Catholic Central outlasts Greenon, clinching share of title
SPRINGFIELD — With the Ohio Heritage Conference South Division title on the line, Catholic Central High School senior Serenity Castle knew it was time to make something happen.
Trailing by eight points in the second half, Castle scored 11 of her game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter as the Irish beat Greenon 43-38 in a thriller Saturday afternoon at Jason Collier Gymnasium.
The Irish (14-4, 13-2) clinched at least a share of the OHC South Division title for the second straight season.
“The girls played their hearts out,” said Irish coach Danielle Roe. “We prepared, but at the end of the day, it’s all heart.”
The Irish senior class, which also includes Meghan Foster and Mallory Mullen, weren’t going to fall without a fight in the final home game of their careers.
“I felt like we needed to bring it together a little bit more,” Castle said. “Sometimes, when we have some of the younger girls in, they’re not as comfortable. (The seniors) had to come together as three at least to be able to score. I just kicked it in.”
Greenon freshman guard Sarah Riley scored 13 points and junior Claire Henry added 11 as the Knights fell to 18-3 and 12-3 in the OHC South Division.
“I’m heartbroken for the kids,” said Greenon coach Lonnie Robinson.
The score was tied 16-16 at the half, but the Knights went on a 7-0 run to grab a 32-24 lead with 40 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Catholic Central cut the lead to six on a bucket by junior Emily Dewitt.
At that point, Castle took over. The senior scored seven straight points to give the Irish a 33-32 lead with 4:45 remaining. “She’s the gas,” Roe said. “We knew that Mallory was going to be played a little bit differently. Our biggest thing is that you’ve got to guard five of us. We don’t have
just a 1-2 punch. We have five kids ready to go at all times and when their number is called, they’re ready for the occasion.”
The Knights responded with back-to-back 3-pointers by Riley to take a 38-35 lead.
With less than two minutes remaining, Catholic Central freshman Lilliana Roberts — who hadn’t played in any of the previous three quarters — hit back-to-back buckets to give the Irish a 39-38 lead they would never relinquish.
“She really brought us back,” said Foster, who scored 11 points. “It was huge. We’re so proud of her.”
The Knights double-teamed Mullen through- out the game, often leaving one of Catholic Central’s play- ers open outside the lane. Roberts capitalized down the stretch, hitting two key buckets.
“You’ve got to tip your hat to Central,” Robinson said.
“They coached them to be there. Our game plan was solid. It was just one where we came up on the wrong side of it.”
With 25 seconds remaining, Castle hit two free throws to make it 41-38. The Knights got a good look at a 3-pointer in the final moments, but they were unable to convert.
Mullen made two free throws with less than 10 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
Catholic Central can win the title outright with a victory at Southeastern on Wednesday night in South Charleston. Greenon can still earn a share of the title with a win against Cedar- ville on Wednesday paired with a Catholic Central loss at Southeastern.
After the game, the Irish cut down the net, celebrat- ing their second straight OHC South Division title.
“We wanted to play our best tonight in our last home game as seniors in a big moment,” Mullen said. “It was a good way to go out.”