After a back-and-forth game, the Lady Marauders would secure a 37-34 win over Grass Lake in the Regional Semi-Finals to advance to the Regional Finals on Thursday night against Dansville.

Trailing 34-33 with 1:33 to go in the game, Evalyn Cole picked the pocket of a Grass Lake guard and took it in for a layup to put OE back up 35-34.  After a couple of missed shots by both teams, Braeden Tokar would come up with a huge offensive rebound and tip it over to Ava Bates who laid it in with 25 seconds to go in the game and gave the Lady Marauders a three-point lead and the eventual win.

"Our kids battled all night and played with grit," said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  "We have a lot of fight in us and it showed tonight.  It was a gutsy, hard-fought win and I couldn't be more proud of these kids."

Trailing 7-8 after the first quarter, Ovid-Elsie would put together a solid 11-7 second quarter and lead 18-15 at the half.

"This was the type of game we wanted.  We wanted to slow them down and limit their possessions," added Cunningham.  "We're okay with low-scoring games."  

Ovid-Elsie would see their lead slip to two points after a 10-11 third quarter but the Lady Marauders would take the fourth quarter 9-8 en route to the victory.

Ava Bates had a game-high 15 points to go along with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals while Braeden Tokar recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.  Tokar also had a steal and 2 blocked shots.  Evalyn Cole (3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals) and Kiah Longoria (4 rebounds) each had four points while Hailee Campbell (8 rebounds) and Ellyanna Carman (3 rebounds, 2 assists) each chipped in with a bucket.

Ovid-Elsie collected 6 steals on 12 Grass Lake turnovers and out-rebounded the Warriors 39-31.  The Lady Marauders also handed out 10 assists on 15 made baskets.  Ovid-Elsie held Grass Lake to just 24.5% shooting on the night while shooting at a 31% clip.

Thursday night the Lady Marauders (21-4) will travel back to Dansville to take on the Aggies for the Regional crown.  Dansville (21-2) defeated Springport 68-55 in the other Semi-Final game.  Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m. and all tickets must be purchased on the GoFan.com website.