by Barberton, Ohio – Thanks to a strong third quarter on both ends of the court, the Anthony Wayne Lady Generals defeated the Hudson Explorers, 48-32, in the OHSAA Division II, Region 6 final at Barberton High School.
The Lady Generals came into Friday night’s matchup looking for their first regional championship since 2022, and Hudson their first since 2003.
The first half belonged to the defenses on both ends of the court. Brooke Bender gave the Lady Generals an early 2-0 lead by converting a pair of free throws after drawing contact. Elise Bender had a steal and layup, and sank a pair of free throws herself, pushing the lead to 6-0.
The Anthony Wayne defense made life difficult for Hudson, holding them without a basket until the 1:13 mark of the first quarter. The Explorers were also up to the task on defense, as Paige Sutton had four rejections in the first quarter.
Thanks in part to the strong defensive effort, the score was 8-4 in favor of Anthony Wayne after one quarter. Hudson would work their way back into the game in the second stanza.
John Carroll commit Erin McCormick hit a triple to cut the deficit to 8-7. After a Julia Pike bucket, junior Elora Beh cashed in a triple of her own to tie the score at 10.
Elise Bender then scored a pair of buckets to give Anthony Wayne a 14-10 lead in the second quarter. Hudson countered with a 7-0 run, thanks to a pair of baskets from senior forward Paige Sutton to even the score. Following a rebound, the Explorers would take the lead on an Ashli Pearson triple.
Hudson led 17-14 going into the third quarter. However, Anthony Wayne would take the lead shortly thereafter, thanks to baskets from Kennedie Hill and Julia Pike.
But the Generals would continue to add to their lead, increasing it to 29-17. Five different players scored in the stanza, including Elise and Brooke Bender, and Lauren Brenneman. The defense also forced multiple turnovers and got several rebounds, holding Hudson without a bucket until a triple from Erin McCormick.
In total, the Lady Generals outscored Hudson, 18-3, in the third quarter to take a 32-20 lead after three.
Hudson looked to rally from their deficit in the fourth quarter, and got off to a promising start, thanks to a triple from Erin McCormick. Julia Pike countered with a triple of her own, and thanks to an Elise Bender steal and layup, the Lady General lead stood at 38-24.
Anthony Wayne maintained the lead from there, punching its ticket to the state semifinals for the first time since 2022. Junior guard Julia Pike led all scorers with 16 points (14 coming in the second half). Elise Bender finished with 15 points, and Brooke Bender chipped in 11 (nine in the second half).
Hudson was led by senior forward and Eastern Michigan commit Paige Sutton, who finished with eight points and five blocked shots. Senior guard and John Carroll basketball Erin McCormick also finished with eight points.
Extended highlights below:
