Indian Hill lacrosse presses on to state final

A pair of hot teams clashed Friday in the doubleheader nightcap of the Ohio School Girls Lacrosse Association Division II Final Four in New Albany.

Indian Hill, in the semifinals for the first time, remained alive, beating Chagrin Falls, 17-15, for its 11th win in a row.

The Braves (17-3) broke away from an 11-all second-half tie against the Tigers (17-2) and won for the 16th time in 17 games.

Chagrin Falls, ranked ninth statewide, finished 17-2. The Tigers had won 10 straight and fell short of the school-record win total of 18. They were making a third consecutive final four trip, and fourth in five years.

"We played great, and Gabi Gibson scored the most goals," said Braves coach Katie Post, who credited Gibson, a junior, with the go-ahead score that put Indian Hill ahead, 12-11, midway through the second half.

The Braves (17-3) play Worthington Kilbourne (16-3) in Saturday's 12:30 p.m. championship game.

Worthington Kilbourne, ranked No. 4 statewide, eliminated Hathaway Brown (9-8-2), 16-11, in the first semifinal, for its 10th straight win.

Indian Hill took a quick 2-0 lead then held on for a wild finish. The Braves led 3-1, but Chagrin Falls rallied to tie it at 3. The score was tied at 4, 5 and 7 before halftime, but Chagrin Falls led 10-8 at the break. The Braves tied it again at 11 early in the second half, but Gibson broke the deadlock.

The Braves led 13-11 on a goal by senior Elena Horton. They led 15-13 with 12 minutes to play, and 16-13 with eight minutes left.

"It's indescribable," said junior Mackenzie McMillan, who put the Braves ahead, 14-12. "We had possession of the draws, and we controlled the ball."