ST. CLAIR TWP. — The Edgewood High girls basketball team’s dominance continues.
The Cougars held on to beat Badin 61-51 after fending off a late Rams’ rally in the fourth quarter on Tuesday night.
Edgewood (8-0) got off to a quick start with an 8-2 lead three minutes into the first quarter. Badin (5-4) countered by going on a 10-3 run to end the first quarter, as Mahya Lindesmith contributed four of her game-high 20 points during that run.
The Rams held a slim 12-11 lead after the first quarter. This would be the only time that Edgewood would trail the whole game.
The Cougars began the second quarter on a 10-1 run, quickly going up 21-13 within the first 3 minutes. During that run, Edgewood senior Callie Hunt connected on back-to-back 3-pointers.
“She’s a great shooter,” Edgewood coach Matt Tolliver said of Hunt. “We knew that she was going to score for us. Once she sees that ball go through the basket, she can get really hot.”
Badin didn’t have too many answers for Hunt or senior guard Chole Butler. Butler did most of her damage during the second quarter, scoring 9 of her team-high 17 points. Butler also pulled down 14 rebounds.
Edgewood outscored Badin 25-11 to take a commanding 36-23 lead going to the half. The Rams had plenty of things to chew on during the break, specifically communicating, according to Badin coach Tom Sunderman.
“We had a lot of communication breakdowns on defense and transition guys running to the basket instead of running to spaces to find their player,” Sunderman said. “We need to stop the basketball.”
The Rams responded by playing transition defense and holding Edgewood to 10 points in the third quarter.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Edgewood went on a 6-2 run before Sunderman called a timeout to regroup his Rams. After the timeout, Lindesmith hit a trey, sparking a Badin 7-3 run after being down 52-37 early in the fourth.
At the 1:36 mark, Badin junior forward Jada Pohlen stole the ball from Edgewood’s Lizzy Allen and went the length of the court for a layup to get the Rams to within 55-51.
Badin wouldn’t get any closer as Edgewood ran down the clock and had no choice but to foul.
Both teams get back to action on Monday, Dec. 28. Edgewood hosts Milford, while Badin travels to Chaminade Julienne.
Badin 12 11 12 16 — 51
Edgewood 11 25 10 15 — 61
Badin (5-4) — Lindesmith 8 2 20, Grawe 1 0 3, Pohlen 4 1 9, Thompson 2 0 4, Mangino 1 0 3, Dixon 2 0 5, Beeber 3 0 7. Totals 21 3 51.
Edgewood (8-0) — Butler 7 1 17, Homan 4 0 8, Burton 2 0 5, Moore 3 0 8, Allen 2 2 7, Hunt 4 5 13. Totals 22 8 61.
3-Point Goals — B: Lindesmith 2, Grawe 1, Mangino 1, Dixon 1, Beeber 1; E: Hunt 3, Butler 2, Moore 2, Burton 1, Allen 1.