Badin senior Braelyn Even scored her ninth point of the night with 5:36 left in the third quarter Wednesday, passing former teammate Gracie Cosgrove to become the school’s all-time leading scorer in basketball.
Even finished with 14 points in Badin’s 58-36 loss at Carroll, pushing her career total to 1,348 — six more than Cosgrove’s previous record of 1,342.
Cosgrove, a 2025 graduate now playing at Ohio Dominican University, was in attendance to witness the moment — a fitting presence for a milestone that speaks as much to shared history as it does individual achievement.
“Obviously, it’s a pretty cool feeling,” Even said. “It’s something I wanted to do, and it’s nice, but in reality I don’t really like games like this. Not that it builds it up, but it’s kind of like, all right — once it happened, it was kind of over, if that makes sense.
”You just take in the moment and everything.”
Badin never led, but Even’s milestone briefly sparked belief. Her basket ignited a short run that pulled the Rams closer before Carroll answered with a decisive stretch.
“I think it gave us momentum, though,” Even said. “I feel like we went on a little run there for a bit.”
Carroll’s fast start set the tone. Badin missed early opportunities and struggled to recover.
“Carroll has a really good team this year, and they’re senior-loaded,” Badin coach Tom Sunderman said. “We knew we were going to have to play a really good game. We didn’t execute our defensive assignments in the first three minutes. We missed two layups, it was 9-nothing, and now we’re playing from behind against a good team on the road.
“We had a good run in the middle of the first quarter and into the beginning of the second, but we missed too many layups in the first half and made too many east-west passes that got picked off. We talked about that before the game — if we don’t have it at the top, throw it to the corner and live with the result. We buried ourselves in a hole.”
Badin trimmed the deficit to 36-31, but missed blockouts and second-chance points swung momentum back to Carroll for good.
“I thought we did a good job getting it to 36-31,” Sunderman said. “Then we give up a backside rebound, don’t block out, they score, and they go on a run we never recovered from. Those are learning moments. But our goal is to be clicking and getting ready for the tournament.”
The loss muted the celebration, but it did not erase it. After the final buzzer, Even’s teammates gathered and unfurled a long banner that read, “Congrats Brae.”
Even hugged teammates who were genuinely happy for her, even on a night that did not favor the scoreboard.
“You never want to break a record or reach a milestone in a loss, especially with how competitive Braelyn is,” Sunderman said. “But in a way, tonight was her night. It’s not just about the record or how good of a player she is — it’s about how good of a person she is.”
Even now sits atop Badin’s girls scoring list and beyond the school’s boys record as well. John Richter remains the all-time boys leader with 1,229 points.
What makes the achievement unique is what comes next. Even is not playing basketball in college. She is headed to the University of Cincinnati to play soccer, the sport that nearly took everything away.
She missed her junior soccer season while recovering from her second ACL surgery, a setback that tested her resolve and reframed her perspective.
“Honestly, I’d say the past three years I’ve been pretty blessed, just being around the people I’ve been around,” Even said. “It’s been nice.”
Her basketball success was never built in isolation. Even credits the talent around her throughout her career.
“My freshman year, we had a really good team,” she said. “There were threats all around, which made it easier for me to score because teams couldn’t just defend one person.”
That trend continued the past two seasons.
“The last two years, having Gracie and other great shooters on the team has been great,” Even said. “So for me it was like, all right, the lane’s wide open. Having good players around me has helped me do this because it opened up options for me.”
At home and on the sideline, expectations have always been clear. Braelyn’s mother, Christy Even, is also an assistant coach and has never softened standards — even on a record-setting night.
“We’ve never been an accolade-type of family,” Christy Even said. “It’s just about keeping your head down and working hard. I’m proud of her because of her work ethic — that’s what I’m really proud of.
“It’s hard, though, when you get your rear end handed to you, to celebrate something like that,” she added. “I would have rather won the game than have had that happen.”
At halftime, the message was blunt.
“I actually pulled her aside at halftime because her thing is always, ‘I’m not a basketball player,’” Christy Even said. “I told her, ‘Knock it off. You have to figure it out. Be an athlete right now and understand what your team needs from you.’
“It’s not just the craft she works on. You’ve got to take a cognitive and athletic approach. You’ve got to figure it out, and I think she has.”
Sunderman has watched that approach shape the leader Even has become, especially with a young roster.
“I’ve known her parents a long time, and I’ve known Braelyn since she was 8 or 9 years old,” Sunderman said. “She has unbelievable character. She doesn’t accept failure. She’s always working to reach the next level, and when she gets there, she wants to bring the people around her with her.
“She’s actually a better person than she is an athlete.”
That influence shows most in practice.
“There are captains who push too hard and captains who are too soft — she rides that line perfectly,” Sunderman said. “She expects everyone to work as hard as she does, but she also puts a hand out and helps them get there. It’s not just the games. It’s the practices.”
From the athletic department’s view, Even represents a rarity.
“Braelyn’s special — just the type of athlete she is,” Badin athletic director Geoff Melzer said. “It’s not just in basketball but in soccer, too. She’s one of those not-very-often type of athletes. We’re blessed to have her, for sure.
“She’s just special. And she’s a great teammate.”
“I’m really proud of her,” Christy Even added. “She works hard. She’s a humble kid. She understands there are peaks and valleys, and when you get to the top, it’s even harder to stay there. You’ve got to keep working. And that’s what she’s always done.”
About the Author