FAIRFIELD — Badin High School’s girls basketball team had moments when its fiery defensive prowess was missing Friday night.
But the job got done, and the Rams are headed into the new year on an eight-game winning streak.
Braelyn Even scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds, Gracie Cosgrove bucketed 15 points, Ashley Pate had 13 points and Badin beat Fairfield 55-46 in the inaugural Butler County Backyard Bash at Fairfield Arena.
“We have to have more energy on the defensive end,” Rams coach Tom Sunderman said. “That’s what we talked about before the game and at halftime. The shots aren’t falling, which they weren’t in the first half. They did early, and then we went into a rut where we didn’t hit anything. We’ve got to create off our defense, and we weren’t. Instead, we were taking possessions off on the defensive end.”
Badin (8-2) snapped a two-game losing streak to Fairfield (4-6), which dated back to the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 seasons.
The Indians, who have lost four out of their last five games during an injury-plagued stretch in the schedule, were led by Myka Richardson’s 13 points and 11 rebounds. Danielle Marsh chipped in with 10 points and seven boards.
“If we can stay healthy, we could really make some noise,” Fairfield coach Carl Woods said. “Each week, we just continue to have issues for whatever reason.”
The Indians are without two of their starters — senior Kimberlin Samples and sophomore Kobi Crim. Samples leads the team in rebounds with 5.1 a contest.
“You’re relying on young ladies to play minutes and play roles they haven’t played before,” Woods said. “It’s an adjustment. But they competed. That is something we did commend them for.”
Badin has won by at least 15 points in each of its last seven victories. Fairfield was in striking distance heading into the half down 27-25 on Friday, but the Rams built their largest lead at 53-41 in the fourth quarter to seal it.
“I thought their bench players played really well today for Fairfield. That was the key,” Sunderman said. “Their bench was better than our bench. They had some girls come off the bench and make some big shots and make some good passing decisions — girls we weren’t really keying on.”
Sophomore Ella Brooks came in to score eight points for the Indians, who host Middletown on Wednesday. Kayla McCoy also had eight points.
Brooke Sebastian returned to the lineup for the Rams, who welcome McNicholas on Wednesday. Sebastian was out with an ACL injury.
MIDDLETOWN 44, MONROE 40
Taylor Daniels scored 12 points, Jamia Jones and Persha Edwards added 10 apiece and Middletown dominated the fourth quarter to capture a 44-40 victory over Monroe on Friday night in the Butler County Backyard Bash at Fairfield Arena.
“It feels good — mentally winning,” Middletown coach Steven Roe said. “It’s been our struggle. We’re getting down early, not being able to persevere through it. Yes, we want the win. But I’m most proud about the mental side — us being able to push through, and work through adversity, which has been a progress the last four years for us.”
The Middies (4-6) snapped a two-game losing streak and have beaten the Hornets (5-6) six straight times in the past 12 seasons.
Saffron Weidner had a game-high 15 points to lead Monroe, which has lost two in a row. Jordan McComas chipped in with 13 points.
Middletown went on a 14-2 run in the second half, and a Jones bucket tied it up at 35-35 with 5:30 left to play. Daniels sunk a free throw to put the Middies on top 36-35 with about 5 minutes left to play.
Middletown outscored Monroe 16-5 in the final quarter to secure the win.
TALAWANDA 32, HAMILTON 23
McKenna Weekley scored 12 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, and Grace Richardson chipped in with nine as Talawanda knocked off Hamilton 32-23 on Friday night in the Butler County Backyard Bash at Fairfield Arena.
“We needed the win — that’s for sure,” Weekley said. “Our coaches always talk about starting off hot. The first quarter, we started off pretty slow. Coming out of the halftime, we wanted to start up and add some extra pressure. That’s how we got a couple of steals right off the bat.”
The Brave (5-6) bounced back from a lopsided 70-15 defeat at the hands of Badin on Wednesday, snapping a three-game losing streak. Talawanda has beaten Hamilton four consecutive times in as many seasons.
Londaya Roberts paced Hamilton with six points, while Amaginn Beamon added five off the bench. The Big Blue (2-7) has lost three in a row.
Talawanda used a 13-0 run that spanned into the third quarter to build its largest lead at 23-10.
