Lady Bulldogs to Play in Championship of Hermann Tournament
- RoMoAthletics
- Jan 30
- 4 min read
January 30th, 2026
The Rolla Lady Bulldogs have built momentum with a 3 game winning streak after taking down Liberty (Wentzville) 60-42 in semifinal action of the 26th Annual Hermann Invitational Girls Tournament. They will need to build on that momentum as waiting for them is Class 6 #9 ranked Lutheran St. Charles. The Championship Game will be played tonight, Friday the 30th at 8pm at Hermann High School.
Fast Start - Fast Pace
The Lady Bulldogs defense announced their arrival to those in attendance at Hermann High School as they put on a full court press from the opening tip that created havoc in the Lady Eagles of Liberty.
The first couple of minutes looked like a High School Musical version of Groundhog Day as the Lady Bulldogs forced turnover and found a streaking Addy Deremo to convert the layup. Deremo, a 5’7” freshman guard, scored the first 7 points for the Lady Bulldogs resulting in a Liberty timeout.
Deremo was thrust into the starting line-up when All-State junior guard, Rylee Dodson, was lost for the season in a game at Logan Rogersville. One of three freshmen now in the starting line-up, it has been a learning curve for Deremo adjusting to the pace of play at the varsity level. But you can see her confidence growing on the defensive end as she had 6 steals in the opening game and 4 steals in the semifinal game to go along with 9 points.
When asked about the reason for her growing confidence, Deremo talked about her teammates. “Hustling hard on defense and my teammates encouragement have led me to be able to play with this level of confidence.“
Coach Parker was excited to see the energy from the Lady Bulldogs to start the game. “I thought we did a really good job on the defensive end tonight forcing turnovers to easy transition baskets. It really jumped started our play tonight with our defensive presence.”
"It’s been a challenge, but a group effort, to fill in the gaps for the loss of Rylee." - Sr. Mariah Watkins
Controlling the Paint
Liberty would not go away so easily as they used the 3-point shot to get back into the game to cut their deficit to 6 at the end of the first period, as they trailed the Lady Bulldogs 14-20. That would be the biggest offensive output of the night for the Eagles as the Lady Bulldogs defensive and inside presence took charge.
While the Lady Bulldogs did not connect from long range in the game, there was no need as their defense led to offense with easy transition buckets and their domination on the boards gave them plenty of second and even third chance opportunities to score. Unable to deal with the aggressiveness, Liberty was forced to foul.
The Lady Bulldogs shot 13 free throws in the first half allowing them to enjoy the 36-25 lead. 5’8” Sr guard Mariah Watkins led a balanced scoring attack with 12 points in the half followed by 5'10” Fr guard Bella Cambell with 9 and Deremo with 7.
The game was put out of reach in the 3rd quarter behind a combined 6-6 shooting from the free throw line by Cambell and Deremo. The defense forced 26 turnovers on the evening and held Liberty to only 4 points in the 3rd quarter. That lead allowed Coach Parker to empty the bench and allow more of his young, undefeated junior varsity squad to gain valuable varsity minutes.
The Wrap Up
“We did a good job of controlling the boards,” said Coach Parker. The young guns led the way in rebounding as 5’10” Fr forward Rylee Anderson pulled down 10, Campbell with 7, and 5'10” So guard Madison Hutton with 6.
We also did a good job getting the ball to the paint and getting to the free throw line.” Liberty shot an impressive 8 for 9 from the line but the Lady Bulldogs made overtime wages as they shot 23 free throws on the night, converting on 16 of them.
The Lady Bulldogs forced 26 turnovers on the evening with Watkins and Deremo leading the way with 5 and 4 respectively.
Watkins had a huge night for the Lady Bulldogs as the All-District senior set the tone on both ends of the court. Finishing with 18 points and over a handful of assists, playing without Dodson has put more on her already full plate. “Losing a starting player has been tough, especially my senior year. As a team we have all come together and have worked harder than we have before to strive to continue to be better. It’s been a challenge, but a group effort, to fill in the gaps for the loss of Rylee. I’ve stepped up as a leader and an influence for the underclassman, to give them the direction that our team needs.”
Next Up
Championship Game tonight at 26th Annual Hermann Invitational Girls Tournament
Taking on Lutheran St. Charles (10-4) at 8pm at Hermann High School
The last match-up was 2024 in the Hermann Tourney Championship and Rola fell 58-63 in an epic battle.
Common Opponents:
Marquette: Rolla L (61 - 71) Lutheran St. Charles W (63 - 37)
Republic: Rolla L (38 - 45) Lutheran St. Charles L (50 - 57)
PPG: Rolla 59.3 vs Lutheran St. Charles 62.7
Points Allowed/Game: Rolla 50.8 vs Lutheran St. Charles 52.6
STATS Rolla 60, Liberty 42
The individual scoring (FG-FT-TP):
Rolla (12-6): Hutton 1-2-4, Watkins 8-2-18, Fontenot 2-0-4, Northup 2-1-3, Deremo 3-3-9, Campbell 4-5-13, Hollis 0-1-1, Wilson 1-0-2, Anderson 2-2-6
Liberty (6-7): Schurtz 1-1-3, Hoffman 1-0-2, Orf 0-2-2, Greer 5-1-13, Schell 3-2-8, Jett 1-0-2, Kammermeyer 2-0-6, Witt 2-2-6
The score by periods:
TEAM Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 F
Rolla 20 16 16 8 60
Liberty 14 11 4 13 42
26th Annual Hermann Invitational Girls Tournament
Thursday’s SemiFinal Results:
Thursday’s Consolation SemiFinal Results:
First Round Games:
#1 Lutheran St. Charles advances
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