Chardon finished another fantastic 18-6 season last week. And despite losing three times to the Brush Arcs, the Hilltoppers won't hang their heads.
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Chardon finished another fantastic 18-6 season last week. And despite losing three times to the Brush Arcs, the Hilltoppers won’t hang their heads.
The girls basketball team had trouble getting going in the fourth quarter, and it cost them as the Hilltoppers narrowly fell to Brush, 50-44, in a Division I sectional final at Brush High School.
Chardon, the No. 5 seed, finished the season 18-6 with half of the Hilltoppers’ losses coming to the Arcs (20-3).
Brush, which beat Chardon twice in the regular season, is the No. 2 seed and this season’s WRC champions.
Chardon coach Cullen Harris said the Hilltoppers gave it their all, but just fell a little short.
“We got great looks, we just didn’t make shots,” Harris said. “I give credit to them, they made their free throws down the stretch.
“Basketball is a game of runs. It came down to them having one more then us. I can’t question their effort, and I can’t praise these kids enough. They played hard every game.”
Brush coach Demarris Winters said he felt the Arcs’ defense was the difference.
“We pride ourselves on defense,” Winters said. “We held them to two points at the start and then we relaxed. We settled down and got back into it.
“I’m very happy. That’s a very talented team. They’re very well coached. It’s a testament to our defense.”
Despite the loss, Tessa Ludwick of Chardon was the player of the game. She led all scorers with a career high 23 points to go along with nine rebounds and two assists.
“She’s our heart and soul,” Harris said. “She’s led by example. She’s the hardest worker in the gym.”
Ludwick said their struggles were a combination of the Hilltoppers missing some shots and the Arcs taking away some things Chardon normally does well offensively.
“I felt pretty good,” Ludwick said. “We had some good looks, but shots didn’t fall. They took away our second chance points and our dribble drive.”
Things started out rough for the Hilltoppers as the Arcs started out with a 9-2 lead. However, the Hilltoppers got going when Grace Bradley hit a 3-pointer late in the first quarter. That was the start to a 15-2 run that saw the Hilltoppers race to a 17-11 lead in the middle of the second quarter.
The Arcs got back to within 19-18, but Ludwick earned a three-point play as the buzzer sounded to end the first half. That put Chardon up, 22-18, at the break. Ludwick scored 10 points in the second quarter to lead the Hilltoppers.
Ludwick said she was sad to see halftime.
“Once we got into it (in the second quarter), we got on a roll,” Ludwick said. “I actually wanted to keep playing.”
Brush came out strong to start the second half as the Arcs went on a 7-1 run to take a 25-23 lead. The rest of the third quarter was back-and-forth with neither team taking charge. Brush led, 35-34, at the end of the third quarter.
Unfortunately, the start of the fourth quarter saw the Hilltoppers’ offense go cold. Chardon didn’t record its first field goal in the fourth quarter until there was just 3:05 left in the game on a Ludwick steal and layup. By then, however, the Arcs led, 40-35.
Ludwick came back and nailed a 3-pointer with 2:03 left in the game to pull the Hilltoppers within 43-41, but they never got any closer. The Arcs’ defense never faltered down the stretch and they made their foul shots to hold on for the victory.
Grace Bradley was the second-leading scorer for Chardon with 13 points and four rebounds. Unfortunately, for Chardon only four Hilltoppers scored.
The loss means Chardon has to say good bye to five seniors.
“They’ve won a lot of games,” Harris said. “They are the hardest working kids in the gym. Because of their leadership, I know they’ll be successful in life no matter what they choose to do.”
Ludwick, a senior, said she will always remember her time playing for Chardon.
“It was a great experience,” Ludwick said. “The outcome (tonight) wasn’t what we expected, but they’re a very good basketball team. We had a heck of a season.”
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