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Rogers Does It Again – Back to Back Girls Basketball Champs
By Albert Earl
The Truth Contributor
After winning the Ohio Division II State
Championship in 2018, the Rogers Girls basketball team’s
conversation immediately began about the opportunity to make
history by winning back to back titles – something no other
Toledo team – boys or girls – had ever accomplished.
I knew that if any group could get this done,
it would be this very special group of ladies. However, I
also knew the biggest challenges to that would be, first,
the target on their backs of being the state champs and,
second, the grind of playing a national schedule outside of
the City League.
Normally playing a tough schedule would be
great preparation for tournament play but, this year, I knew
it could result in being in some very difficult contests
because they would get everybody’s best game.
The team was also trying to get its
record-tying eighth City League championship in a row.
Zia Cooke was on the verge of becoming the
first girl in City League history to score 2,000 points for
her career and Madison Royal Davis could be the first to
score 1,000 points in her first two years of high school
basketball.
So it was no surprise when they had to fight
and knock down free throws in the closing moments against
Start in the City League Championship or go to the wire
against Central and Napoleon in the District Championship
and Regional semis. Those tough matches would ultimately be
a curse for Bellevue in the Regional finals when Rogers rose
to the occasion and punched their ticket to Columbus in a
huge blowout.
During the Final Four, in both games against
Sheridan in the semifinals and the championship game angst
Dayton Carroll, one had the feeling that it was destiny at
work – and it didn’t matter what type of run the other teams
went on.
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