HOLMES TOWNSHIP — Seneca East girls’ basketball coach Don Vogt felt that there were a lot of unknowns surrounding his team before the season.

But it didn’t take Vogt long to realize he had a team that could be special.

“There were a lot of question marks coming in with the younger kids and how they were going to gel,” Vogt said. “How they were going to mesh with everyone. About mid-season, maybe a little later, things started to come together.

“And they played well, particularly defensively, today,” Vogt said. “I just couldn’t be happier for them.”

Saturday afternoon, the Tigers held Wynford without a field goal for 14 minutes do down the Royals, 44-31, to win an outright Northern 10 Athletic Conference title.

The Tigers improved to 15-1 in the conference, 18-2 overall. Seneca East hasn’t lost a game since Dec. 10, when they dropped a 42-40 decision to Buckeye Central. Seneca East is on a 13-game win streak. Wynford fell to 10-5 in the conference, 13-8 overall.

“When you work your tail off, sometimes it doesn’t happen right away, but I really, truly believe, that if you work hard, that good things will come,” Vogt said.

“And these kids are hard workers, every day in practice,” he added. “And they listen, and they get along so well. And they play together so well.”

It was the Seneca East defense that was the difference. Wynford, which was playing without point guard Rylee Alspach, scored with 1:34 left in the first period on a Mia Leuthold 3-point shot.

At that point, the Royals trailed just 16-10.

Wynford managed just three free throws in the second period and finally got another field goal with 3:01 left in the third period on a Kaylee Smith 3. By then, Seneca East led 32-18.

“Sometimes you go into a locker room when a team is hot and you say, ‘They’re going to cool down, it will be fine,’” Vogt said. “But defense is a constant. It doesn’t take time off. It can’t take time off. I was just trying to get that message off to them, to continue that effort.”

Wynford coach Amy Taylor-Sheldon said that the Tigers are the league’s most talented team.

“They have great athletes and they’re well-coached,” Taylor-Sheldon said. “And they have terrific leadership, so there is a reason why they were league champs. Even when you take Jessica Bowerman away, frankly, they didn’t need her.

“They created some depth throughout the season,” she added. “They are really playing incredibly well right now. Congratulations to them.”

Wynford did cut the lead to 39-29 midway through the fourth period on an Averi McMillan basket but scored just two points the rest of the way.

“Physically, they manhandled us,” Taylor-Sheldon said. “It’s not an excuse but when you don’t have your starting point guard because of an error in the last game. I thought Grace Stuckey held her composure and did a good job and it was my fault for not giving her more options and take the pressure off a little bit.

“We just don’t have their level of quickness,” Taylor-Sheldon added. “It’s hard to get open, and they have great one-on-one defenders. It’s one of the main reasons why they have been able to win the league.”

Bailey Hamilton scored all 11 of her points in the first period and paced the Tigers. Makenna Depinet added 10 points.

Leuthold led the Royals with nine points and McMillan added eight.

Wynford won the junior varsity game, 48-42. Reese McGuire and Paige Smith led Wynford with 15 points each. Katelyn Siesel paced Seneca East with 13.

Box score

Seneca East 44, Wynford 31

Seneca East    19     8     10      7 — 44

Wynford          10     3      5     13 — 31

Seneca East (18-2, 15-1 N10): Shots 19-40; 3-pt. shots 4-11 (Bailey Hamilton 3, Brooke Bordner); Free throws 2-5; Rebounds 24; Turnovers 13. Scoring: Bailey Hamilton 4 0 11, Jessica Bowerman 2 0 4, Brooke Bordner 1 0 3, Makenna Depinet 4 2 10, Bailey Brookes 1 0 2, Kiersten Cook 3 0 6, Amelia Boes 1 0 2, Alexis Hicks 3 0 6.

Wynford (13-8, 10-5 N10): Shots 11-33; 3-pt. shots 4-8 (Mia Leuthold 3, Kaylee Smith); Free throws 5-10; Rebounds 21; Turnovers 12. Scoring: Kaylee Smith 1 0 3, Mia Leuthold 3 0 9, Grace Stucky 0 2 2, Briley Pollock 1 1 3, Savannah Tobias 2 0 4, Averi McMillan 3 2 8, Lyndie Williams 1 0 2.

JV: Wynford 48-42.