The Arrows won their sixth league championship in program history marking the third time they have gone back-to-back with titles in 1978, 1979, 1994, 1995, 2025 and now, 2026.
MADISON TOWNSHIP — When Ashland coach Renee Holt walked into the locker room after her Arrows had just beat Madison 55-39, it was nearly silent.
The Arrows had just clinched the outright Ohio Cardinal Conference for the second straight season and yet, there wasn’t a celebration or any splashing of water to commemorate the accomplishment.
Instead, it was intense focus on the next thing.
“I walked in the locker room and they were quiet,” Holt said. “I was like, ‘guys, we just clinched it.’ They took it like it was another day because there are still two more conference games left and they want an undefeated title. They aren’t done.”
The Arrows used a 19-9 advantage in the first quarter to build a 35-18 lead at the half and put it in cruise control in the second half to win the sixth conference championship in program history. They previously won titles in 1978, 1979, 1994, 1995 and 2025 proving their league championships come in pairs.
“It speaks volumes of this group,” Holt said. “It is the work they put in in the offseason. They showed up every day this summer and went through a very tough offseason that is run like some college practices and they never complained. They wanted the OCC crown more than anyone.”
Junior Kennedy Lacey dropped a game-high 29 points to give her 1,089 career points moving her passed Taylor Rogers (1,068) for the No. 2 spot on the program’s all-time scoring list. She sits only behind Kylie Radebaugh’s school record 1,150.
“I am glad she is on my team,” Holt said. “We can see any type of press and when we get the ball in her hands, we can go. AS a junior, she is a kid who is still the first to show up and the last to leave. She will outwork everyone.”
The achievement was far from Lacey’s mind. All she wants to do is help the Arrows win.
“I don’t really focus on that, to be honest,” Lacey said. “I just look at the next game and doing my job to help us win. I spent the entire offseason being a guard, which has been a huge change for me because I have been a post my entire life. So I am reading defenses better and not forcing shots. Making smarter decisions as a whole is what I have been working on.”
The Arrows (16-1, 12-0 in the OCC) made a little program history with their first season of 12-or-more league wins and just the fifth 16-plus win season for an Ashland girls basketball team. Grace Tobias added 13 points while Camryn Cox added eight.
“We are all super excited on the inside even if we weren’t showing it,” Lacey said. “Going back-to-back is a big deal and super exciting. We have a great group of girls and I am sure we will keep pushing each other.”
The Arrows are playing without senior Madison Hoffman, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in a loss to Waynedale on Jan. 10. While they are still navigating their way through her absence, Holt is seeing others take advantage of some key opportunities.
“A lot of different girls are stepping up, but mentally, it still looms over us,” Holt said. “Losing her is such a tough loss. She is a great kid and an awesome basketball player. We are continuing to figure things out, but it is neat to see the different girls step up.”
And that includes Lacey.
“It is very difficult,” Lacey said. “When I saw her get hurt, I knew I was going to have to step up a lot. She is our senior leader and it is a huge adjustment without her on the court. I have to be that leader now.”
Madison (11-8, 9-3 in the OCC) battled to the very end. The Rams cut Ashland’s lead to 10 points with 4:11 left in the game, but couldn’t get any closer.
“We even had a couple shots to cut it even further but missed a layup and a couple threes,” Madison coach Doug Rickert said. “We did some good things and our pressure got to them at times. Ashland has the best player in the league who had a heck of a game again. We know she is going to drop 25-plus every night and the key is stopping everyone else, but they had several girls play great games along with Lacey.”
The Rams were led by Maddie Berry with 18 points while Morgan Cook had nine. They will be back in action at home against Dover on Feb. 4.
Ashland hosts West Holmes on Jan. 31. With the league wrapped up, the Arrows will turn their focus on competing for a second straight district championship.
“We do start looking toward the tournament at this point while also having two conference games left,” Holt said. “These next few games will be a testament to who we are and how much we want to step up.”
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Ashland Arrows win the 2025-26 OCC girls basketball championship
Category: General Sports
