Women's basketball head coach Connie Richardson might feel like she's been riding the Millennium Force roller coaster.
"Consistency is very crucial in this game and I didn't think some individuals were very consistent. Therefore, as a team, we weren't consistent," said the 17th-year head coach.
"This season had a lot of ups and downs," said junior guard Laura Roth. "We started out slow and it took us a while to get going, but [in] the second half of the season things started to click for us."
The team was 14-12 overall and 10-8 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC).
"The best team-win we had all year was against Wilmington, and I didn't even play," said senior Ana Gamble. "Wilmington is a tough team. They always give us trouble, and the girls stuck together and beat them. It was unreal."
For the third straight year Otterbein captured the annual Smokey Ballenger Classic, dismantling Franklin University before knocking off Saint Mary's College for the title.
The team won three of its first four games to begin conference play, then dropped four straight to OAC foes, before getting back on track in Bexley with a 77-69 victory over Capital. That win started a trend, with Otterbein winning five of six and building momentum down the stretch. A trip to Baldwin Wallace, the eventual OAC regular season and tournament champions ended the hot streak.
Richardson's alma mater stymied the Cardinals, giving Heidelberg the season sweep. It was the Student Princes' first win over Otterbein since December of 2002.
.....Down but not out, Richardson couldn't have scripted the regular season finish better herself. Roth scored 29 to lead the way in a win over Wilmington, before senior Sara Fee's half-court heroics put an exclamation point on senior day that will never be forgotten.
"I think almost everyone has dreamt of making that shot to win a game. Sometimes I still don't believe it happened," said Fee.
"She will always remember it as her senior day and the incredible shot she made," said Richardson. "It couldn't have happened to a better kid."
Like all good things, the season had to end. Four days after Fee fired the "shot heard 'round the Rike" to sweep the season series against Capital, the purple and white Crusade stepped in and ended the Cardinals' season.
Roth led the OAC in scoring, assists, steals and three-point field goals. The do-it-all junior will be leading the way again next year, wrecking havoc on opponents.
"She had an amazing season, though it got cut short," said Gamble. "She's a great player and will be a great senior leader next year for the Cards."
Roth and Fee both eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau for their careers.
"This year one of my roles was to be a scorer and I did all I could to fulfill that role," Roth said.
"It was probably one of the best things to happen this season," Fee said. "That's something I never expected to happen."
Roth will have a healthy Sarah Esterkamp by her side next season. Esterkamp missed this past season while recovering from a broken foot. She led the team in rebounding and was the second leading scorer during the 2006-07 season.
"We had freshmen step up this year. Karli Volkmer and Katy Miller add so much to our team," said Roth. "Having Esterkamp back will put us in a good position to go where we want to go next year."
Her coach isn't quite ready to move on."I always dread seeing the season complete because it means when we meet next October, I am going to be without some very special people," said Richardson. t&c;
