Hanover-Horton girls take aim at Napoleon in tonight’s district final
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Napoleon – These are long odds for a young team seeking a major upset.
But come playoff time, anything is possible.
That’s the mindset Andrew Birch and his Hanover-Horton girls basketball team have heading into tonight’s Class C district final against Napoleon at 7 p.m.
“They are unbeaten, but not unbeatable,” Birch said of the Pirates. “We believe anyone can beat anyone this time of year.”
Napoleon enters the home game tonight with a 22-0 record and a substantial favorite.
The Pirates already defeated Hanover (14-8) twice this winter, as recently as last Saturday by a 61-35 count.
“The first game we hung around for a half,” Birch said. “We came out and played with them. But that’s an experienced team that doesn’t get frustrated. They are persistent. That comes from being a senior-led team. The second time was an awkward game, where it was a snow day and we had to play on Saturday morning.”
The key, Birch stressed, was patience and ball possession.
“We need to be patient offensively,” he said. “We have to keep our composure and minimize the mistakes we make. We’re going to value every possession.”
That still may not even be enough, but Birch said everything about tonight is something to soak in, enjoy and learn from.
“We’re a young team with three freshmen on varsity that play a lot,” Birch said. “This is an experience a lot of this team has never seen before. This is a David-versus-Goliath game, but we’re ready. If we show up mentally focused and ready to go, we can give them a game.”
Hanover is playing in a district final for the first time since 2012.
The Comets haven’t won a district since 2000.
“We understand we don’t have anything to lose,” Birch added. “Not many people expected us to still be playing. They are undefeated with everything to lose. They are supposed to win, by 20 or 30. We’ve seen some tweets from their students talking about them already being district champs. This is a huge rivalry, so you just never know.”
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’
Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.