Journal-News.com

MADISON TWP. — Badin High School's girls basketball team slipped back below .500 on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 3, yet all was not lost.

Sparked by a breakout performance from 5-foot-8 freshman forward Abby Fritsch, the visiting Rams ruled the boards, cut down their turnovers and played mostly solid basketball in losing to Butler County rival Madison 58-48.

"We're making progress," Badin coach Tom Sunderman said. "There were some defensive assignments we missed, and we had a couple critical turnovers. But I thought we played well for the most part.

"We've just got to keep getting in the gym and working hard," he added. "Madison's got a good team. That's the kind of team we've got to beat if we want to get to Vandalia (in the Division III tournament) this year."

Fritsch was the Rams' big producer on this day, erupting for a career-high 17 points and 15 rebounds, while fellow frosh Kara Gerbus collected 14 points and six boards.

"I fought for position better today, and I got a lot of good passes from my teammates when I was on the block," Fritsch said. "I was exploding. I was told to explode by (assistant coach) Jerry (Mathews). When I got more confidence, I sort of fed off the intensity that was happening around me."

Fritsch poured in 12 points in the fourth quarter as Badin trailed 48-35 early in the stanza, but narrowed the gap to 52-46 before falling to 4-5.

"Badin's not going away," Mohawks coach John Rossi said. "They have that mystique about their program, so when you're playing them, it ain't over 'til it's over.

"Our kids were fired up," he continued. "I was proud of them. I thought they were able to handle Badin's defensive pressure and the physical nature of the game."

With 6-0 junior Lindsay Hoskins sidelined by a broken ankle, Shelby Roe (18 points), Rachel Blevins (14), Ally Malott (9) and Brooke Tipton (8) paced the offense for Madison (8-2).

Fritsch's previous best scoring effort (eight points) came in Badin's win over Talawanda on Monday. Rebounding is still her forte, but scoring is starting to catch up.

"She's like our Dennis Rodman — she's got a knack for the ball," Sunderman said. "Back in the preseason, she'd catch it down low, and it was always right back out. But Abby's slowly making progress offensively. She's facing the basket more and being more aggressive."

Said Fritsch, "After Mount Healthy (on Dec. 23), I had to forget about being a freshman. I had to pick it up because I needed to support my teammates."

Courtney Hubbard had eight points for the Rams, who will host Purcell Marian on Monday.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2194

or rcassano@coxohio.com.