Indian Hill ended Mariemont's reign as OHSAA Division II girls lacrosse state champions in an overtime thriller Thursday night at Indian Hill's home field, Tomahawk Stadium.
Junior Lexi Larsen scored off a free-position restart in the first-minute sudden-death overtime to give the Braves a 16-15 win over their league rivals.
"Yeah, it was definitely nerve-wracking coming back to overtime and sudden death, but we just kept our cool," Larsen said. "I knew we could win that draw and put it in the back of the net."
Indian Hill, 17-2, will play in the state semifinals Wednesday night at Chaminade-Julienne. Mariemont, winners of the past two state titles, finishes 15-6.
Indian Hill had won by four, 13-9 on April 18 but the do-or-die rivalry rematch figured to come down to the wire.
"That's what you want," Indian Hill head coach Sam Herman said. "You want it to be high intensity. You want it to be down to the wire because both of these teams have played so well for the entire season."
Indian Hill vs. Mariemont girls lacrosse stat leaders
Larsen led Indian Hill with four goals and has 59 for the season.
Senior Emily Eckert and sophomore Jessi Robinson had three apiece. Eckert has 54 and Robinson 32.
Seniors Piper George and Caroline Soller had five apiece for Mariemont. George finished her senior year with 80 and Soller 71. Junior Cece Kuwatch scored three for the Warriors.
Braves threatened to blow away the Warriors early
Indian Hill rushed out to an 8-1 lead midway through the first half. Larsen and Eckert had two apiece in the run as five different Braves players scored.
Sisters swing the lacrosse sticks for Indian Hill
Indian Hill has three sets of sisters on the team.
Larsen and sophomore Cassie Larsen take the field with Eckert and sophomore sister Lauren Eckert. The Braves also have junior Madden Phelps and freshman Meran Phelps.
"Having them on the team is so fun to coach," Herman said. "At times, they can hold each other back because they're so serious, but they also push each other."
Said Lexi Larsen: "Yeah, I think it's definitely a great connection between all sisters. We always know where each other is on the field."
First-year coach brings college experience to Indian Hill
Sam Herman, Indian Hill's first-year head coach, came from Maryland. She has an extensive career in college coaching, working at the University of Maryland, Hartford, High Point and Xavier University.
The Xavier job led her to take the Indian Hill position last year, and she runs a lacrosse club in Cincinnati.
"The new coaching staff has really helped us," Larsen said. "They brought in a lot of plays that really utilize every player, so they can't just guard one person."
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