Chaminade Julienne cruises past St. Vincent-St. Mary to capture Division III championship

Freshman Mycheal Hanson drives past two Irish defenders as Taylor Miller goes for the steal. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com)

DAYTON, Ohio - The unsuspecting Chaminade Julienne reigned supreme over St. Vincent-St. Mary to capture their fourth state title in program history defeating the Irish 49-40. 

Chaminade got off to a quick start, leading 7-6 with 4:32 remaining in the period. After that, things took a turn for the Irish as they couldn't score again for the rest of the period, with Tatum Smith making the final points. Freshman Mycheal Hanson, along with teammates Maggie Bush and senior Janae Cain, picked up the tempo for the Eagles, ending the quarter with a score of 18-6. 

They maintained their lead, remaining just a step ahead of the Irish, despite a low-scoring period for both teams that resulted in a total of 13 points. Chaminade retained the lead at the conclusion of the first half with a score of 23-13. St. Vincent-St. Mary struggled, making only 4 out of 22 attempts from the field during the half. 

Division I prospect Sydney Ferguson scored her first points with 1:58 remaining in the quarter for the Irish.

"We felt like if we could hold them in the low 40's, we was going to give ourselves a chance," said Jacob Allen Chaminade Julienne head coach.

The third quarter would pick up for both teams as they would combine for 26 points. Bench player Kennedy Halsell would provide a spark hitting a critical 3-point shot with 4:50 left and Melania Cornute would follow suit scoring six points from the field and another 3-point shot from Smith put them within eight trailing 22-31. Hanson would still pace Chaminade with six points in the quarter, holding a 32-27 lead heaing into the championship quarter. 

"Paying attention on defense to all the details, staying to the game plan," said Hanson when asked about keys to staying in the game,

Staying in the game they did rolling down the stretch of the fourth quarter they just would be more active than the Irish as they finished the game going 7 for 22 from the field, not the kind of game you would expect from the talented St. Vincent-St. Mary team. 

The combination of Bush, Cain and Hanson for the Eagles would be enough to capture the championship. Janae finished with 17 points, Hanson with 15, and nine to lead in scoring. The big number of the night that kept St. Vincent-St. Mary form getting good possessions was Ja'Kylah Cook who grabbed 13 rebounds with 10 being defensive. 

Melania Cornute finished with 13 points and Tatum Smith finished with 12 as this would be the closet the Irish would get to a state title since 2019. 

Coverage of this article was presented by The Ross Real Estate Group-KW Legacy Group and Grip Spritz, Traction Mat & Court Mop.