KINGS MILLS, Ohio — West Clermont senior forward Anna Swisshelm walked out of a jubilant locker room Thursday night and sat down at a nearby table with tears in her eyes.
Swisshelm vowed she was happy. It was just the significance of the moment, minutes after the Wolves won their 18th consecutive game after a nerve-racking 46-42 win at Kings.
"It's amazing," said Swisshelm, who is signed with Cedarville University. "I've been waiting for this - as you can tell - since my freshman year. It literally means everything."
West Clermont (18-0, 12-0 Eastern Cincinnati Conference) continued a special journey this winter with a large cheering section behind its bench Thursday night. Later, it received warm greetings outside the locker room after the game.
There were smiles everywhere with music and plenty of photo opportunities. That support along with the chemistry between the players have been among the ingredients to success on the court.
"No words can describe how happy I am," said junior Seini Hicks. "Hopefully we get to cut down the net next Thursday."
Swisshelm scored a team-high 12 points and grabbed four rebounds while senior guard Madison Acuff had 10 points. Hicks had nine points, 11 rebounds and three steals to lift the Wolves, who are ranked No. 3 in the Associated Press Division I state poll.
"It was probably the biggest game of the year that we were going to play so I think it was really good for our team just to bond and to help each other and pick each other up when we were playing out there," said Acuff, who had two 3-pointers.
Despite the accolades, the Wolves aren't satisfied. They know they are a focal point for every opponent, and that certainly showed in a highly-competitive game Thursday night.
But, that element just adds to the motivation especially for the seniors who felt they weren't going to lose Thursday night despite the intensity with less than a minute left in the game.
"We knew it would be tough coming in there," West Clermont coach Jeff Click said. "I'm just happy for the kids. It's been a two-year process for these seniors. We've kind of been close - just haven't been able to get over the hump. With some new players, some freshmen and obviously Seini - it's kind of created a new opportunity. But, they had to grow up. I think that helped them down the stretch here. They wanted it that bad because they were so close the last couple of years."
Click said the team isn't satisfied and won't dwell on being 18-0. The Wolves just want to keep continuing the momentum.
"Our team has been close-knit," Click said. "Caring. Sharing. Not worrying about who leads in scoring. Just stepping up and doing whatever they can to help us win."
Kings (11-5, 8-3 ECC) was led by several players including senior guard Madi Barnett who had 13 points, five rebounds and four assists. Junior forward Elise Marchal added 10 points.
Kings plays at Winton Woods Saturday afternoon while West Clermont plays at Winton Woods Monday night.
