SETTING THE SCENE: The second season of a yearly basketball campaign, the OHSAA Tournament, has arrived and the Milford High School girls basketball team will square off with Mount Healthy of the Southwest Ohio Conference on Thursday night. The match-up, slated for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off, will be played inside Lakota East High School as the second half of a doubleheader that opens with Turpin taking on Ursuline Academy. Milford, which concluded the regular season at 7-15, will be looking to continue on a recent trend of tournament success which has seen the Eagles’ program win at least one tournament contest in three of the last four years. Mount Healthy brings a 9-13 record to the first round clash.

A LOOK BACK: February 12 vs. Kings: Kings 49, Milford 30

GAME REWIND

Double digit deficits in the first and fourth quarters proved to be too much for the Eagles as they fell to Kings by a 49-30 score on Senior Night. The evening started out on a high note with back-to-back buckets by Azyiah Williams and Brooke Edgar staking Milford to an early 4-0 lead. But Kings scored the game’s next 15 points and never looked back in securing the regular season closing victory.

RECORDS

Milford 7-15, 2-12 ECC

Kings 11-11, 7-7 ECC

KEY PLAYERS

Milford

Azyiah Williams 12 points

Kings

Lexie Sparks 13 points

Devin Biesbrock 10 points, 7 assists

NUGGET OF NOTE: Freshman Carlie Duesing matched her career-high with five rebounds.

FINAL GAME STATS

A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS: A look at Milford’s next OHSAA Tournament opponent:

• Thursday, Feb. 15 vs. Mount Healthy (at Lakota East), 7:30 p.m.
• 2017-18 Record: 9-13, 3-9 SWOC (NR Division I area coaches’ weekly poll)

• Top Scorer: Senior Gabrielle Barnett (10.4 ppg)

• Last Meeting: N/A
• Click here for Milford’s sectional bracket

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: A look at Milford’s statistical leaders:

Points per game: Azyiah Williams (7.5), Morgan Hills (6.7), Ali Kirk (5.4)

Assists per game: Azyiah Williams (2.0), Bryn Rolfsen (1.1), Morgan Hills/Abby Thierauf (0.8)

Rebounds per game: Abby Thierauf (6.0), Ali Kirk (4.6), Azyiah Williams (3.4)

Steals: Azyaih Williams (38), Ali Kirk (34), Bryn Rolfsen (20)

Blocks: Abby Thierauf (37), Carlie Duesing (7), Maddie Plucinski (5)

Field goal percentage: Azyiah Williams (.350), Carlie Duesing/Abby Thierauf (.333)

Three-point percentage: Ali Kirk (.333), Morgan Hills (.296), Azyiah Williams (.267)

Free throw percentage: Ali Kirk (.806), Azyiah Williams (.657), Maddie Plucinski (.609)

INSIDE THE ECC: Walnut Hills is the 2017-18 ECC Champions after finishing the regular season unbeaten in league play at 14-0. West Clermont finished second at 11-3 with Loveland in third at 10-4.

The schedule for ECC teams in the tournament includes: No. 4 Walnut Hills vs. No. 29 Harrison (Feb. 17, 1:00 p.m. at Sycamore), No. 6 Loveland vs. winner of No. 7 West Clermont-No. 17 Hamilton (Feb. 22, 6:00 p.m. at Sycamore), No. 7 West Clermont vs. No. 17 Hamilton (Feb. 17, 5:00 p.m. at Sycamore), No. 13 Turpin vs. No. 14 Ursuline (Feb. 15, 6:00 p.m. at Lakota East), No. 16 Kings vs. No. 8 Princeton (Feb. 17, 4:00 p.m. at Sycamore), No. 20 Anderson vs. No. 15 Little Miami (Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m. at Lakota East), No. 26 Milford vs. No. 25 Mount Healthy (Feb. 15, 7:30 p.m. at Lakota East) and No. 31 Withrow vs. No. 1 Lakota West (Feb. 14, 6:00 p.m. at Lakota East).

