Glaab, the lone senior that’s been a part of all three titles, wore a proud smile after the visiting Braves knocked off Ross 56-44 in the regular-season finale for both squads.
“It’s really exciting to see that we can lose players, but gain players that have a heart to play the game,” Glaab said. “It’ll be awesome to see that kind of program once I leave.”
She scored nine of her 15 points in the fourth period and added 11 rebounds for Talawanda, which ran off 11 consecutive points after the Rams got within 39-38 with 4:20 left.
The Wright sisters, Emma (19 points, eight rebounds, five steals, four assists) and Chloe (18 points, seven boards), were also standouts for the Braves, who improved to 12-9 overall and 10-2 in the conference.
Talawanda will share the SWOC crown with Edgewood, thanks to the Cougars’ 46-28 win at Harrison on Saturday. It’s the first-ever conference title in girls basketball for EHS.
“I’m not going to take anything from my girls just because it’s a co-championship,” said Braves coach Kim Richter, whose squad defeated Edgewood twice (44-34 on Jan. 3 and 67-42 on Jan. 31). “I’m just as proud of this one as I was the last two being by ourselves because we had so much to overcome to get here.
“It wasn’t something that could just be handed to us because we could beat everybody by 25 points. We had to work for it. We could’ve gotten frustrated with our circumstances a couple times and laid down, but we never did. We just kept taking that one more step.”
Talawanda avenged its Jan. 15 loss to Ross by dominating down the stretch. Glaab and the Wrights combined for all 20 of the Braves’ fourth-quarter points.
“Chloe always says it’s a game of runs, and that was our run,” Glaab said. “We just took it and played with confidence. That’s what we had different from the last game. We didn’t let the pressure show our weaknesses. We let it show our strengths.”
Glaab’s traditional three-point play ignited Talawanda’s decisive 11-point run in the fourth stanza.
“We couldn’t handle Darby,” Rams coach Rodney Parrett said. “I have the utmost respect for that kid. She comes through in the clutch. When she goes out, their whole dynamic changes. I told the girls that she’s the backbone of their team. If you shut her down, you shut them down. And we didn’t have anybody to stop her today.
“You have to give Talawanda credit. We were able to beat them the last time, but they more confidence today. They weren’t going to let it happen to them again. Good for them, bad for us.”
Glaab was a key figure at the charity stripe, hitting 7 of 7 foul shots. The Braves were 23 of 32 as a team.
“When we keep our heads up and really play as a team, we can beat quite a few teams,” Glaab said. “I think we were going out to have fun with confidence today, but we meant business. Our preparation was very serious and to the point.”
Ross (9-13, 5-7) got a career-high 26 points from Sarah Merrill, while Ashley Parrett added 11.
Merrill and classmates Caitlyn Brofft, Bailey Rack, Hayley Hudson, Staci Barrow and Shelby Price were honored in a Senior Day ceremony before the game.
“I’m proud of the way my team played, honestly,” Merrill said. “The outcome wasn’t what we wanted, but we played as hard as we could. We played with heart.”
Parrett didn’t expect his team to be four games below .500. The Rams have seven single-digit defeats (three in overtime) this year.
“I’m not disappointed in them,” Parrett said. “They are the hardest-playing team I’ve ever coached. Not one time did I ever tell these girls, ‘You got beat because you had no heart.’
“Every game, they left it all on the floor. They played 32 minutes all out today. We just needed to get smarter, sooner. That’s our downfall.”
Parrett called Merrill’s performance “the game of her life.” The 5-foot-6 guard had cracked the 20-point mark just once in her career before Saturday, scoring 22 against Little Miami on Jan. 30, 2013.
“I was really trying to play with confidence,” said Merrill, who converted all nine of her free-throw attempts. “Sometimes you go out on the court and you just know it’s going to be a good game. I had that feeling today. My team had a lot of good assists, so I just tried to put the ball in the basket.”
“Emma Wright was having a hard time guarding her. Addie Brown was having a hard time guarding her. Sarah was just going to the basket,” Parrett said. “We’ve got a play we call name game. It’s just whoever’s name I call is in the spot. That’s the first time I ever ran it for Sarah, but she wasn’t missing. You’ve got to feed that girl.”
Merrill said Senior Day was a bittersweet experience.
“I’m happy with how close I became with my team, but it’s sad that this is the last time I’m going to be playing on this court,” she said.
Talawanda was powered by its Big Three, but the Braves got some quality role play from Brown, Zoe Coleman and Hannah Hurst. Collectively, they had four points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two assists.
“We’re learning about self-control on the basketball court,” Richter said. “Having some younger girls in the frontcourt, we have to be aware of who we get the ball to at what time in the game. And this was one of the first games where we grew in a close situation.
“I felt like we got the ball where it needed to go at the proper times. To me, that’s growth, and that’s exactly what we want going into the tournament.”
THS junior center Sarah Beth Richter has missed the last four games with a shoulder injury. Richter and Glaab are the only players who have been on the varsity since the beginning of the Braves’ 38-2 run through the SWOC.
Kim Richter is hopeful that her daughter will be ready to play next Saturday when the Talawanda faces Fairfield in a Division I sectional opener at Lakota East. Tipoff is slated for noon.
Ross doesn’t begin D-I sectional play until Feb. 24, meeting either Walnut Hills or Mother Mercy in a 6 p.m. contest at Kings.
Parrett would love to see his seniors have some postseason success. The fourth-year coach believes they deserve it.
“This is the first group I’ve had all the way through, so this one meant a lot,” Parrett said. “I’ve watched them grow up and become great young women, and that’s what makes me proud. They’re going to take the things they’ve learned and go somewhere with it. I think we’ve instilled that in them.”
Talawanda 15-12-9-20—56
Ross 15-12-7-10—44
TALAWANDA (12-9, 10-2): Chloe Wright 6 6 18; Emma Wright 5 8 19; Addie Brown 1 1 3; Darby Glaab 4 7 15; Hannah Hurst 0 1 1. Totals: 16-23-56.
ROSS (9-13, 5-7): Bailey Rack 0 3 3; Sarah Merrill 7 9 26; Ashley Parrett 4 1 11; Katie Brehm 1 0 2; Layne Shields 1 0 2. Totals: 13-13-44.
3-pters: T 1 (E. Wright), R 5 (Merrill 3, Parrett 2)
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