ONTARIO, Ohio — Ontario coach Sarah Krichbaum sure hopes winning is contagious.
If success on the soccer pitch translates to the basketball court, it could be an interesting winter for the Warriors.
Of the 13 players on Krichbaum’s varsity roster, seven were members of Ontario’s powerhouse soccer team.
“The skills aren’t necessarily the same, but I think the competitive atmosphere carries over from one sport to the next,” said Krichbaum, who is in her third season in charge at Ontario. “A lot of these girls are used to winning. They come from that type of culture.”
The Warriors are just 2-3 heading into this week’s Richland Source NOL-OCC Challenge sponsored by BW3, but the year-over-year improvement has been noticeable. Ontario beat Tiffin Columbian earlier this season — “It was the first time in a while,” Krichbaum said — and gave Northern Ohio League heavyweight Bellevue all it could handle last week. The Warriors and Redmen were tied 24-24 at the half before Bellevue escaped with a 53-46 win.
“We weren’t always competitive last year,” said Krichbaum, whose scrappy Warriors also gave NOL contender Shelby a fight before falling 47-42 last week. “The experience the girls gained last year has been invaluable this year.”
So, too, was the soccer team’s continued success in the fall. The Warriors were 18-3 and advanced to the regional championship game. Since 2012, the soccer team is a combined 64-14-5 with three district titles and a state runner-up finish in 2012.
“I don’t think there is any doubt that winning in one sport breeds success in other sports,” Ontario athletic director Chris Miller said. “These girls know how to compete and they know how to win.”
The Warriors haven’t won a postseason basketball game since the 2012-13 season, advancing to the Division III district championship game before falling to Wynford. Krichbaum, who previously was a head coach at Buckeye Central in nearby Crawford County, took over the following season and Ontario staggered to a 3-20 record.
The Warriors doubled their win total in 2014-15, going 6-14.
“Sarah has done a great job,” Miller said. “She is young and energetic and the kids really respond to her.”
Ontario will play Lexington in the opening game of the NOL-OCC Challenge at 6 p.m. Friday at Madison. The Rams and Warriors will play the late game Saturday.
“This is a neat opportunity for our girls,” Krichbaum said. “We will be playing two teams that are our natural rivals. There should be a lot of excitement in the gym.
“We’re playing against teams we could possibly see in the postseason, so this should help prepare us.”
