The inside duo of Bryan Warah (22 points, nine boards) and A.J. Garrett (12 points, 11 boards) ruled down low as the GCLC Central Division-leading Cavaliers improved to 14-3 overall and 7-1 in the league.
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It was 40-21 in the third stanza before the Rams cut the deficit to 51-46 midway through the final quarter.
In a key sequence, Badin missed a transition bucket that led to a breakout dunk by Warah. The slam sparked a 9-2 run that all but ended the affair.
Purcell coach Scott Kerr called Mulcahey the toughest league gym to win in and couldn’t hide his smile as his team clinched at least a share of its first league championship since 2015-16.
“Jesus Christ, is there any gym (in the GCL) easy to win in?” Kerr said. “This is one of my favorite places to play. It is loud. Win or lose, that is a great high school basketball game, a great high school atmosphere. Talk about playing here, this is the most vociferous student section in our league. These Badin fans, these Badin kids, it is a tough environment to play in.”
Badin (11-6, 3-5) has played a series of close games this year, and coach Gerry Weisgerber hopes the tough schedule pays off for the Rams.
“One of these games we’ll pull one of these out,” Weisgerber said. “Maybe it will be tournament time. That’s what I am looking at right now, getting us ready for the (Division II) tournament. If we do what we did in the second half, we can make a run in the tournament.”
Justin Pappas led Badin with 20 points and said the Rams need to get back to playing loose like they did early in the season.
“We got back to the old style of play we were playing in the beginning of the season,” Pappas said. “We were playing real well at the beginning of the season, and we got back to that in the second half.”
Kerr acknowledged the Cavaliers have a clear goal of being outright Central champions.
“When you look at the recent history, that is a big deal at Purcell,” he said. “People want to talk about what we can do down the road, but I don’t care about that right now. I want to win the league first and foremost.”
Both coaches agreed the Cavaliers inside dual threat was the difference.
“(Garrett) and (Warah) did a great job tonight,” Kerr said. “Both of them had a really good game.”
“They finish so well around the basket,” Weisgerber said. “I challenged our guys to cut it to 10 at the end of the third quarter, and we cut it to eight. Then we had a couple quick, bad plays and they got back up.”
Purcell shot a stellar 22-of-43 from the field and excelled at the free-throw line by nailing 19-of-24, including 9-of-12 in the final stanza.
Joseph Walsh, Nathan Hegemann and Josh Hegemann each had six points for the Rams, who were 19-of-42 from the floor. Pappas grabbed six rebounds and Nathan Hegemann added three assists.
Badin turned the ball over seven times in the first half, but only four times in the second while forcing 11 second-half turnovers by the Cavaliers.
Michael Little had 10 points and five boards for Purcell, while Alex Dotson chipped in eight points and five rebounds.
Both teams are back in action Saturday night. The Cavaliers host Clinton-Massie and Badin visits Mariemont.
Purcell Marian 19-17-11-17—64
Badin 8-11-19-14—52
PURCELL MARIAN (14-3, 7-1 GCLC Central): Jeremiah Jackson 1 1 3; A.J. Garrett 5 2 12; Alex Dotson 3 2 8; Javonta Lyons 0 4 4; Jared Baldock 2 0 5; Michael Little 3 4 10; Bryan Warah 8 6 22. Totals: 22-19-64
BADIN (11-6, 3-5 GCLC Central): Joseph Walsh 2 2 6; Seth Hargis 2 0 4; Nathan Hegemann 2 2 6; Donovan Watkins 2 0 4; Zach Switzer 2 0 4; Justin Pappas 7 5 20; John Berg 0 2 2; Josh Hegemann 2 2 6. Totals: 19-13-52
3-pointers: P 1 (Baldock), B 1 (Pappas)
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