what we are this year."
What the Indians are this year is a team led by four seniors, three of whom were key rotation players in the run to the state final four.
With the team having lost its top three scorers — Holly Brunswick (12.4 points per game), Kendra Brunswick (12.2) and Olivia Thien (9.0) — senior Kylie Kahlig is the returning leader at 7.5 points per game. She also grabbed  2.8 rebounds per game last season and will be looked upon to be one of Fort Recovery’s leaders in both areas this year.
"Kylie is a great shooter,” said Bihn. “Her greatest asset is probably her ability to drive to the basket. She finishes pretty well around the rim.
“She probably is our best athlete on the team. She's stronger, pound for pound, than anybody I know.”
While she spent most of her junior season coming off the bench, Olivia Schwieterman played starter’s minutes a year ago at 19.5 per game.
In 2011-12 she will take over the full-time point guard duties after racking up 63 assists last season, second only to then-senior Nicole Dilworth’s 78. She was also one of four Indians to hit 20 or more 3-pointers a year ago and is the returning leader with 23.
A fierce defender, Schwieterman will also be key to Fort Recovery’s signature pressure.
"It starts for us at the point-guard spot with Olivia Schwieterman,” said Bihn. “She did a lot for us last year. ...
"She's a great defender.”
Kelly Nietfeld is the other senior who returns after playing major minutes for the Tribe a year ago. She is the top returning rebounder at four per game, although Bihn said she’ll play more of a small forward position this year as opposed to being underneath the basket.
“Kelly's made a big transformation from two years ago when she was more of a post player,” he said. "She works as hard as anybody I've ever coached before and probably as hard as anybody we're going to see all season. So I expect big things from Kelly."
The team’s fourth senior is Ericka Lennartz, who missed her sophomore season because of torn anterior cruciate ligament. She played in 22 varsity games last season with her biggest impact being an 82-percent mark from the foul line.
Bihn said he believes she has regained most of her speed in the second year removed from the knee injury and can be a major contributor for the squad.
Any of three players — juniors Kelsey Fiely, Janelle Schwieterman and Chelsea Pottkotter — could join the four seniors in the starting lineup on a given night, with all three expected to see major minutes. The rest of the roster includes juniors Abby May, Sam Tobe and Melissa Lochtefeld and sophomores Sierra Pugh and Lexi Schmitz.
Fans can expect the Indians to create the same type of up-tempo style triggered by defensive pressure that worked so well for them last season.
"If we can create tempo, we have a chance,” said Bihn, whose teams have thrived on creating turnovers with a ferocious full-court press. “We've been in scrimmages in the preseason and any time we get in a half-court game we struggle a little bit. We just don't have that kind of size. This team is not built to be in a half-court game."
And even though this season’s squad is much different from the state final four team of a year ago, that hasn’t lowered expectations.
"I'm hoping we can compete for a league title,” said Bihn of the Midwest Athletic Conference. “That's always one of my goals. We haven't won it for 20 years and it would be nice to get that back here.
"After that we'd like to make a tournament run again. I think we've got enough veteran leadership (to do it)."[[In-content Ad]]