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Rochester 7th graders win Class 4A state championship
It was the perfect ending to a perfect season last Thursday as the Rochester 7th grade girls turned back Normal Kingsley 36-23
to win the Class 4A state championship.
Led by the twin towers of Angela Perry and Katie Nika, the Jr. Rockets pulled away down the stretch of the 4th quarter to
complete an unbeaten 28-0 year.
Perry scored a game-high 17 points on seven-of-11 shooting from the field and grabbed nine rebounds while Nika had 16
rebounds to go with five points. Camryn Sapetti scored six points, Ali Bortmess had four and Lyric Boone and Chloe Simpkins
scored two points each to complete the RJHS scoring.
Nichole Robinson had five rebounds, Sapetti had three and Simpkins and Maddie Ashbaugh collected two each as Rochester
enjoyed a 39-26 edge in rebounds.
Coach Ken Teubner said that while the 7th graders are a very talented group, they also put in the work to become champions.
“These girls came to practice every day and worked very hard,” Teubner said. “This year, Coach Boudouris came in with a new
system, so we put in a completely new offense and defense and the girls really bought into it. And all season, there’s never been
any complaining or pouting. They’ve been a great group of kids to work with.”
The 7th graders’ closest game during the regular season was a 12-point win over Kingsley. “Kingsley is a great team,” Teubner
said. “And this was the same kind of game in that it was close but we wore them down with our size and our defense.”
Rochester never trailed in the game and it was tied only once at 6-6, though the Jr. Rockets led just 4-2 after one quarter, 12-10
at halftime and 18-16 midway through the 3rd quarter. But seven straight points by Perry keyed a 3rd quarter rally and after Kingsley
(23-3) closed to within 26-21, Rochester ended the game on a 10-2 run.
Perry got the roll on a close in shot to score the game’s first basket at the 4:30 mark of the first period and Sapetti’s rebound
basket with 2:22 left made it 4-0. Kingsley, after missing its first seven shots from the field, cut the lead in half on a rebound putback
by Amber Nanni with :07 left.
After Boone muscled in a shot for a 6-2 lead, assisted by Madison Faulkner, Kingsley rallied to tie the game at 6-6 on Nanni’s
free throw with 3:18 remaining. Kingsley got the ball back on a jump ball arrow, but Sapetti stole the inbounds pass to start a fast
break, with Perry scoring off an assist by Simpkins. Robinson’s steal led to a rebound basket by Simpkins and Perry canned two
free throws to build a 12-6 lead with 2:04 left. The Cavaliers came back with two baskets, the second by Hannah Johnson with 1:00
left to trail 12-10 and the score stayed there as Rochester, five for 21 in the first half, missed its final three chances from the field.
The lead went back to 18-12 as Perry put back a rebound, Nika was fouled on a rebound and hit two free throws, then Sapetti
scored on a fast break with 4:09 remaining, set up by Aubrey Magro’s assist. Two baskets by Raven Hughes pulled the Cavaliers
back within two at 18-16 but Perry converted a three-point play, then used a nice move in the lane and hit a left-handed shot for a 23-
16 edge. Perry’s basket and a free throw by Nika offset two Kingsley baskets to keep the advantage at 26-20 after three quarters.
Hughes sank a free throw with 5:01 to get Kingsley within 26-21 but the Cavaliers would get only one basket the rest of the way.
Robinson’s steal and assist set up Bortmess for a layup, Perry scored in close and Sapetti drained two free throws for a 32-21 lead
with 2:36 to play. Baskets by Nika and Bortmess, the latter off an excellent pass from Robinson provided the final, 36-23 with 1:10
remaining before both teams cleared the bench.
Rochester was 14 of 42 from the field (33 percent) but made eight of 10 free throws compared to Kingsley’s three of 14
shooting. The Cavaliers, who were 10 of 40 from the field, committed 19 turnovers to 21 for Rochester. Neither team had a 3-point
basket in the game.
The championship was the second at the 7th grade level in Class 4A for Rochester since the IESA went to four classes in
2006, the other coming in 2008 by the current sophomore class, which also won state as 8th graders. Rochester also finished
second in the state in 7th grade in 2002 under the old two-class system.