POLL WATCH: Milford did not receive any votes in the final Cincinnati Enquirer Division I area coaches’ poll of the year. Lakota West was crowned the regular season poll champions by a scant three points over conference rival Mason. Mount Notre Dame, Walnut Hills of the ECC and McAuley round out the top-five. The breakdown of first place votes was seven for Lakota West, three each for Mason and Walnut Hills and two for MND. The ECC is also represented by Loveland in sixth, West Clermont in seventh and Turpin and Kings receiving votes. The final coaches’ poll can be viewed at preps.cincinnati.com/coachespolls.

Milford Eagles Season/Career Highs

Emily Bientz

Points—Season: 4 at Walnut Hills; Career: 4 at Walnut Hills (2017-18)

Rebounds—Season: N/A; Career: N/A

Assists—Season: N/A; Career: N/A

Kyrsten Brown

Points—Season: 6 twice; Career: 6 twice (2017-18)

Rebounds—Season: 9 at Anderson; Career: 9 at Anderson (2017-18)

Assists—Season: 1 twice; Career: 1 four times

Izzy Dadosky

Points—Season: N/A; Career: N/A

Rebounds—Season: 3 at Hughes; Career: 3 at Hughes (2017-18)

Assists—Season: N/A; Career: N/A

Carlie Duesing

Points—Season: 8 at Hughes; Career: 8 at Hughes (2017-18)

Rebounds—Season: 5 twice; Career: 5 twice (2017-18)

Assists—Season: 1 four times; Career: 1 four times (2017-18)

Brookelyn Edgar

Points—Season: 5 vs. Withrow; Career: 5 vs. Withrow (2017-18)

Rebounds—Season: 2 three times; Career: 2 three times (2017-18)

Assists—Season: 2 at Hughes; Career: 2 at Hughes (2017-18)

Hannah Gallimore

Points—Season: N/A; Career: N/A

Rebounds—Season: 1 at Hughes; Career: 1 at Hughes (2017-18)

Assists—Season: N/A; Career: N/A

Morgan Hills

Points—Season: 14 twice; Career: 14 twice (2017-18)

Rebounds—Season: 6 vs. Withrow; Career: 6 vs. Withrow (2017-18)

Assists—Season: 4 at Hughes; Career: 4 at Hughes (2017-18)

Ali Kirk

Points—Season: 14 vs. Hillsboro; Career: 14 vs. Hillsboro (2017-18)

Rebounds—Season: 10 at Clark Montessori; Career: 10 at Clark Montessori (2017-18)

Assists—Season: 3 at Madeira; Career: 3 at Madeira (2017-18)

Maddie Plucinski

Points—Season: 11 twice; Career: 11 twice (2017-18)

Rebounds—Season: 6 at Hughes; Career: 6 at Hughes (2017-18)

Assists—Season: 2 at McNicholas; Career: 2 at McNicholas (2017-18)

Sydney Poleski

Points—Season: 2 at Loveland; Career: 2 at Loveland (2017-18)

Rebounds—Season: 2 twice; Career: 2 twice (2017-18)

Assists—Season: N/A; Career: N/A

Bryn Rolfsen

Points—Season: 14 vs. Winton Woods; Career: 14 vs. Winton Woods (2017-18)

Rebounds—Season: 6 at Madeira; Career: 7 vs. Oak Hills (2016-17)

Assists—Season: 3 twice; Career: 3 twice (2017-18)

Abby Thierauf

Points—Season: 14 at Hughes; Career: 14 at Hughes (2017-18)

Rebounds—Season: 14 vs. Northwest; Career: 14 vs. Northwest (2017-18)

Assists—Season: 2 five times; Career: 2 five times (2017-18)

Blocks—Season: 6 vs. Shroder; Career: 6 vs. Shroder (2017-18)

Caitlyn Wiscombe

Points—Season: 13 vs. Winton Woods; Career: 13 vs. Winton Woods (2017-18)

Rebounds—Season: 5 vs. Turpin; Career: 5 vs. Turpin (2017-18)

Assists—Season: 5 at Hughes; Career: 5 at Hughes (2017-18)

Azyiah Williams

Points—Season: 15 at Turpin; Career: 15 at Turpin (2017-18)

Rebounds—Season: 7 at Turpin; Career: 7 at Turpin (2017-18)

Assists—Season: 6 vs. Northwest; Career: 6 vs. Northwest (2017-18)

Steals—Season: 10 at Hughes; 10 at Hughes (2017-18)