5 takeaways from Carroll’s regional championship

<strong>By Jim Dabbelt</strong> <em>Prep Girls Hoops Ohio</em> &nbsp; They finished the regular season with the #1 ranking in Ohio in the AP Division 2 poll, but they knew the tall task to get through the regionals Friday night in Springfield. Standing in their way was a Franklin team who was peaking at the right time, and brought in the Southwest District Division 2 Player of the Year Layne Ferrell. &nbsp; Carroll used a big run in the opening quarter to cruise to a 57-43 victory over the Wildcats, and will make their first trip to the state final four since 2011. This will only be their second trip in school history. &nbsp; Here are my 5 takeaways from the Carroll regional championship. &nbsp; <strong>Did Carroll play like the state's top ranked team?- </strong>Carroll won every aspect of the game. They are such a good defensive team, they can make a good offense look mediocre. They can also force a team to take bad shots, as Franklin threw up several perimeter shots. Ferrell did score 21 to lead all scorers, but she didn't get a lot of help on this day. Carroll finished #1 for a reason. They have weapons that come at you from everywhere. Solid post play, good transition scoring and in-your-face defense. Once you get to the final four anything can happen, but their final raking was legit. &nbsp; <strong>How did Carroll win tonight- </strong>They were solid everywhere. Not only did they capitalize on Franklin turnovers, they also looked for the good shots. Ferrell is going to get her points, she is too good not to. But Carroll shut down the rest of their offense, and scored early to build a nice lead and was never seriously threatened. They have multiple weapons they can come at you with, and they did that tonight. The Carroll guards outplayed the Franklin backcourt in every aspect of the game. &nbsp; <strong>Breakout Player- </strong>After watching this game, and having seen Carroll a few other times, Ava Lickliter is a player who just keeps getting better. She is often overlooked due to the big names on the Patriots, but all she does is produce. I love the way pushes the ball and is in command at all times. She has a high power dribble and her north/south speed is phenomenal. Huge upside for this sophomore. Had 12 points on the night, and was very poised. &nbsp; <strong>Play of the Game- </strong>It was more like the Run of the Game. After Franklin led 3-0 on a game-opening three from Ferrell, the Patriots totally took over the rest of the first quarter, scoring the next 17 points. That took the wind out of the sails of Franklin, before they settled back in and worked back in the game in the second quarter. &nbsp; <strong>Player of the Game- </strong>While Carroll did have several players who performed well in this regional final, Julia Keller is the player who shined for me in this game. Yes she scored, but did everything else well to lead the Patriots. She rebounded the ball with authority, attacked the rim, and also buried a three. She is a blue collar player who not only dropped 18 to lead Carroll, but she hit big shots at key times, including dropping a big three at the third quarter buzzer to open up a 15-point lead for the Patriots. &nbsp; &nbsp;