COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It was a tale of two halves at Bishop Watterson High School on Wednesday night. After struggling for the better part of the first two quarters, Dublin Jerome executed at a high level to start the second half, took the lead and ultimately won the game by a final score of 41 to 37. 

Jerome seniors Lauren Ludwig and Kendall Baird opened up the third quarter with back-to-back three pointers to take their first lead of the game with 5:40 remaining in the quarter. Baird was fouled when attacking the basket and converted on both free throws to push the Celtic lead to three points. After nearly five minutes of offensive struggles, junior Cameron Sparks drained one free throw to put the Eagles on the board. 

Another foul at the rim led to two successful free throws by junior Ashley Meadors for Jerome. On the next possession, senior Anna Rindler snagged an offensive rebound and immediately put it back in pushing the Celtic lead to the largest of the game at nine (29-23). After scoring just one point in the quarter, Watterson was desperate for some offense and Megan Goehring was up for the challenge. First the junior drained a three to cut the lead to three. Then she grabbed an offensive rebound and converted in traffic to cut the lead to just one point to close the quarter. After three, Jerome was clinging to a 29-28 lead. 

Baird opened up the fourth quarter with yet another three for Jerome but junior Sophie Ziel responded with an old fashioned three point play. Sophomore Meadow Ahijevych made a driving right handed layup but Ziel responded yet again, this time with a long step back jumper. Jerome regained momentum thanks to a tip-in by Meadors off an inbounds pass, a layup by senior Kadence Conley and a basket by Ahijevych. Watterson senior Alex Mosholder made a midrange jumper to stop the bleeding and Ziel finished a left handed layup in traffic to cut the lead to three with less than a minute left in the game. 

Ziel took an open, deep three pointer with the hope of tying the game but failed to convert. Conley secured the rebound and was fouled. She sank one of two bonus free throws to extend the lead yet again. On her miss, Watterson turned the ball over with less than ten seconds to play, pushing Jerome to the win. 

The second half comeback was vastly different from the first two quarters. To start the game, Ziel rattled off eight straight points (two three pointers) forcing a Jerome timeout. The Celtics were held scoreless until the 3:44 mark when Baird sank her first three pointer. Ziel added another three, bringing her total in the frame to 11, outscoring the entire Jerome team. Offensive rebounds and put-backs pulled the Celtics within nine heading into the second period (16-7). 

Jerome began their mentality shift to start the second quarter by face-guarding Ziel. Both teams traded baskets though the quarter but Jerome gained an edge toward the end of the period. Senior Elliana Baker capped the quarter off with a layup at the buzzer. Jerome managed to outscore the Eagles 10-6 in the second, cutting the lead to just five points heading into halftime. 

Let’s check out the keys to the game for Jerome.

1. Meadow Ahijevych: Ahijevych was a huge spark off the bench late in the first quarter and in the second quarter for the Celtics. Her energy on the defensive end of the floor while guarding Ziel pulled Jerome back in the game and set the tone for the rest of the team. She also added eight points on the offensive end.

2. Anna Rindler: Alongside Ahijevych, Rindler did a phenomenal job guarding Ziel, especially in the fourth quarter. This senior leader might not have stuffed the stat sheet but she drew the tough assignment of guarding Watterson’s best player and handled it like a pro.

3. Adjustments: After Ziel’s offensive rampage in the first quarter, the Jerome coaching staff made some key adjustments that led to their success. Namely, ramping up the defensive pressure on Ziel. After scoring 16 first quarter points, the Eagles were held to just 21 over the final three frames. Because of the defensive pressure on Ziel, the offense was not running through her as usual, causing Watterson to struggle to get going.

4. Timely Three Point Shooting: Jerome made four three pointers on Wednesday, three of which were by Baird and three of which came in the second half. The most important aspect of the deep ball for Jerome was its timing. The Celtics sank two to start their third quarter run and a third to pick things back up to start the fourth. Without these clutch threes, there might have been a different outcome.

5. Chemistry: It was easy to notice the love that this Jerome team has for each other. The bench is consistently engaged and cheering. One play that stood out to me the most was when Meadors took a charge. The entire bench erupted and during the ensuing Watterson timeout, everyone was praising Meadors. This was surely part of their success on Wednesday.

MVP: Kendall Baird (G / Dublin Jerome / 2024)

Top Scorer: Sophie Ziel (G / Bishop Watterson / 2025) - 18

Hustle Players: Meadow Ahijevych (G / Dublin Jerome / 2026) and Anna Rindler (G / Dublin Jerome / 2024)