“We couldn’t make shots,” Badin coach Tom Sunderman said. “We missed some easy shots, we missed some open shots, and then things just kind of unraveled. Our girls’ demeanor late in the third and fourth quarter … (they) were kind of playing not to lose instead of playing to win. We’ve got to have that winning mentality.”
Shelby Nusbaum (11), Emma Broermann (10) and Olivia Keene (eight) did the bulk of the scoring for the Rams, who finished 19-8.
Badin trailed by nine late in the first period, but was within 31-28 after a Nusbaum basket with 5:06 remaining in the third stanza.
The Rams’ next field goal, a stickback by Keene, came nearly 12 minutes later. Badin endured a scoring drought of almost eight minutes during that stretch, allowing the Tigers to extend a 33-29 lead to 43-29.
“I feel like we got a little selfish toward the end,” said Broermann, a sophomore forward. “I think we could’ve scored off their defense. We could’ve looked for the open person more, but we didn’t do that as much as we usually do. People were still driving. People were still trying to score. We just didn’t.”
Versailles (24-3) showed the balance it’s known for. Danielle Winner led the way with 13 points and nine rebounds, and she was followed in scoring by Kami McEldowney (11), Camille Watren (10), Elizabeth Ording (eight) and Lindsey Winner (six).
“They play solid,” Sunderman said. “They’ve got a good program, and they’ve been here.”
The Tigers have owned Badin in the postseason. They’ve ousted the Rams four times in the last 11 years.
“I felt like my girls did a nice job responding to adversity and playing within themselves,” Versailles coach Jacki Stonebraker said. “I never felt good about this game. We knew that Badin was not going to go away quietly. They’re like every (Midwest Athletic Conference) team we play. We knew we had to play a full 32 minutes.”
Sunderman felt his young squad was a little rattled right out of the gate. Badin never led.
“I thought we came out a little nervous,” Sunderman said. “We missed some assignments defensively. They got up 9-2, and then we were fighting the rest of the game. We did some things that were uncharacteristic of us the last two or three games, but the one thing is our girls didn’t quit.”
Stonebraker said switching to a zone defense helped Versailles stymie the Rams.
“I really felt like they were hurting us inside,” she said. “We had to stop the dribble-drive, we had to stop the posts, so we went to our zone to get a different look and see what they did against that.”
The Tigers led 28-22 at the break and jolted Badin when Watren banked in a long 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer.
“That’s shooting the ball with confidence. I love it,” Stonebraker said. “She dribbled the ball all the way down the floor, and I knew she was going to shoot it. She stepped right into it and hit it. It was great enthusiasm to go into halftime with.”
“I thought that was a big shot, a big momentum swing,” Sunderman said. “You’ve got to say something positive in the locker room. You’re waiting for them to be hanging their heads, (but) they were all fired up in there.”
Versailles committed 18 turnovers and was 11 of 21 from the foul line. The Rams had 16 turnovers and made 9 of 12 foul shots.
Broermann pulled down seven boards for Badin, which gave up 50 or more points only six times this season and went 1-5 in those games. Nusbaum, Claire McCurley and Lauren Krause added four rebounds apiece.
“We always knew it was going to be a close game, but when it came down to it, we knew we were the better team,” said Nusbaum, a freshman guard. “We could’ve won. It’s just kind of heartbreaking that we didn’t.”
The Rams are losing four seniors: Ally Stang, Kaitlyn Dick, Keene and Krause.
“I’m proud of the girls,” Sunderman said. “A lot of people didn’t think we’d be this far playing six freshmen and sophomores in our first eight. Now we’ve got to take that pain and use it in the offseason to get back here.”
Broermann and Nusbaum were Badin’s top two scorers this year.
“I’m not sure I thought we could do this because we’re such a young team,” Broermann said. “But it was a really good season. I’m ready for next year.”
Said Nusbaum, “I’ve already thought about it. I might take a few days off, but it’s just right back in the gym for next season.”
Versailles will face Summit Country Day for the regional title Saturday. Unbeaten SCD topped Baltimore Liberty Union 53-50 in Wednesday’s nightcap.
Badin 9-13-7-7—36
Versailles 16-12-11-11—50
BADIN (19-8): Shelby Nusbaum 4 2 11, Lauren Krause 1 0 2, Olivia Keene 2 4 8, Macy Harper 1 1 3, Emma Broermann 4 2 10, Claire McCurley 1 0 2. Totals: 13-9-36
VERSAILLES (24-3): Kami McEldowney 4 3 11, Camille Watren 3 3 10, Ellen Peters 1 0 2, Elizabeth Ording 2 4 8, Lindsey Winner 3 0 6, Danielle Winner 6 1 13. Totals: 19-11-50
3-pointers: B 1 (Nusbaum), V 1 (Watren)
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