The result was a 62-47 setback that dropped the Cougars to 3-4 and had them wondering about the remainder of their season.
“The whole game honestly came down to heart and desire,” said CCS point guard Julie Snyder, a junior co-captain. “You can tell if someone’s working hard literally just by their face, and I feel like everyone at times — myself included — looked dead on the floor.
“I love my teammates more than anything, and seeing the looks on their faces out there is the most discouraging and worst feeling in the world. The whole reason we play basketball is because we love it. What’s the point in playing it if you’re just going to be a robot the whole time and not care about the game?
“We don’t have one star. If everyone doesn’t have their head in the game and does not have heart and desire, we won’t win games. But if we do those things, I feel that amazing things will happen and we will have a good season.”
Cincinnati Christian showed flashes of solid play against the Indians (4-4).
Hannah Edwards scored 16 of her 20 points in the second half and buried four treys. Freshman Grace Edmonston had 13 points and 14 rebounds. Snyder collected 10 points. Julia Carroll snagged 11 boards.
Yet the Cougars trailed all day and faded whenever they got close enough to make Cedarville think about losing the lead.
“We’re capable, but if you don’t defend, you’re not going to win games,” Owens said. “If we defend like we did today, we won’t beat anybody else on our schedule.”
CCS played without Allie Statzer and Shauna McKain, who are dealing with injuries. Depth was clearly a problem in this matchup.
“We’re low on numbers as a program, so our practices aren’t as strong as they could be because of that,” Owens said. “And when you’re short on the bench, you can’t use the bench as a tool to encourage a higher level of effort.
“We don’t always play hard. Can we change that? I certainly hope so. I think it’s a reflection of the coach and the players and the program. Certain things are minimum requirements, and competing, defending and rebounding fall into those categories.”
Freshman Isabelle Bolender dominated the paint for the Indians, racking up 25 points and 12 rebounds. Hayley Melton (12) and Kyla Harding (11) also scored in double digits, and Melton and Kiersten Hall grabbed six boards apiece.
“Offensively I was happy because we’ve been struggling to score some points,” Cedarville coach Chad Mason said. “But I felt like we dropped a little bit defensively today. We lost (Edwards) a few times and that kind of bothered me. We’ve got to learn how to put it together at both ends.”
Bolender nailed a 3-pointer in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter and totaled 13 points in that period.
“She’s a special kind of player, and she’s only a freshman,” Mason said. “The folks in Cedarville are lucky because they get to watch her for several more years.”
He said his Indians had a good week of practice and got a lift from former Ohio State guard Aaron Craft.
“He’s a personal friend of my assistant coaches, so he Skyped us yesterday and talked to us about getting through adversity,” Mason said. “Boy, you should see my girls’ faces when they walk into the film room and Aaron Craft is sitting there talking to them. I was proud of the kids. They took his message to heart and did well today.”
Cedarville will face Granville Christian for the title at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, with CCS meeting host ECA in the consolation game at 1 p.m. Granville romped to a 57-27 victory in Friday’s second semifinal.
Cin. Christian 6-12-13-16—47
Cedarville 17-11-11-23—62
CINCINNATI CHRISTIAN (3-4): Julie Snyder 4 2 10; Emily Reutener 1 1 3; Hannah Edwards 7 2 20; Julia Carroll 0 1 1; Grace Edmonston 4 5 13. Totals: 16-11-47.
CEDARVILLE (4-4): Isabelle Bolender 10 3 25; Kyle Harding 5 0 11; Kiersten Hall 2 0 5; Hayley Melton 6 0 12; Lilly Thurlow 2 2 6; Ryanne Rinaldi 0 1 1; McKayla Lee 1 0 2. Totals: 26-6-62.
3-pters: CC 4 (Edwards 4), CED 4 (Bolender 2, Harding, Hall)
Granville Christian 22-27-7-1—57
Emmanuel Christian 5-5-10-7—27
GRANVILLE CHRISTIAN (6-2): Haleigh Hartshorn 7 4 19; Abi Rose 4 0 9; Katie Keiser 3 0 7; Emily Slater 3 0 6; Payton Hartshorn 2 0 4; Tessy Leiss 1 0 2; Stephanie White 0 1 1; Abi English 2 1 5; Keegan Mutch 1 0 2; Leah Benvie 1 0 2. Totals: 24-6-57.
EMMANUEL CHRISTIAN (1-6): Maddie Weaver 1 1 3; Destinee Oliver 0 1 1; Leticia Patterson 4 1 9; Audrey Nourse 1 0 2; Jessi Boddy 2 0 4; Olivia Potts 2 0 4; Shay Grisby 2 0 4. Totals: 12-3-27.
3-pters: GC 3 (H. Hartshorn, Rose, Keiser), EC 0
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