BLUFFTON, Ohio — In a bid for its first state final four appearance since 2006, the Patrick Henry girls dug too deep of a hole to climb out of in Saturday night's Division VI regional basketball final against Columbus Grove.
The Patriots, down 24-8 at halftime and 29-11 midway in the third quarter, stormed back to make it a game before falling 45-41 at Bluffton University.
PH (25-2) finally caught fire later in the third quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs 20-8 over the final 4:45 to get within 37-31 entering the fourth quarter.
But the Patriots' momentum lost steam when they missed their first nine field-goal attempts of the final quarter.
“That's an extremely good team and, if you don't come out clicking on all cylinders right out of the gate, they can get you in a hole in a hurry,” Patrick Henry coach Justin Sonnenberg said. “That's what happened to us, but I'm really proud of how the girls responded and kept fighting back. We did calm down there, and were relentless.”
Patrick Henry did get within 40-36 on two free throws by Kasey Nelson (10 points) with 37.6 seconds remaining, but could get no closer as Bulldogs' senior guard Lauryn Auchmuty hit 5 of 6 free throws in the closing seconds.
“Credit to Patrick Henry,” Columbus Grove coach Brian Schroeder said. “Their girls did not have any quit in them whatsoever. They hit some shots [in third quarter] and really dug in defensively and made our points hard to come by.
“We got into a little bit of foul trouble, and basketball's a funny game — momentum can go the other way in a hurry.”
Auchmuty topped all scorers with 19 points in helping Columbus Grove (25-2) end a four-year regional-final drought (2021-24). Aubrey Schroeder had 11 points for the Bulldogs and teammate Allison Thompson added seven.
Columbus Grove advances to a D-VI state semifinal on Friday, with its opponent and a game site to be determined by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
The Patriots, who outscored Columbus Grove 23-13 in their third-quarter surge, were led by junior Ada Christman's 11 points and 12 rebounds. Team leader Carys Crossland, PH's lone senior, added eight points.
The offensive woes started early for the Patriots, who were 1-for-10 from the field in the first quarter, falling behind 15-2, and 1-for-8 in the second, when Columbus Grove's lead grew to 16 points.
“They had just enough ball pressure, and they got back on defense really well,” Sonnenberg said of the Bulldogs' slowing PH's trademark transition game. “They're good defensively, and their tough to stop offensively.
“Hats off to them. They're definitely capable of winning it all, and we're rooting for them.”
PH was 11 of 42 (26 percent) for the game, including 3 of 19 on 3-pointers, and 17 of 23 from the foul line. The Patriots committed 21 turnovers and forced 17.
“Our girls never gave up,” Sonnenberg said. “They kept fighting. I'm extremely proud of them. They had a great season, and I think tonight showed how much heart they have.
“We fought out of that hole from the first half, and I'm just extremely proud of everything they accomplished.”
The Bulldogs were 13 of 41 (32 percent) from the field, including 4 of 17 on 3-pointers, and 14 of 25 at the line, and edged PH 34-33 in rebounding.
“If you want a recipe for how not to [hang on], it's stupid fouls, missing free throws, and giving second and third opportunities,” coach Schroeder said. “But, we did end up with the win, and it's always better to win ugly than lose pretty.”
First Published March 2, 2025, 2:22 a.m.
