Both won Division III regional semifinal games at Lakota East on Tuesday. No. 3 Carroll took down No. 1 Bellbrook 49-43, and No. 2 CJ defeated No. 4 Tippecanoe 59-54.
Carroll and CJ will play in D-III, Region 12 final at 11 a.m. Saturday back at Lakota East. Carroll last won a regional title in 2021. CJ is seeking its first since 2013.
The two teams split the regular season meetings. Carroll won at home 62-53 on Dec. 10, and CJ did the same on Jan. 14 by a 46-41 score.
Carroll fends off Bellbrook
Carroll’s 11th straight win was one of its toughest.
The Patriots (23-3) had an answer each time Bellbrook drew near in the fourth quarter and took the air out of the ball late.
Carroll stalled its offense after Bellbrook got back within 44-40 with 3:10 remaining. It put pressure on Bellbrook to come up with an answer that didn’t come.
“We were just trying to melt the clock a little bit,” Carroll head coach Cecilia Grosselin said. “And then if they were open for a layup we would take it, but I didn’t want quick shots.”
Carroll senior Maura Petrovic made plays to carry her team down the stretch. She turned one of her four steals at the other end into a runaway layup to go up six, and had all four of her free throw attempts in the game come during the final minute to help keep the Golden Eagles at bay.
“Maura is our general on the floor,” Grosselin said. “She’s our point guard, she’s our best defensive player. I can always rely on her.”
Petrovic scored a game-high 15 points on 6 of 11 shooting. Fellow seniors Kiera Healy had 14 points and Eva Snyder added 13. None of the three ever left the floor.
Credit: Steven Wright
Credit: Steven Wright
Carroll was impressive in dicing up the Bellbrook press. The Golden Eagles averaged just over 20 steals per game this season, but only had four against the Patriots despite creating 14 turnovers.
The Patriots had a few minutes of feeling out the pressure before displaying its comfortability running up and down the floor by scoring 15 points in the final four minutes of the quarter to take a lead.
Its defense built up its advantage by holding Bellbrook scoreless for nearly six minutes leading into halftime. Carroll eventually led by as much as 14 early in the second half before the Bellbrook tried to make a comeback.
An 11-2 run got the Golden Eagles back into the game as senior Emmie Sears hit back-to-back threes to close the third quarter. Another midway through the fourth made it a four-point game with 4:22 to play, but Bellbrook could get no closer in the final minutes.
“The beginning of the game kind of hurt us a little but, and then the beginning of the third quarter kind of hurt us,” Bellbrook head coach Jason Tincher said. “It just comes down to the little things, but it wasn’t from a lack of effort. My girls were trying like crazy to get over the hump and got to give them credit.”
Bellbrook (24-3) was led by 13 points and 11 rebounds by sophomore Libby Bunsold. Sears added 11 points.
CJ overcomes ‘whirlwind’ to stop Tipp rally
CJ head coach Logan Allen wasn’t able to figure out if his team was ever going to take control of the game.
Rather than try to put pressure on his young freshman duo, he decided to let his players make winning plays. And CJ reaped the benefits in the final minutes of the win.
Senior Janae Cain made several steals and hit a crucial three to put the Eagles up by four with under three minutes remaining. Freshman Mychael Hanson blocked a three-point shot by Tipp in the final minute, and Ja’Kyiah Cook made four free throws, including two with 3.7 seconds left to seal the win.
“We felt like we have really good players, and part of coaching is just staying out of the way and just kind of letting them stay comfortable,” Allen said. “Janae got a couple good looks, Mychael and Ja’Kyiah did a great job playing around the rim.”
CJ trailed at halftime 29-27. The Eagles opened the second half on a 10-0 run to permanently take the lead.
Tipp chipped away at its deficit into the fourth quarter and got within one at 51-50 after senior Savannah Clawson hit two free throws after being fouled shooting a three. They couldn’t find a way to get over the hump as Cain’s three-pointer gave CJ the cushion it needed to prevail.
Cain made all five of CJ’s three-pointers during the game on her way to a 15-point night. Cook scored 21 points to led the Eagles and Hanson added 14 points.
Tipp sophomore Abbi Mader did everything she could to singlehandedly carry the Red Devils. She went 8-for-8 inside the arc in scoring a game-high 27 points. Mader made her own 6-0 run late in the third quarter to get Tipp within four going into the fourth quarter, and kept making big layups to keep Tipp within striking distance.
“When she got clean looks she knocked them down tonight, that’s what she can do with 27 on 15 shots and probably should have got her some more,” Tipp head coach Brett Kopp said.
CJ (21-4) did not commit a turnover in the second half while forcing 11 in the final two quarters and 19 total during the game.
“I don’t know if we’ve ever done that, but yeah we did a great job,” Allen said. “Sometimes our shot selection wasn’t always the greatest, so we consider those turnovers, but we did a really good job taking care of the basketball.”
Tipp (23-3) shot 59 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three, but ball control cost the Red Devils throughout the night.
Tipp wore shirts with the message “Live Like Ashley” in memory of Ashley Flynn, who was killed on Feb. 16 in Tipp City.
“You look at these 17-18 year old girls who have to deal with a community losing a volleyball coach and literally one of the nicest people in the world,” Kopp said. “It’s a way to honor her and leave her legacy on.”
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