FAIRBORN — Thirty-two minutes is all that separates the Central Catholic girls basketball team from never having to buy lunch in its hometown again.
One win over St. Henry today (26-1) in the Division VI state championship game at 7 p.m. Friday, March 13 at UD Arena in Dayton will give the Crusaders (23-5) immortality.
Central Catholic beat Castilla Margaretta 48-42 in its semifinal March 12 to set up it’s final with St. Henry.
St. Henry overcame a 10-point deficit after three quarters to beat Canal Winchester Harvest Prep 55-51.
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It’s the first time St. Henry is in a championship game. It’s the first time since 1981 that Central will be playing in a final.
“It’s amazing,” Crusaders guard Grace Finefrock said. “We actually got to meet some of the players from 1981. It was a great experience to get to talk to them.”
Inspiration won’t be hard to find after Finefrock (18 points, four rebounds), Aubrey Harris-Hill (13 points, eight rebounds) and Sarah Belden (eight points, five rebounds, four assists) led the way in the semifinals.
The only motivation Central needs besides winning a title is the chance to play in the biggest game of the season for only the second time in school history.
“We have our hands full, we know that,” Crusaders coach Tim Vandervaart said. “Having seven seniors and (Finefrock, who is a junior) helps. They’re mature. They’ve been through this before. … These girls have played a lot of varsity games. Yes, it’s for a trophy but they know in the end it’s a child’s game that they get to play on the last day of the season.”
What does St. Henry look like on offense, defense?
Central Catholic knows it will have it’s hands full. Like the Crusaders, St. Henry is a senior-laden team.
St. Henry pulled down 26 offensive rebounds in its semifinal win and owned the glass 52-37 overall. Karlee Buscher (15 points), Addy Homan (13 points), Karlee Baumer (11 points) and Olivia Gast (10 points) led the way. All-district selections Baumer (9.4 points per game) and Buscher (9.0) are the leading scorers.
So what gives in the final?
Defense.
Central, which has won eight games in a row, is 13-0 when holding teams to 35 points or less. St. Henry is on a nine-game winning streak and is 15-0 when holding opponents to 35 points or less.
Teams average 34.1 points against St. Henry and 38.2 against the Crusaders.
“We put pressure on,” Vandervaart said. “We work really hard. We do some things most teams don’t do. We’re up in you all the time. We fight off screens. We don’t let them run plays. You better be able to free play most of the time.”
The Canton Repository sports department can be contacted via email at sports@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Central Catholic girls basketball ready for its own piece of history
Reporting by Brad Bournival, Canton Repository / The Repository
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