With Layla Hale headlining a six-woman senior class, West Clermont is enjoying one of the school's best seasons. That's music to the Wolves' ears.
This year's Eastern Cincinnati Conference is as deep as it's been in a long time. Milford, Winton Woods and West Clermont all have just one league loss, and Walnut Hills and Loveland will also be in the running for district and regional titles.
Off of Bach Buxton Road in Amelia, West Clermont is in the midst of one of the best seasons in school history, thanks to a talented and versatile roster. At the helm is senior Layla Hale, a three-year starter who was also a significant contributor as a freshman and one of the best players in school history.
"She has super high expectations for herself. She's her own hardest critic, not me," West Clermont head coach Jeff Click said.
Layla Hale honors her family in everything she does
Layla is the third Hale sibling to take the court at West Clermont. Her older sisters, Jasmine and Kendall, played with Click's daughter, Kirsten, and helped usher in the program when the school opened in 2017.
"Jasmine inspires me the most because of how hard she always played. Kendall is just a really skilled player, but she's also very smart. I take a lot of how I play from them," Hale said.
All three sisters actually have matching wrist tattoos. Jasmine has a Roman numeral "I" because she is the oldest, Kendall has "II" as the middle child and Layla has "III" as the youngest child. Layla also wears No. 3 on the court, although that breaks from the trend of Jasmine wearing No. 23 and Kendall wearing No. 22.
On her right forearm, Hale has an assortment of roses, butterflies and a cross tattooed as a tribute to her great-grandmother. Behind her right ear is a Sanskrit symbol, reminding her to breathe, especially if she's under pressure.
Hale also has an "eclectic taste" in music she attributes to the old souls in her family. Her mom's side introduced her to classic rock from the 1970s, '80s and '90s, while her dad's side spins more soul, R&B and hip-hop tracks.
Her taste ranges from Pink Floyd to Michael Jackson to Alice in Chains to Drake and Kanye.
"Since I was a little girl, music has been everything. We play it at holidays, get-togethers, just randomly in the house if we're cleaning, playing games, whatever. But music, for me, is an escape from everything. It's very relaxing," Hale said.
Some of her pregame favorites are "Ventura Highway" by America, "Take it to the Limit" by The Eagles, "Take it on the Run" by R.E.O Speedwagon, "My Own Prison" by Creed and "Floods" by Pantera.
Hale is a rare talent at West Clermont, especially as a four-year player
As a freshman, Hale averaged 11.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals, alleviating some of the pressure on senior Anna Swisshelm, who was the Wolves' only double-digit scorer at 14.9 points per game in 2021-2022.
Hale's biggest fan as a freshman was the elder Swisshelm and, now that freshmen Bella Swisshelm and Kennedi Campbell have taken some of the pressure of Hale, she is their biggest fan. They have allowed her to take it easy on offense and focus on being a defensive menace.
"I would say my defense is 'Metallica' and my offense is probably 'The Eagles'," Hale said.
Click said her best defense was on display in the fourth quarter of a recent win over Seton. Trailing by a point, Hale anticipated a cross-court pass, jumped in front of the recipient and took it coast-to-coast for a layup. She finished the game with a new career-high of five assists and tied her career-high of five steals.
"We call her a defensive demon, and she's really embraced it," Click said.
Hale is in the unique position of being on two of the best teams in West Clermont's brief history. That 2022-2023 team won 24 straight games before falling to Kings in the district final. This season, the Wolves started 11-0 and are currently 16-2 but still have designs to make the deepest postseason run in school history.
"Playing on those teams, it's kind of crazy how it all came full circle, but it's been a really good high school career in general," Hale said.
The main reason Hale committed to Robert Morris University is that the relationship she built with head coach Chandler McCabe and her staff is similar to what she's built with the West Clermont coaches over the last four years.
"Since they recruited me, they've been very supportive, just checking in on me and showing that they care," Hale said.
West Clermont seniors reflect on playing career
This year's senior class holds a decent amount of the program's all-time records. Hale is the all-time leading scorer and rebounder. Kam Lowe has the most career blocks and Meagyn Riffle has the most career assists. In the two-plus seasons they've all played together, West Clermont has a 52-14 record.
Four of the Wolves' six seniors have been on the varsity roster since they were freshmen. Lowe and Ashley Hosler joined as sophomores. They each expressed what it has meant to play for West Clermont, as well as their favorite memories so far.
Maddi Fender: "It's meant a lot. It's not always easy but we have good players here."
"I've been friends with these girls since second grade, so just getting to grow up and play basketball together has been so fun."
Layla Hale: "It's meant a lot to me, especially starting off with that freshman class and looking up to all those seniors. I think it built a foundation for me for the next three years. Also, I'm grateful for Click and the legacy my sisters left and coming here and finishing it off for the Hale name."
"I always say beating Milford my freshman year at their place. I'd say that's my favorite memory."
Ashley Hosler: "With the community that we've built here and the team collaboration, it just feels like a family."
"I'd say coming up and showing out for my team, and coming to practice every day and seeing all my friends."
Kam Lowe: "It's been a pretty good experience. I love the teams and the coaches. I think this season's really good for our seniors to end on."
"Probably freshman year when we went undefeated."
Merin Oliver: "My sophomore and junior year, I didn't play because I've been hurt, but being able to be part of this team, it's just like a whole family. It means a lot to me because they also supported me through my rehab and I was able to support them on the bench. Being able to play my senior year, it's a lot of emotions but it makes me feel good and like I'm part of the family."
"When we went to Classic in the Country this past weekend, that was great. We also bonded as a team and we all got a little bit closer. It was really fun being out of town and being able to play with each other."
Meagyn Riffle: "It's meant everything to be on such a good basketball team for four years, see the leaders before me and become one of them and mentor the underclassmen now. But the best part's playing with my best friends for my whole life."
"My favorite memory is freshman year, going undefeated and winning the league."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: West Clermont girls basketball, Layla Hale ready for postseason run
Category: General Sports
