The Dixie Heights girls basketball team grabbed a much needed 34th District win after defeating St. Henry 55-32 Friday night.
Within the past two weeks, the Colonels have faced competitive contests against top region opponents in Cooper, Notre Dame and Ryle, ultimately falling short in all three.
“Those games showcased our weaknesses very quickly,” said Dixie head coach Joel Steczynski. “It was good for us, at this point in the season it helped us really focus on ourselves and the things we need to get better at each day.”
Friday night’s contest delivered a new challenge for the Colonels as both teams struggled to find the basket early and combined for just six total points in the first few minutes of play.
It wasn’t until Dixie junior Catherine Buddenberg hit two quick triples that the offense finally began to open up as the Colonels held a 12-7 after the first quarter.
St. Henry stepped up the intensity on both ends as they forced Dixie into eight second quarter turnovers. Senior guard Kayla Unkraut attacked driving lanes and hit a corner triple to help the Crusaders regain their offensive momentum.
The Colonels quickly responded with five second quarter scorers who helped initiate a 10-4
scoring run to help give them a 26-16 lead at halftime.
Coming out of the locker room at halftime, Dixie showcased more of their offensive
cohesiveness as they ran through sets and converted in the paint to force a quick 12-5 run.
St. Henry gave one last push in the fourth quarter however, it wasn’t the Crusaders night
offensively as they struggled to convert in the second half.
Dixie closed out the game with a 13-3 run early in the final quarter to seal their second true road win on the season.
“We played pretty balanced tonight,” said Steczynski. “When the ball is in Catherine
Buddenberg’s hands we feel pretty comfortable from a scoring perspective.”
Buddenberg led the team in scoring with 19 points as she converted on a trio of 3-pointers and helped facilitate offense for her teammates.
Dixie also had offensive production from junior Bella Crawford who had 12, and senior Avery Moore who had 10 points from inside the paint.
St. Henry was led by Unkraut and fellow senior Taylor Hill who each had 11, the pair made up 22 of the teams 32 points. Before Friday night’s contest, Hill was recognized for achieving 500 points and 500 rebounds in her high school career.
“She’s a great player for us,” said assistant coach Sarah Heinrichs. “She knows how to attack the rim and grab key rebounds, it was special to honor her tonight.”
The loss brings the Crusaders to an even 7-7 on the season as they’ll look to get back on track Tuesday at home against Simon Kenton.
“I think there’s always going to be things we can do better defensively,” said Heinrichs. “We learn and grow from every game, we’ll look to get back into practice as we continue to improve for the rest of the season.”
For Dixie, the win improves their record to 7-8 on the season. A home matchup against
Beechwood Tuesday will provide the Colonels with a chance to extend their win streak to three.
“We’ve had a few different injuries and early tests that we’ve had to adjust to throughout the season,” says Steczynski. “It’s caused us to use some different rotations and use some new faces.”
Despite the tough early season schedule, the Colonels are expected to face more state
frontrunners with Sacred Heart and Mount Notre Dame (Ohio) on the docket.