“Shots in the paint and free throws — it’s our nemesis,” Ross coach Rodney Parrett said. “We were doing well with our outside shots, but you can’t win a game without making those shots in the paint. I don’t know how to stress how important that is.”
Ashley Parrett sank four 3-pointers, totaled 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Rams, who made 9 of 16 free throws. Karlie Becker added nine points and nine boards, Layne Shields tossed in eight points, and Katie Brehm and Lauren Haynes contributed eight boards apiece.
Ross, the No. 7 seed, had no offensive rhythm against eighth-seeded Oakwood’s pressure defense. It was the third straight loss for the Rams, who finished 12-11.
“I told them, ‘You’ve got to play your best 32 minutes,’ ” Rodney Parrett said. “That’s the definition of tournament time, and we didn’t bring it. Talawanda (last Saturday) and this one are disappointing losses because if we’d have executed and made our shots in the paint, we win. It’s a shame for these girls to beat themselves.”
The Jills (13-10) didn’t shoot all that well themselves, but their attack-mode style of offense led to foul shots, and Oakwood was 27 of 33 at the line.
Lauren Turner (23 points, seven rebounds) and Courtney Eggleston (17 points, 11 boards) paced the Jills.
“This is our first tournament win in seven years, so it’s a big night. We could be going farther than we’ve gone in a really, really long time,” said Turner, a senior forward. “Our press was the best it’s been all year. We started pressing probably midway through the year, but we never played as much press as we did today. We just needed to get them flustered and not let them just go all the way down the court. And we got a lot smarter with our offense in the second half.”
Oakwood took the lead for good (22-20) midway through the third period. The Rams were within striking distance (45-39) in the final minute, but Turner hit two free throws and Eggleston added four straight to complete the scoring.
“I’m really excited for our seniors,” Jills coach Adam Woessner said. “They’ve put so much time and energy into this, and it kind of paid off tonight. I love that, and I love getting a chance to play again. We didn’t have a great Senior Night and got beat at home, so this is really big.”
He said Oakwood hasn’t been consistently strong at the foul line this season, shooting around 55 percent.
“That’s been our strength the last two years, but this year, it’s been a huge source of frustration,” Woessner said. “We put them together tonight, so hopefully it’s a sign of things to come.”
Turner was 13 of 16, Eggleston 7 of 8 and Lauren Hapgood 6 of 6 on free throws for the Jills.
“You just have to finish,” Turner said. “I try to stay calm up there. I say my routine in my head. I count my dribbles. I have to spin the ball to myself, and then I’m just like, ‘Make it.’ ”
Oakwood overcame 17 turnovers and got five points and six rebounds from Claire Wootton. Sally McMillan chipped in five boards.
“What we wanted to do was take care of the basketball, rebound defensively and just contest shots and make things hard on them,” Woessner said. “We weren’t perfect in all three areas, but we were good enough. I thought our pressure impacted them a lot and really got them out of sorts a little bit.”
Oakwood will return to Lebanon to face third-seeded Clinton-Massie in a sectional semifinal Tuesday at 6 p.m. C-M beat No. 5 Blanchester 53-22 on Thursday.
Ross will say goodbye to seven seniors: Parrett, Shields, Brehm, Kelsey Warman, Laura Gaston, Andy Denny and Julie Adams. The Rams earned a share of the Southwest Ohio Conference title with Talawanda and Little Miami.
“It’s been a frustrating season, but it’s been a great season,” Rodney Parrett said. “This has probably been my best season all around. These girls came together. They had their faults, but they played together as a team. It’s probably the best group of teammates I’ve ever been with.
“The league championship is what you’ve got to look at. We wanted to win and go further in the tournament, but these girls still brought a championship back to Ross. That’s something you can walk back in the gym and be proud of.”
Oakwood 8-9-11-23—51
Ross 4-13-7-15—39
OAKWOOD (13-10) — Lauren Hapgood 0 6 6, Claire Wootton 2 1 5, Courtney Eggleston 5 7 17, Lauren Turner 4 13 23. Totals: 11-27-51
ROSS (12-11) — Ashley Parrett 6 0 16, Layne Shields 3 0 8, Lauren Haynes 0 2 2, Karlie Becker 2 5 9, Katie Brehm 1 1 3, Haley Rogers 0 1 1. Totals: 12-9-39
3-pointers: O 2 (Turner 2), R 6 (Parrett 4, Shields 2)
About the Author