MOUNT VERNON — The seniors were 3-years-old the last time Ridgedale played in a girls basketball district championship game in 2011. They weren't even a thought the last time the Rockets won the district title and advanced to the Sweet 16.
"We’re on top of the world. This hasn’t been done since 2004, so we’re as happy as we can be right now," Ridgedale senior Hannah Murphy said of their historic district title. "It means so much, especially with it being my senior year. Going out with a bang like this feels so amazing."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Rockets, seeded No. 9 in the Central District for Division VII, upset No. 2 Shekinah Christian 47-36 Feb. 28 at Mount Vernon Nazarene University's Ariel Arena. They will now play Russia Wednesday, March 4 at 6 p.m. in Vandalia's Butler Fieldhouse.
"I can’t really believe it. We haven’t done this well in a while, so it’s just unreal," Ridgedale's other senior Richelle Gleespen said. "Definitely, it was the talk at my school the whole time with everybody wanting us to win it because we haven’t done it in so long for such a little school."
Ridgedale avenges an earlier loss
To claim history, the Rockets (11-13) had to avenge a 54-38 loss to Shekinah Christian (21-4) on Feb. 3. This time they avoided déjà vu.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn that regular season game, Ridgedale played the Flames tough for the first half, going into halftime down 22-19. But in the third quarter, Shekinah roared to an 18-11 scoring advantage and then pulled away in the fourth period.
In the district final, Ridgedale led almost all of the first half, but a late score by the Flames had them up 20-19. To start the second half, Shekinah scored on its first two possessions to go up 24-19, but this time the Rockets didn't fail to launch.
"This time we knew we couldn’t let it get to us," Murphy said. "We just had to keep fighting and crawling back. That’s what we did."
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Ridgedale coach Brad Gerfen was hopeful a couple other factors would change in their favor in the rematch.
"My hope was to get them on a bigger floor and maybe their pressure wouldn’t hurt us as much," Gerfen said. "Maybe they would have an off-shooting night. Our goal was to keep them in the low 40s. We did that. Defensively we did what we needed to do."
The Rockets got a 3-pointer from Camryn Thiel to cut the early third quarter lead to two, then they got the Flames into the bonus early. Thiel and Maddie McKenzie teamed to make 9-of-10 free throws as they outscored Shekinah 16-11 in the period to take a 35-31 lead.
Ridgedale's girls basketball team cheers as assistant coach Lynette Thiel waves the net after winning their first district championship since 2004 after a Division VII upset over Shekinah Christian Feb. 28, 2026, at Mount Vernon Nazarene University.Ridgedale slows down a high-scoring team
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Flames cut it to 37-35, but they managed just one free throw in the final seconds as Ridgedale pulled away.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"We didn’t want to play at a real fast tempo tonight. I think we were able to get into our stack stall a little bit and take more time," Gerfen said. "That opened up a slip-pick or a 3-look off of it. That’s something we kind of threw in specifically for this. We haven’t done that all season.
"We thought we were going to have to limit possessions in the game to be with them. They are a team that scores in the 50s and is capable of scoring in the 70s, and we’re not there offensively. We definitely had to shorten the game."
Ridgedale's girls basketball team poses with its student section after winning the Division VII district championship Feb. 28, 2026, at Mount Vernon Nazarene's Ariel Arena.Shekinah averaged 55 points per game in 2025-26, and their Saturday total was the lowest output this year by seven points. On offense, the Rockets took care of their free throws, making 19-of-25 as the Flames were 7-for-13 on foul shots for the game.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFor Ridgedale, Maddie McKenzie was 14-for-18 from the line and ended with a game-high 19 points. Thiel and Jillian Slaughterbeck both scored 10 points, and Gleespen scored eight.
"It’s a crazy experience and a crazy feeling. It feels so good to be here," Murphy said.
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This article originally appeared on Marion Star: 'On top of the world,' Ridgedale girls still playing basketball
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