By Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
STRYKER (February 11, 2026) – Stryker already had a piece of the pie. Fayette wanted their fair share.
Using a staunch defensive effort for 32 minutes and a huge fourth quarter from sophomore Kennedy Kunkle, the Eagles claimed a share of the BBC championship with a 47-36 triumph, creating a three-way tie for the league title with Edon also finishing 6-1 in conference play.
“I think we were very aggressive offensively and defensively right there,” Eagle coach Travis Arkwright said after the win. “It set the tone for us. We attacked on the defensive end, trying to keep them out on the perimeter.
“We did a pretty decent job defending the post, and when they did touch it in there, we did a pretty good job contesting that as well. The same on the perimeter—we knew they were a pretty heavy three-point shooting team, and I thought we did a good job being disciplined and not helping too much down in the post and giving them wide open catch-and-shoot opportunities on the outside.”
The Eagles’ shutdown defense took hold right away, as open looks at the rim were few and far between for the Panthers. Reiss Creighton’s three-pointer at the 5:17 mark was the only Stryker points in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, Addison Schang’s three-pointer, Kelsie Storrs’ 2-for-2 from the foul line, a Storrs assist to Mesa Gorsuch for a layup, and Kunkle’s power move to the rim gave Fayette a 9-3 lead going into the second.
Monroe Simon’s triple started the second, and the Eagles’ lead ballooned to 16-3 with six minutes left in the half when Kunkle ripped a rebound out of a Stryker player’s hands and scored.
Back-to-back three-pointers from Anna Donovan and Abby Oberlin helped Stryker close the gap to 18-11 with 1:55 remaining, but Schang scored twice in the closing minutes to restore Fayette’s 11-point halftime lead.
That margin hovered around 10 points through the third. The Panthers remained cold, going 4-for-14, but Fayette gave away chances, committing eight turnovers. The last of those miscues came in the final seconds of the quarter when Khloe Goebel stole an inbounds pass and hit a three-pointer to keep the Panthers within 30-20.
Goebel’s putback to start the fourth got Stryker within single digits at 30-22, but then it was Kennedy Kunkle Time. To that point, the sophomore post had a modest six points and seven rebounds.
By night’s end, Kunkle had at least doubled both totals, countering every Stryker score with one of her own. She got to the rim three times after Panther baskets—including a three-point play—and made 3-of-4 from the foul line to offset seven more Eagle turnovers in the fourth.
“Ken is one of the better players in this area,” Arkwright said of Kunkle. “When she puts her mind to it, Ken can be that kind of player all the time, having that aggressive mindset. We had a bunch of girls step up tonight as well.
“Addy stepped up, Kelsie stepped up, Mesa stepped up, Willow (Mitchell) did her job, Monroe came off the bench. They all came in and did their jobs. We told them, ‘Do your jobs and we will put you in a position to succeed.'”
Schang, Kunkle, and Storrs combined for 5-of-6 from the stripe in the last 1:41 to keep the Panthers at bay. Schang scored 20 to lead the Eagles. Kunkle had 10 points and seven more rebounds in the fourth quarter to finish with 16 points and 14 rebounds.
Goebel led the Panthers with 12 points, and Oberlin added 10. Stryker finished 14-for-45 from the field while Fayette was 16-for-35.
The Eagles’ hurried pace was a hindrance in the second half, as they committed 15 of their 21 turnovers in the final 16 minutes. Stryker had 15 turnovers in the game.
FAYETTE (47)– Schang 20; Storrs 6; Simon 3; Mitchell 0; Williams; Kessler 0; Phillips 0; Gorsuch 2; Kunkle 16; Wilson; Beers 0; Totals: 13-3-12 – 47
STRYKER (36) – Froelich 2; Donovan 5; Oberlin 10; Ruffer 2; Creighton 3; A. Clemens 2; M. Clemens 0; Miller 0; Fulk 0; Goebel 12; Bowers 0; Totals: 10-5-1 – 36
FHS 9 13 8 17 – 47
SHS 3 8 9 16 – 36
