Madison girls fall in state championship game

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By Skip Weaver, Staff Writer Updated 9:25 PM Saturday, March 20, 2010

COLUMBUS — The Madison High School girls basketball teams’ bid for a perfect season and a state championship didn’t end so perfectly.

The Mohawks ran into a Findlay Liberty-Benton team that was clicking on all cylinders.

The Eagles handed Madison a 66-44 loss on Saturday, March 20, in the Division III state finals at Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus to become just the 40th team since the girls state tournament began in 1976 to complete an undefeated season with a state title.

“I’m extremely proud of our players, staff and community,” Madison coach John Rossi Jr. said. “But we just ran into a buzzsaw today.”

The Mohawks (27-1) reached the state finals by winning 27 consecutive games without a loss this season, a mark that is a new school record.

Madison set many marks this year including becoming the first team to reach a state championship game. The 1971-72 boys basketball team was a state semifinalist.

“It’s still fresh right now,” Rossi said as tears filled the eyes of senior Lindsay Hoskins and junior Ally Malott, who sat on either side of him in the postgame news conference. “But two or three weeks from now they are going to look back and be proud of playing in the state championship game.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2852 or sweaver@coxohio.com.

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