By Bob Ratterman

Contributing Writer

The two-point loss that brought an end to the Talawanda High School girls’ basketball season should not be the memory that everyone keeps.

That was the message from the team’s coach, Kim Richter, this week as she looked back on an undefeated regular season and 24-1 overall record.

She also had a message for Braves fans: Thanks for the support!

“It was a hard loss for us. I don’t feel like we played up to our potential,” Richter said of the 43-41 loss to Dayton Carroll last Friday. “We were down early 11-0 and it was hard from that point.”

The girls trailed 12-5 after one quarter and 22-10 at halftime. They outscored Carroll in the second half, 31-21, helped by a 20-13 fourth-quarter run but it was too late.

“The unfortunate thing about being undefeated is that you go into such a big game you have a lot to lose. There’s a lot of pressure,” the coach said. “It was an excellent season. I want the girls to remember the season as a whole, not the last game. I want to focus on the girls’ accomplishments.”

Those accomplishments were many.

In addition to the All-District honors, career assist record and undefeated regular season, she said it was also a “Season of Redemption.”

Among their losses a year ago were defeats at the hands of Hamilton, Milford and Eaton and she said they came into the 2012-13 season looking to make up for those losses. Beating those three opponents helped set the stage for the undefeated season.

“It was an accomplishment playing an undefeated season but it was the most wins in Talawanda history for a girls or boys team,” she said. “The season is putting us on the map, not just local or conference, but in the district.”

Ana Richter was named Player of the Year for Southwest Ohio District Division II and received first team district honors. Megan Richardson was named third team All Southwest District Division II, while Bristyl Webb was honorable mention.

Webb is now the all-time Talawanda record holder for career assists with her unofficial total at 305 for her career, pending final review of the Carroll game video. She passed the 222 mark previously held by Lara Pavloff, class of 1998, in December.

Richter said the team was awed by the school and community support they received this year and wanted to continue playing for their fans.

“So many people were there supporting us. It was amazing to see how many people were there. Sports draws a community together like nothing else can,” Richter said. “The girls felt after the game like they let people down but I told them they gathered those people together. All the girls felt supported by the school and the community and that was a driving force behind the way they played the games.”

That support was certainly felt in last Friday’s district championship game but it was that way all season, on and off the court.

“I hope the community understands how grateful we are that they supported us. There was energy in the community and every girl felt she could not go anywhere without people talking about it. It was good to be part of something that was bigger than ourselves,” the second-year Talawanda coach said. “Community now-a-days is not what it used to be and to be a part of something with the support they received was a neat thing to experience.”

Now, she turns her attention to next year in an effort to go deeper into the tournament, after losing district championship games two years in a row.

“Next year, I’m going to try to play more different schools to get ready for districts,” she said. “The athletic director, Jason Grunkemeyer, is doing a good job putting together the schedule. We’ve got to move on. We have a lot to learn. It’s an exciting time. With continued work, we will get better.”

Next year’s team will have most of its scoring back with juniors Ana Richter and Richardson back for their senior years. They will lose Webb’s assist prowess, and that will be one of their challenges looking to the next season, but coach Richter said she is ready for the challenge.

“I’m excited about next year. It’s a growing process. We’re going to learn from our mistakes,” she said.