They were the Hamilton Badin Rams and three-point shooters Ashley Pate and Gracie Cosgrove. In the first quarter, Pate made four of five 3-point attempts and Cosgrove made two of two.
And the 15-point lead their sharpshooting created was too much for Carroll to overcome in a 59-47 loss in the Division III regionalsemifinals at Lakota East High School.
“They were very well prepared, and they came in ready to take care of business,” Grosselin said. “I congratulate them on the preparation and coming in and starting the game as well as they did and winning.”
The result and being denied a berth in the regional final was not at all what Carroll expected. The Patriots (22-3) defeated Badin (20-6) 43-31 and 50-36 in their GCL-Coed meetings this season.
But when Badin is on from 3-point range, then able to create openings in the lane as a result, the Rams are a different team. They made 6 of 10 3-pointers in the first quarter for a 24-9 lead. They finished 8 of 26, but the deficit was more than Carroll could erase.
“We always knew we had to know where Cosgrove was, obviously, all the time,” Grosselin said. “She’s always been their leading three-point shooter. And we knew we had to keep Braelyn Even out of the paint. They had some players that hit threes, and that’s something you can’t prepare for.”
Carroll had three quarters to make a run at Badin. But every time it seemed like the Patriots were on the verge of making it a single-digits game, they missed open shots and Badin made open shots, many of them close to the basket.
The Patriots managed to rally from 18 down in the third to 10 down early in the fourth. But Cosgrove hit a driving shot to start a 6-1 run and the Patriots were out of time.
“In the past, we’ve been able to get some defensive stops, maybe even some steals, and then convert those,” Grosselin said. “We just couldn’t get that going. We had some shots. They just didn’t fall. And sometimes you have those nights.”
Pate finished with a game-high 21 points, Cosgrove had 16 and Even eight. Eva Snyder led Carroll with 14, Kiera Healy had 13 and Lyla Oliver 12. Healy, Snyder and Maura Petrovic from a strong returning nucleus next year.
“I feel like you always have a chance to be better,” Grosselin said. “A lot of it comes down to hard work and commitment, and I feel like that you always have that opportunity.”
Badin meets Cincinnati Purcell Marian in the regional final at 2 p.m., Saturday at Lakota East.
Purcell Marian 60, Chaminade Julienne 38: Chaminade Julienne played the three-time defending state champions tough for a half.
But the Cavaliers (18-6) and two-time Ohio Ms. Basketball Dee Alexander were too much again for an in-state opponent. Alexander scored 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to send the Cavaliers back to the regional final.
The Eagles (19-6) got points from up and down the lineup and survived a 10-0 run to start the second quarter. They trailed 32-23 at halftime.
But Purcell’s full-court pressure defense, constant ball hawking and ability to convert CJ turnovers into points turned the game into a rout in the third quarter. The Eagles were outscored 23-6 and trailed 55-29 entering the fourth.
Tiyah Parker scored 13 points to lead the Eagles.
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