Fairfield-Echo.com

WEST CHESTER TWP. — Lakota West senior Caitlin Dombart played arguably her best game of the season in the Firebirds' victory against Dublin Coffman in the regional final.

But instead of extra credit, Dombart was looking for extra work.

She stayed after practice Tuesday, March 4, to work on her foul shots after going 0-for-2 at the line against Coffman.

When a reporter cut short her extra work to talk about West's state semifinal game against Youngstown Boardman on Friday, March 7, Dombart graciously obliged.

By the time the interview was over, all of her teammates were gone and all of the basketballs had been put away. Instead of heading to the locker room, Dombart found the ball bin, fished one out and continued working on her shot.

"I know she's disappointed in herself because she wasn't sharp from the free-throw line," Firebirds coach Andy Fishman said.

"But she played a whale of a game in that regional final," Fishman continued. "She dictated the tempo with great effort on defense, she scored for us, she beat her defender off the dribble, she got offensive rebounds and she kept possessions alive."

Displaying multiple talents is nothing new for Dombart. She's a four-year letter winner for both the basketball and soccer teams at Lakota West. She was a first team All-Ohio selection in soccer this season, and she recently signed a scholarship to play that sport at the University of Illinois.

But while the limelight shines directly on her in soccer, in basketball she's just another Firebird filling another role.

"I just do what I can to help the team out," said Dombart, a defensive specialist who averages 2.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game.

"As long as our team wins, the numbers don't really matter to me," she continued. "I just love the game of basketball. And I love winning."

And Fishman loves having her on his side.

"The one thing that is omnipresent with Caitlin is that regardless of whether she's a starter or coming off the bench, her effort is always great and her play is always consistent," Fishman said.

"The greatest thing about her is she gives us great flexibility because we don't have to put her in her own personal comfort zone. We don't have to coach motivation or deal with any emotional baggage with a kid like C.D."

No, the only thing Fishman has to do with Dombart is wait a little longer to put the ball bin away for good.