Saturday, March 14th, 2026
Dayton Domination
St. Henry rolls to first state girls basketball championship
By Joe Schatz
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
St. Henry girls basketball coach Nate Uhlenhake celebrates with his team after the Redskins defeated Canton Central Catholic 53-34 to win the Division VI state championship on Friday in Dayton. It is St. Henry's first state championship in girls basketball. Game story and more pictures are on page 12.
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
St. Henry senior Molly Wendel (14) leads the celebration after the Redskins won the Division VI state girls basketball championship on Friday night at the University of Dayton Arena. It's the first state title for the girls basketball program at St. Henry.
DAYTON - To get to the mountain top, you have to overcome some tough conditions.
After losing guard Morgan Baumer, center Molly Wendel and the school's power during the pregame practice, St. Henry kept climbing and reached the peak in a 53-34 win over Canton Central Catholic for the program's first state title Friday night at UD Arena.
"There's not really words to describe it," St. Henry coach Nate Uhlenhake said postgame. "The way a group of people have come together, in their faith, their belief in each other and their belief in God, it's nothing like I've ever been a part of. It's special."
Before the nets could come down, there was work to do on the court.
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
St. Henry's Ava Homan (25) passes the ball while on the ground as Canton Central Catholic's Molly Marceric tries to recover.
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
St. Henry's Alexis Buschur (2) tries to get the ball away from Canton Central Catholic's Ellie Buckler.
A fast start from both teams saw the score sit at 4-4 just 90 seconds into the contest. Addy Homan gave the Redskins the slim 6-4 advantage on a jumper, and added two more on a stop-and-pop.
After Karlee Buschur stripped the ball on defense, Karlee Baumer made it a six-point game on a layup. The early 8-0 run looked to set the tone, but St. Henry led just 12-8 by the end of the quarter.
The second frame saw St. Henry grow the lead, and then some. Homan opened the quarter with a nice cut for an easy layup, and she padded her team's lead the next possession with a floater.
Alexis Buschur got on the board after taking her defenders ankles. The senior made it a 22-11 game halfway through the quarter on another layup.
St. Henry added four more points to their total by the break, and led 26-13 by halftime. The quarter finished 14-5 in favor of the Redskins, who took a deserved lead into the locker room. Six of the seven Redskins scored in the half, with Homan's eight points a team-high.
Not wanting to let the Crusaders back into the game, the third quarter was owned by the St. Henry defense. Four turnovers in the quarter set up easy baskets, and whatever missed was gathered by a rebounding Redskins player.
After Karlee Buschur made it a 29-15 game at the line, Alexis Buschur forced a steal via the press and made the easy lay to forced a Canton Central timeout.
The lead swelled when Ava Homan's offensive rebound found Addy Homan for three to put their team up by 21 points.
Karlee Baumer nailed another three the next possession and it was 39-15 with under four minutes left in the quarter. It was one of three treys made in the quarter from the Redskins, who held their opponents to an 0-for-9 mark from deep.
Baumer then set up Addy Homan, who pushed St. Henry into the forties with another three. After both team's traded points late, the lead was 45-18 for the Redskins.
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
St. Henry's Addy Homan tries a layup.
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
St. Henry's Karlee Buschur (15) tries to get around Canton Central Catholic's Aubrey Harris-Hall (5).
The fourth quarter was a formality with the lopsided score. Karlee Buschur gave St. Henry half-a-hundred on a put-back effort with four minutes left. Despite the Crusaders' shooting better, it did not matter.
Olivia Gast added two points on a nice jumper with two minutes left, and the benches units were put in soon after.
Leading by 19, Morgan Baumer checked into the game with 17 seconds left. The senior missed the semifinals with an injury, but was able to be on the court for the celebrations.
"Nate's been talking to us about playing basketball since kindergarten and our parents getting us started and teaching us how to play with good sportsmanship. So it feels really special for us seniors to finally get this done," Karlee Buschur said postgame.
The buzzer sounded and "Hail to the Redskins" was belted out from the always present St. Henry fan base.
"It is so amazing to see so many people supporting us," Alexis Buschur said. "We've been through so much, so to be able to go out there and do that, it's so special and I can't even describe it."
Addy Homan led the effort with 20 points, and earned the game's MVP trophy. Karlee Buschur added 11 points, while Karlee Baumer grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
St. Henry's Karlee Baumer drives to the basket.
