MASON, Ohio – At the beginning of the season, it was easy to doubt whether the Badin girls basketball team could be competitive with the reigning OHSAA Division II state champions, much less make a run at the title themselves.
The Rams suffered major graduation losses after reaching the regional final last season, but a mix of veterans stepping up their games and new contributors have led the program to a rubber match against defending state champion Alter.
Badin defeated Carroll 53-39 in a district championship game Friday night at Mason Arena. Badin, now 23-2 overall, advances to the regional semifinals against Alter (23-3), who won a district crown over Summit Country Day earlier this evening.
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“Everyone definitely expected us to be like, “Oh, they lost their two best players; they're not going to be anything,’” sophomore guard Gracie Cosgrove said. “But we all stepped up and we all played a big role this year. We showed people that it wasn't just those two girls. It might have been last year, but this year it's all of us.”
Badin will face Alter, the 2022 champs and ranked first in the final Associated Press Division II poll, in a regional semifinal Tuesday night at Springfield High School. Badin is ranked eighth.
The teams split their two matchups this year and finished tied for the championship in the Greater Catholic League-Coed division. The visiting team won in blowout fashion each time, with Alter winning 63-47 and Badin winning 79-56 Jan. 23.
“We're going to have to play good defense,” Badin head coach Tom Sunderman said. “The first game, they hurt us on the boards and outrebounded us by about 24. The second game, I think was a one-rebound difference. We made shots but it was off our defense. Our defense was pretty good that night.”
The Rams won a district title for the third-straight year behind sophomore Gracie Cosgrove, who scored eight of her game-high 18 points in the first quarter. Cosgrove, the team’s second-leading scorer for the year at 12.7 per game, averaged less than three points per game last year.
Freshman guard Braelyn Even, the team’s leading scorer at 15 points per game, posted 11. She also averages nine rebounds and four assists per game.
Badin’s three-point prowess lifted the Rams to a big early lead. The Rams came in averaging 8.4 makes per game from behind the arc.
Badin hit five in the first quarter, two by Cosgrove, to build leads of 15-0 and 20-3. It was nothing new for Cosgrove, who hit a phenomenal 14 3-pointers in a win over Chaminade-Julienne Jan. 11 on her way to 48 points.
“We all can score when we have opportunities, but our next option is always look to who's open and move the ball,” Cosgrove said. “Get other people chances and play as a team. Every single one of us can shoot, but we can also drive. So when they're staying out on us, we drive and like that's why we're hard to defend.”
Carroll (15-11) rallied to within six points at 26-20 late in the first half. Senior Alyvia Hegemann scored transition layups on consecutive possessions, and Even hit a basket to put Badin back up by 11 at the half, 32-21.
Said Sunderman: “You see the three ball, but when you're getting turnovers, you're creating disruption and then you spread the floor. It's hard for teams to guard you, and we’re all spread out. So our girls got better looks as the game went on, and when the game got too slow for us that’s when they started chipping away in that second quarter.Hegemann also finished with 11 points. Senior Lauren Christie added seven points and senior Lauren Grawe six.
Now comes the rematch with the Knights.
Alter defeated Summit Country Day 55-41 to win its district. Summit finishes 19-6.
SCD led 23-21 at halftime. Alter took a six-point lead after three quarters, then hit nine free throws in the fourth quarter to pull away.
Kyla Irby and Shamirah McBride led Summit with 10 points apiece. Lily Martin had nine.
Purcell Marian 55, Tippecanoe 20
The Cavaliers, reigning Division III state champions, have rampaged through all their opponents in this year's postseason as they chase another state title in a higher class.
Purcell, ranked fourth in the AP Division II Poll, has won its four postseason games by an average of 46.5 points.
Purcell (23-2) will also play at Springfield Tuesday night in a regional semi against the winner of Saturday’s Central District final between Bexley and Richwood North Union.
Sophomore standout Dee Alexander scored 13 of her game-high 28 points in the first quarter, sparking the Cavaliers to a 19-4.
In the second quarter, Cy’Aira Miller scored two baskets, one a 3-pointer in a closing 13-0 spurt that put Purcell up big at halftime, 41-10. McKenzie Jones had the final basket of the half. The Cavaliers started the running clock midway through the third quarter.
Miller and sister, Ky’Aira Miller, had 8 points apiece.
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