Lee Haws declined to coach Fort Thomas when the job was first offered.

Because he hadn’t coached girls basketball, Haws believed he wasn’t the right person for the gig. But after more prodding by the school Haws gave it a try.

Eleven postseason appearances later, it’s safe to say that Haws was the right pick all along.

“I love it,” said Haws, who’s always reached the 18-win mark or better in his 11 years. “The kids for the most part listen and work hard.

“The community wants to win. There’s pressure to win. We just haven’t won a state championship.”

Yes, about that championship.

That’s the only thing missing from the trophy case of Fort Thomas. They’ve been close (3 semifinals, 1 final) and continue to scrap for that ring even when it appears that a down year is looming.

Fort Thomas, despite returning only two players from last year’s state semifinal team, wound up with the No. 1 seed the 1A Conference this season. Last season, when it won 28 games, a career high under Haws, it seemed that a title was within grasp for Fort Lewis.

But it was clipped by St. Michael in the state semifinals. If Fort Thomas and St. Michael, the No. 2 seed this season, meet again the playoffs, it will be for the 1A title.

Fort Thomas nabbed the No. 1 seed and is 25-4 this season despite being without second leading scorer Robyn Olivar, who was out until January with an injury. But Olivar’s absence allowed inexperienced players to develop, including junior guard Normisha Moses.

In Olivar’s absence, senior forward Kaitlynn Hinton (14.9 ppg) stepped in to handle the scoring. But the real shocker is the development of junior forward Leigh Dona, Haws said.

The post player gets a lot of putbacks and settled into her role quickly. Freshman forward Kyia Haws (5-10), Haws’ daughter and the tallest player on the team, sophomore forward Vivianna Talgo and the new faces on the team this season have also helped Fort Thomas get within four wins of claiming it first championship again.

1A girls notes

(St. Michael is the defending 1A Conference champ. Photo by Mark Jones/maxpreps.com) 

St. Michael has seven seniors that are ready to defend their title.

Those seniors have played on the same teams since they were in elementary school, including Jalynn Smith (17.6 ppg) and Delila Nakaidinae (8.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg). “Jalynn is a well-rounded player on our team,” coach Cari Shane Adams said. “She is the leading scorer on our team. If she's not the leading scorer, then she is leading in everything else. Delila provides us a dominant game inside and leads our team in rebounds and defensive stops. She helps our team with second chances and getting into transition.” Sophomore Ali Upshaw is averaging 11.1 points per game. … This is the third straight trip to the playoffs for No. 6 seed Mogollon (24-3-1). Spearheading this season’s run are juniors Lauren Hancock (9.6 ppg), Makenzie Willis (9.7 ppg) and captain Julia Reidhead. Sophomore Jilliana Maner (9.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg) also is contributing. … Five players. That’s all Immaculate Heart has on its roster, but opponents are having trouble keeping up with the quintet. Immaculate Heart is 23-5 and seeded No. 8 in the tournament. The five players are Grace Aroz, Sarah Martin and her sister Therese Martin and the Haynes sisters, Emily and Catie. Immaculate Heart is 65-19 under third-year coach Tom Danehy. … No. 5 Valley Lutheran posted back-to-back 20 win seasons after winning only five just three seasons ago. “It’s been a lot of fun and very rewarding,” coach Edward Measel said. The team has three sets of sisters, five cousins and five freshmen on the team. Five different players have led the team in scoring in games this season. Senior Ashley Measel, the only senior on the team, is scoring a team-high 11.3 points per game.

1A Conference boys

(The Gregory School's Addison Mort is averaging 26.9 points per game. Photo by Mark Jones/maxpreps.com)

Five different head coaches hasn’t kept The Gregory School, the No. 1 seed in the 1A Conference, from winning 20 or more games in each of the past five seasons.

“We have a core group of highly dedicated, highly skilled student athletes who love the team,” first-year coach Craig Everson said. Point guard Addison Mort is averaging 26.9 points (2nd best in 1A) and 7.7 rebounds per game in 26 minutes. Another Mort, Anderson, is second on the team with a 7.5 rebounds per game. Senior Sebastian Quintana is the second leading scorer at 15.8 per game. … With five guys who can shoot and handle the ball, guarding No. 2 seed Joseph City will be difficult. Two of 1A’s best, Matt Fields (18 ppg, 9.5 rpg) and Latrell Kinlicheenie (13.8 ppg, 4.7 assists, 63 three pointers), suit up for Joseph City, which lost in the quarterfinals last year. … “As a team we have been able to take opposing teams out of what they want to do and control the game from a defensive standpoint,” Valley Lutheran’s ninth-year coach Robert Koehne said. “As the season went on our offense has improved.” Tyler Behrend leads the team in scoring at 19.6 per game, and point guard Romeo Valenzuela (18 ppg) is close behind. Valley Lutheran (19-8), the No. 8 seed, lost to The Gregory School in the semifinals last year and has reached the playoffs seven times under Koehne. … Defense, rebounding and outside shooting have been the key for No. 6 seed Cibecue (16-9). Junior McCalvin Miller (23.2 ppg) scored a season high 42 points in a game this season. The team’s vocal leader is Isaiah Jones Embry. “Seniors Malachi Dale and Al Pippen Tsosie and sophomore Roger Lupe add to the chemistry of this team’s success,” first-year coach Delmer J. Hooke said. “On any given night each of these individuals will give you a performance that’ll just leave you in awe.” … Patagonia’s Victor Barajas is averaging 11.5 rebounds per game, the 4th highest average in 1A this season. Chris Miranda leads the team with 23.1 points per game. … Anthem Prep’s Trey Wood is the state’s leading rebounder at 15.3 per game, is second with 4.6 blocks per game and is also averaging 21.9 points per game.