The Brave defeated Wilmington 59-31, while the Rams overwhelmed Hughes 62-10, setting up a Tuesday district semifinal at 6 p.m. at Princeton — a rematch of the Feb. 9 regular-season meeting in which Talawanda edged Badin 47-42.
In the opener on Saturday, Talawanda (19-4) controlled the tempo early and never allowed Wilmington to settle into rhythm. The Brave applied consistent man pressure and pushed the ball in transition, building a comfortable margin by halftime.
Sophomore Janna Cary led Talawanda with 14 points and seven rebounds, while senior Grace Richardson added 13. Freshman Bella Cobb finished with nine points and seven rebounds.
“I thought for us, one of our goals today was to get some conditioning in on a big court,” Talawanda coach Zach Stapleton said. “So we ran a lot of man press and got up and down.”
With the margin widening in the second half, Stapleton turned to his bench, and the Brave maintained control. Talawanda held Wilmington scoreless in the second quarter.
“No matter how competitive the game is, you can always look within and find things that we can do better,” Stapleton said. “As the margin starts to happen, then you can really start to work on things that you feel like you need to work on.”
In the second game, Badin (10-13) delivered a defensive clinic.
The Rams opened on a 28-3 run and forced 35 turnovers, suffocating Hughes from the opening tip. Badin held the Big Red to just one point in the second half.
Senior forward Braelyn Even led all scorers with 23 points and added nine rebounds. Sophomore Maddie Snow contributed 13 points as the Rams converted turnovers into easy transition baskets.
“That’s what we talked about at halftime,” Badin coach Tom Sunderman said of his team’s defensive intensity. “Our defense is what’s going to win this game. We always say our best offense is defense, and today that was true.”
Sunderman emphasized the importance of tournament play following the lopsided win.
“This is the real season,” he said. “You can go 20-0 in the regular season, and if you lose the first round, nobody will remember. Everything we did leading up to this prepares us for this tournament. This is where you reap the benefits.
“I thought our girls were locked in the last 10 days. Hughes is better than what you saw out there. Our girls just came out on a vengeance today.”
Both teams now turn their attention to Tuesday’s district semifinal, where familiarity will be high and adjustments critical.
“We know what Badin’s about and what they’re going to do,” Stapleton said. “We’ll prepare for that pressure and get our shooters going, and we’ll be ready.”
Sunderman echoed the urgency.
“This is when it counts,” he said. “We’ve got to be just as focused and locked in defensively in practice. Make some adjustments from the last game and go out there and play.”
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