Girls basketball: In high-stakes showdown, Fremont beats Davis by 26 points to win 5th straight Region 1 title
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- Fremont girls basketball players cheer during a game against Davis on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, at Fremont High School in Plain City.
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- Fremont’s Timea Gardiner shoots a free throw against Davis on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, at Fremont High School in Plain City.
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- Fremont guard Mia Austin (5) handles the ball against Davis on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, at Fremont High School in Plain City. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Fremont’s Maggie Mendelson (44) reaches for the basketball as Davis player Kate Richards (23) follows on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, at Fremont High School in Plain City. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Fremont’s Maggie Mendelson (44) rises for a shot against Davis on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, at Fremont High School in Plain City. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Fremont’s Maggie Mendelson (44) and Davis’s Kendra Kitchen 30 battle for the game’s jump ball on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, at Fremont High School in Plain City.
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- Davis player Kendra Kitchen, left, drives past Fremont’s Timea Gardiner on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, at Fremont High School in Plain City. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Davis guard Kylee Mabry dribbles the ball against Fremont on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, at Fremont High School in Plain City. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Davis player Kendra Kitchen (30) surveys the Fremont defense on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, at Fremont High School in Plain City. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Davis player Taylor Leavitt (24) throws a pass against Fremont on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, at Fremont High School in Plain City. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
PLAIN CITY — While players have come and gone for Fremont High girls basketball the past 11 years, head coach Lisa Dalebout has remained consistent.
Dalebout has amassed a glossy 223-69 overall record at Fremont – 123-24 in Region 1 games — won seven league titles and captured three state championship crowns in a transcendent coaching career that began in 2011 after seven years at Weber.
These numbers are inclusive of Fremont’s 60-34 high-stakes blowout victory over Davis on Thursday, which extends the Silverwolves’ Region 1 reign to five consecutive trophies.
Certainly not lost in the shuffle is a current 68-game region winning streak that will carry forward to next season, as Fremont now prepares for the 6A state tournament as the defending champion.
But Dalebout will tell you it’s not about the numbers, as impressive as they are.
“I think (the numbers) happen sometimes when you don’t worry about them. We don’t talk about it a lot,” Dalebout said. “We try to approach every game the same way and give everybody the respect they deserve; the girls buy into that really well. It’s amazing how consistent the teams have been over the years.
“I feel like the best thing to do is let them be themselves and let them play to their strengths. They are a talented group and work hard together. We try to give them good stuff and let them figure it out on their own and get out of their way,” Dalebout added.
Nebraska-bound senior center Maggie Mendelson said she has benefited greatly during her three years playing for Dalebout.
“It’s been the best experience I’ve ever had. She is the best type of coach and human. I’ve learned so much from her on the court and off the court; coming to practice every day knowing I’m going to be given the opportunity to be a better person not just a basketball player, has been awesome for me,” Mendelson said.
“I always want to come to practice because I want to work with her; she pushes me to get better.”
Mendelson had it figured out on Thursday. She scored 13 points in the first quarter, 17 in the half and finished with a game-high 23, through basically three quarters, before Dalebout cleared the bench with 3:50 left in the fourth.
Timea Gardiner, an Oregon State-bound senior, had five points in the first quarter (12 for the game) as Fremont raced to a 18-9 lead before Mia Austin drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Austin’s bucket was part of a 10-0 Fremont run that carried into the second stanza, and when Davis guard Sierra Passey hit a 3 at the 5:53 mark to make it 23-14, the Silverwolves went on another streak, this time 12-0 to go up 35-14.
Passey finished with 11 points for the Darts, eight of their 10 in the second quarter. With everything going Fremont’s way, Ashley Oliver nailed yet another 3 at the buzzer to make it 40-19 at the break.
“We as a team have been talking about unity and when we come to each game we want to play together — that’s how we got to such a big lead, by playing together. Everybody was trying to find the open shooter,” Mendelson said.
Fremont (21-2, 12-0 Region 1) held Davis to single-digit scoring in three quarters and yielded just 10 in the second.
“We put our best effort whenever we can; play as hard as we can, as long as we can,” Mendelson added.
Austin also netted double digits for the Silverwolves with 10 points. Thursday’s region finale was a big disappointment for the Darts (18-3, 10-2), who came into the game with a chance to tie for the Region 1 title.
“Right now this loss hurts, so I don’t want to take away from what we’ve done in an incredibly awesome season,” Davis coach Anne Jones said. “Really proud of this team, 18-3, that says something about this team; it’s a talented, special group. But what can you say about Fremont? They’re just good. They came out, guns loaded.”
Kylee Mabry scored nine points for Davis and Taylor Leavitt added eight. The Silverwolves will next take the court with a home game on Thursday.
“We’re starting to hit our stride; there are still some things we need to polish and get better at,” Dalebout said. “We have confidence at this point in the season, but also aware of things to get better at. We’re in a healthy place.”