It was the perfect ending to a perfect season last Thursday as the Rochester 7th grade girls turned back Normal Kingsley 36-23
to win the Class 4A state championship.
Led by the twin towers of Angela Perry and Katie Nika, the Jr. Rockets pulled away down the stretch of the 4th quarter to
complete an unbeaten 28-0 year.
Perry scored a game-high 17 points on seven-of-11 shooting from the field and grabbed nine rebounds while Nika had 16
rebounds to go with five points. Camryn Sapetti scored six points, Ali Bortmess had four and Lyric Boone and Chloe Simpkins
scored two points each to complete the RJHS scoring.
Nichole Robinson had five rebounds, Sapetti had three and Simpkins and Maddie Ashbaugh collected two each as Rochester
enjoyed a 39-26 edge in rebounds.
Coach Ken Teubner said that while the 7th graders are a very talented group, they also put in the work to become champions.
“These girls came to practice every day and worked very hard,” Teubner said. “This year, Coach Boudouris came in with a new
system, so we put in a completely new offense and defense and the girls really bought into it. And all season, there’s never been
any complaining or pouting. They’ve been a great group of kids to work with.”
The 7th graders’ closest game during the regular season was a 12-point win over Kingsley. “Kingsley is a great team,” Teubner
said. “And this was the same kind of game in that it was close but we wore them down with our size and our defense.”
Rochester never trailed in the game and it was tied only once at 6-6, though the Jr. Rockets led just 4-2 after one quarter, 12-10
at halftime and 18-16 midway through the 3rd quarter. But seven straight points by Perry keyed a 3rd quarter rally and after Kingsley
(23-3) closed to within 26-21, Rochester ended the game on a 10-2 run.
Perry got the roll on a close in shot to score the game’s first basket at the 4:30 mark of the first period and Sapetti’s rebound
basket with 2:22 left made it 4-0. Kingsley, after missing its first seven shots from the field, cut the lead in half on a rebound putback
by Amber Nanni with :07 left.
After Boone muscled in a shot for a 6-2 lead, assisted by Madison Faulkner, Kingsley rallied to tie the game at 6-6 on Nanni’s
free throw with 3:18 remaining. Kingsley got the ball back on a jump ball arrow, but Sapetti stole the inbounds pass to start a fast
break, with Perry scoring off an assist by Simpkins. Robinson’s steal led to a rebound basket by Simpkins and Perry canned two
free throws to build a 12-6 lead with 2:04 left. The Cavaliers came back with two baskets, the second by Hannah Johnson with 1:00
left to trail 12-10 and the score stayed there as Rochester, five for 21 in the first half, missed its final three chances from the field.
The lead went back to 18-12 as Perry put back a rebound, Nika was fouled on a rebound and hit two free throws, then Sapetti
scored on a fast break with 4:09 remaining, set up by Aubrey Magro’s assist. Two baskets by Raven Hughes pulled the Cavaliers
back within two at 18-16 but Perry converted a three-point play, then used a nice move in the lane and hit a left-handed shot for a 23-
16 edge. Perry’s basket and a free throw by Nika offset two Kingsley baskets to keep the advantage at 26-20 after three quarters.
Hughes sank a free throw with 5:01 to get Kingsley within 26-21 but the Cavaliers would get only one basket the rest of the way.
Robinson’s steal and assist set up Bortmess for a layup, Perry scored in close and Sapetti drained two free throws for a 32-21 lead
with 2:36 to play. Baskets by Nika and Bortmess, the latter off an excellent pass from Robinson provided the final, 36-23 with 1:10
remaining before both teams cleared the bench.
Rochester was 14 of 42 from the field (33 percent) but made eight of 10 free throws compared to Kingsley’s three of 14
shooting. The Cavaliers, who were 10 of 40 from the field, committed 19 turnovers to 21 for Rochester. Neither team had a 3-point
basket in the game.
The championship was the second at the 7th grade level in Class 4A for Rochester since the IESA went to four classes in
2006, the other coming in 2008 by the current sophomore class, which also won state as 8th graders. Rochester also finished
second in the state in 7th grade in 2002 under the old two-class system.
Issue Date: Dec. 15, 2011
