Bobcats could not overcome Bearcats' size advantage

COLUMBIA -- Delta entered Friday's Class 1 championship game against Northeast (Cairo) outscoring its opponents by an average of nearly 20 points per contest.

Still, Northeast had its way against the Bobcats, outscoring them 14-0 in the first quarter before beating them 54-32 to claim the title.

How was Northeast different from Delta's other opponents this season?

It had more size at nearly every position.

Delta senior guard Amanda Drew said her team has faced tough competition and has competed against tall players, such as Kelly's Debra Hall. But she said Northeast's height was a challenge.

The Cats' top players included 6-foot forward Brandie Roberts, 5-11 forward Daris King and 5-9 guard Darlene King.

"We've faced Kelly, and they've got their one big girl and they've got another good-sized girl," Drew said. "But even some of [Northeast[']s] guards were bigger, and it's tough for us because me and Taylor [Smith] are small. And we just haven't faced a team that was that physically challenging."

Delta's tallest player is 5-10 forward Jodi Menz. Sara Blattel is 5-8. But the Bobcats' three starting guards -- Drew, Sarah Keys and Smith -- are all 5-5.

One reason the Bobcats got off to such a slow start -- trialing 14-0 after one period -- was because Northeast was outrebounding them and preventing them from second-chance shots during the first quarter.

"A team that's got height like that, it can give most anyone problems because you're not used to seeing several kids with the overall height that they did," Delta coach Randy White said. "And then they come off the bench with one or two kids that are about 5-11. I think one girl's 6-0 that comes in."

Northeast coach Bob Roberts said his team's length makes its defense even more effective.

"When the kids get out and defend and move their feet a little bit, we give some people some problems," Roberts said. "We have all year long. We've gone through some stretches, and even last year, I know we didn't show well down here. But last year when we went through stretches where we were playing well defensively, we were hard to score on because of our length."

New-look Delta

Seven of the 10 members of the Delta basketball team were seniors, so the team will have a new look next year.

Smith, a sophomore, and Menz, a junior, likely will return.

Smith was the second-leading scorer (10.5 points per game) entering the Class 1 final four, while Menz was the team's third-leading scorer (9.6 points per game).

The other underclassman likely to return is Amanda Seabaugh, a 5-6 junior guard who came off the bench this season, averaging 2 points per game.

"Getting to this point, of course, I think will definitely help because you at least know what to expect," White said, discussing the experience the three underclassmen gained. "Those kids are somewhat athletic, and it's still a learning process. ... I think with the attitude that they have, they'll continue to improve and get better and hopefully, be back here in the future."

White added that he has enjoyed the group of graduating seniors.

"This group, ever since I've been working with them from seventh grade on up, they have been extremely enjoyable to work with," he said. "And it's mainly because of their character. I don't worry about the athleticism, but these guys ... they just have tremendous character and they do the right things on the court and off the court. I always feel like what you do off the court affects what you do on the court. And they have really, really been a pleasure to work with."