Addy Homan’s late drive to score and a free throw to complete the three-point play was the difference in St. Henry’s 40-37 win over Versailles for the outright MAC title in girls basketball. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Down by eight points with five minutes left to play, St. Henry pressures Versailles into late turnovers and pulls off the dramatic comeback to win the outright MAC title in girls basketball, 40-37.
St. Henry, OH – On a dark day back in November…the day that St. Henry fell in the Division VI volleyball final to Newark Catholic…senior Alexis Buschur wiped any question about her competitive personality when she was asked how it felt to come so close to something you’ve worked so hard for, only to see it slip away.
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“This sucks,” Buschur answered tearfully, and defiantly. “But I promise you that we have another season coming (basketball). We’ll be back. We’ll have another chance. Today is not the last time you’ll hear from St. Henry.”
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Thursday night Buschur’s pledge came true as St. Henry (21-1, 8-1 in MAC) withstood a brutally physical and competitive test from Versailles (14-7, 7-2 in MAC) to secure their third MAC title in as many years, 40-37; and overcame a late 8-point lead by Versailles with five minutes left in the fourth quarter to do it.
“Huge shoutout to the parents and the community who have worked with these girls since they were little,” St. Henry coach Nate Uhlenhake said, afterwards. “I’m proud of these girls. It’s hard to play that style of pressure for four quarters, but at the end of the game when it’s do or die you have to step up. And I’m so proud of them for stepping up the way they did. They continued to fight to the very end.
“And a shoutout to Versailles, too, for being a really good team and really well coached. That was an absolute battle. Anyone could have walked away with the win tonight, so huge shoutout to them.”
Versailles’ Katey Litton was electric, scoring a game-high 22 points in Thursday’s MAC title showdown.
It was high energy, electric, and closer to 220 (volts) than 110. The two teams were so amped up for the opening tip that they found it hard to run and dribble at the same time. Layup attempts rolled of the rim, and jump shots hardly drew iron. It was two minutes before either team scored, and four minutes before St. Henry finally scored on a Molly Wendel bucket, their only basket for the first eight minutes. Karlee Buschur and Wendel did hit a pair of free throws, apiece, as the Redskins somehow led after one quarter, 6-5.
Physical?
It more closely resembled roller derby than basketball, and officials Joe Turner, Chris Beckstedt, and Aaron Braun let the two teams slug through their respective efforts to pressure the basketball – create turnovers, and score in transition off those turnovers. The lid finally came off the rim in the second quarter.
Versailles’ outstanding senior Katey Litton ignited for the Tigers, scoring eight of her game-high 22 points in the period, supported by another five from guard Elli Stammen.
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St. Henry’s Morgan Baumer took the cue, canning a three-pointer from the wing, on her way to a seven-point quarter; and complementing three-pointers from Karlee Buschur and Olivia Gast off the bench matched the Versailles total for the quarter. The score when the two teams went to the halftime locker room was still a one-point St. Henry advantage, 21-20.
Litton took matters into her own hands to start the second half. For two years perhaps the most mercurial offensive player in the conference, she quickly hit a couple of buckets in the paint, paired with a couple of made free throws, and threw in a three-point from the top of the key for ten points.
Pressure defense throughout from both teams…Versailles’ Katey Litton puts the squeeze on St. Henry’s Olivia Gast.
In the meantime, the Tigers. turned up the defense on St. Henry, which caused some flying bodies, 50-50 balls on turnovers and rebounds, and a change of lead. Outscoring the Redskins 12-6 for the quarter, Versailles suddenly had the lead, and momentum, at the end of the third quarter, 32-27.
But during the timeout between quarters, Nate Uhlenhake obviously realized the urgency of the moment.
“It was crazy,” said Uhlenhake. “And ironic that on senior night we had a sophomore step up at the end. All year we’ve had different people step up. Tonight was another example.”
But to get there they had some work to do.
A Litton basket at the outset of the fourth quarter upped Verailles’ lead to 34-27.
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Moments later a St. Henry turnover and another Litton basketball made the deficit the biggest of the game at 36-28.
But Baumer (13 points) scored to cut the lead to six…and at the 2:30 mark she stripped the ball from Versailles’ Elli Stammen and drove to score again, cutting the lead to 36-32.
St. Henry’s Morgan Baumer hits a runner from the lane for two of her seven point in the second quarter.
On the ensuing possession, Versailles tried desperately to run offense, kill clock, and force St. Henry into the bonus foul. But St. Henry kept them out of the lane and kept pressure on the ball, long enough for the Tigers to throw the ball past Litton and out of bounds. St. Henry immediately responded, scoring at 1:05 to cut the lead to 36-34.
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Versailles called a timeout, trying to calm themselves and needing a foul to get to the bonus, collect that fifth St. Henry foul. Out of the timeout Alexis Buschur stripped the ball in the back court through hard contact on Katey Litton (without a call), and Litton chased her all the way to the rim and fouled Buschur hard, knocking her to the floor, as she attempted the layup. Buschur missed the first, and hit the second to cut the lead now to a single point, 36-35.
“I was a little woozy when I got up,” said Buschur. “I missed the first shot, but I knew I had to hit the second.”
With :46 on the clock it was Versailles’ turn to go to the foul line as Elli Stammen finally collected the bonus foul. Stammen split the pair of shots and Versailles again led by two, 37-35, as Molly Wendel went to the bench with her fifth foul.
Now it was Uhlenhake’s turn to call a timeout and trying to rally for one last push, trailing 37-35. And out of the timeout he ran a play off a ball screen at the foul line that freed Addy Homan to get a clear path to the rim. Homan made the layup to tie the score, and was fouled with a chance for the three-point play and the lead. She made the ‘and-one’ and St. Henry finally had the lead.
Alexis Buschur was the victim of the pressure defense during Thursday’s title matchup with Versailles.
Versailles immediately got the ball upcourt and to the baseline, but in their attempt to get to the rim Isabel Barga was called for a charge – a turnover – and St. Henry had the possession with fifteen seconds left. Addy Homan was again fouled, she canned both free throws, and extended the lead to 40-37.
With twelve seconds left Versailles tried desperately to find Katey Litton for open look at the rim, but St. Henry’s defense found Litton first, sealed her away from the basketball, and a desperate shot at the final horn was far short.
Game over…40-37…and title to the Redskins.
Alexis Buschur remembered her moment following that loss in the volleyball final.
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“I guess I had to make good on what I said,” she said with a smile. “I told the other seniors that we were going to have to live with those words. But tonight showed how we can come together as a team. There’s just something in us.
St. Henry’s defense causes a turnover during the final two minutes of Thursday’s MAC title game with Versailles.
“We never give up. Every one of us wanted it, even the girls on the bench. And that’s what feeds us to get those steals, and do it for our community. You look up in the stands tonight and everyone was here. That kind of motivation makes you want it even more.”
Addy Homan turned out to be the ironic sophomore on senior night, and no one seemed to mind.
“Karlee Buschur made the perfect pass for the layup,” said Homan. “That was the play out of the timeout. Nate drew it up and it was good as can be.
“I was a little nervous when I went to the line, but everyone told me…you got this. Put it in and hope for the best.”
Perhaps by fate, or just a good basketball team…
Alexis Buschur had made good on her pledge.
You haven’t heard the last from St. Henry.
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