Louisville Prevails in Hard-Fought Seesaw Battle at Central Catholic, 46-44 – Girls Basketball

By Leopard Nation · Published January 24, 2026 · Updated January 24, 2026

Maggie Baker Louisville Leopards Vs. Waynedale Golden Bears 2025 - Everhart

Louisville 46, Central Catholic 44

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The Louisville Leopards Girls Varsity Basketball Team earned a hard-fought 46-44 road win over the host Canton Central Catholic Crusaders Wednesday night. With the victory, Louisville improves to 7-10 on the season.

Varsity Recap | Varsity Box Score | JV Box Score

Tillett Scores Game-High 16 to Lead Louisville

Ella Tillett scored 9 of her game-high 16 points in the first half to lead the Lady Leopards. She also added 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals.

Maggie Baker followed scoring 11 of her 14 points in the second half to help Louisville secure the victory. She also secured 4 rebounds and dished out 3 assists.

Mikayla Salmons finished with 8 points and 3 assists. The Leopards also got 4 points apiece from Mabel Kiko and Lilly Seaman to round out the scoring.

Baker Leads Leopards Third-Quarter Surge

Neither team was able to establish control early, as the lead changed five times in the opening quarter. Central Catholic led 11-8 at the end of the first quarter and took an 18-16 advantage into halftime.

Louisville came out of the locker room with its best stretch of the night, flipping the game in the third quarter. After trading scores early in the half, the Lady Leopards took control of the game with a 10-2 run. Baker scored three baskets in the quarter that included a steal and score to cap off the run with 3:54 remaining, establishing Louisville’s largest lead of the contest at 29-22.

The Crusaders answered, but moments later, Seaman finished a layup off a feed from Salmons to stretch the margin to seven once again at 31-24 with 3:10 remaining in the third. The Leopards appeared to be in control, but the Crusaders responded with urgency late in the quarter.

Belden Ignites Crusader Late Third-Quarter Comeback

Central Catholic answered Louisville’s surge with a decisive response late in the third quarter, erasing a seven-point deficit in a matter of minutes. Senior Lily Belden knocked down a corner three with 2:16 remaining to pull the Crusaders within 31-27, then followed it up by attacking the lane for a layup to make it a one-possession game just 27 seconds later.

The Crusaders weren’t finished. After another defensive stop, Belden again created offense, this time setting up Grace Finefrock on a give-and-go that resulted in a tying layup with 55 seconds left, completing a 7-0 Central run and evening the score at 31-31. Louisville briefly regained the lead at the free throw line, but Belden struck once more in the closing seconds, drilling her second three-pointer of the quarter with 15 seconds remaining to give Central Catholic a 34-32 advantage heading toward the final horn.

Louisville answered in the closing moments of the period, as Salmons split a pair of free throws with 2.6 seconds left to trim the deficit to 34-33, setting the stage for a nail-biting fourth quarter.

Tight Fourth Quarter Seesaw Battle

The seesaw battle carried straight into the fourth quarter as neither team was able to create separation. Baker opened the period with a transition basket to give Louisville a 35-34 edge, and Salmons followed with a strong drive to the rim to stretch the lead to 37-34. Central Catholic answered moments later when freshman Aubrey Harris-Hall finished through contact for an and-one, tying the game at 37-37.

The Crusaders briefly reclaimed the lead at the free throw line, as Finefrock calmly knocked down a pair to make it 39-37. Louisville responded again, with Seaman sinking two free throws of her own to knot the game at 39-39. Central struck back yet again when senior Sarah Belden pulled up for a short jumper to put the Crusaders back on top, 41-39, with just over three minutes remaining.

Louisville refused to fold. Baker answered once more, weaving through traffic and flipping in a left-handed runner in the lane to tie the game at 41-41 with 2:24 left, setting up a tense finish that came down to execution on both ends.

Late Execution Seals Louisville Victory

The decisive sequence came in the final 90 seconds. Salmons found Ella Tillett in the lane, and Tillett spun through traffic for a tough layup to give Louisville a 43-41 advantage with 1:21 to go. After another defensive stand, the Lady Leopards had a chance to extend the lead at the free throw line but came up empty, keeping the door open for the Crusaders.

Central grabbed the rebound following the miss, but Kiko came up with a clutch defensive play, forcing a jump ball to give possession back to Louisville with under a minute to play. The Leopards made the most of the opportunity, bleeding valuable clock before Salmons stepped to the line and calmly knocked down two bonus free throws to push the lead to 45-41.

Central Catholic had one last push. Sarah Belden drilled a deep three-pointer from the right wing with 17.6 seconds remaining to pull the Crusaders within one, prompting an immediate Central timeout. Out of the break, Louisville nearly turned the ball over near midcourt, but Baker was eventually fouled and converted the front end of a one-and-one to extend the lead to 46-44 with 7.4 seconds remaining.

The Crusaders got a final look at the buzzer, as Finefrock found a seam and attacked the lane, but Makayla Tanner stood tall defensively and forced the layup attempt to miss. Kiko secured her game-high 10th rebound as time expired, sealing a hard-earned 46-44 road victory for the Lady Leopards.

Three Finish in Double Figures for Central Catholic

Central Catholic had three players in double figures, led by Lily Belden and Sarah Belden with a team-high 12 points apiece. Finefrock added 10 points, knocking down two three-pointers and going 2-for-2 at the line. Harris-Hall scored 5, Molly Marceric hit an early three for 3, and Ellie Buckler chipped in with an early basket for 2.

The Crusaders sit at 11-4 after the loss, continuing a recent rough stretch after dropping four of their last five following a strong 10-0 start to the season.

Leopards Win 7th Straight Against Crusaders

The Leopards have now defeated the Crusaders in seven consecutive meetings dating back to 2018. Louisville now leads the all-time series 26-22 overall, which includes a 12-10 record when playing at Canton Central Catholic.

This is the second-closest final tally in the series since the Leopards nipped the Crusaders 49-48 in the 2013 regular season finale.

<<< Previous 2025 | Central Catholic All-Time Series

UP NEXT: The Lady Leopards will next host the Cardinal Mooney Cardinals on Wednesday, January 28. JV will begin at 5:30 PM and Varsity will follow around 7:00 PM from Louisville High School.

Cover Photo By Rick Everhart Photography

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Louisville at Central Catholic Girls Varsity Basketball Statistics

LEOPARDS 46, CRUSADERS 44

Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL

Louisville 8-8-17-13–46

Central 11-7-16-10–44

Louisville Leopards Girls Varsity Basketball Stats

Player	2PT	3PT	FG	FTM	FTA	Points
Ella Tillett	7	0	7	2	4	16
Maggie Baker	5	1	6	1	4	14
Mikayla Salmons	1	1	2	3	4	8
Mabel Kiko	2	0	2	0	0	4
Lilly Seaman	1	0	1	2	2	4
TOTAL	16	2	18	8	14	46

Central Catholic Crusaders Girls Varsity Basketball Stats

Player	2PT	3PT	FG	FTM	FTA	Points
Sarah Belden	4	1	5	1	2	12
Lily Belden	3	2	5	0	0	12
Grace Finefrock	1	2	3	2	2	10
Aubrey Harris-Hall	2	0	2	1	3	5
Molly Marceric	0	1	1	0	0	3
Ellie Buckler	1	0	1	0	0	2
TOTAL	11	6	17	4	7	44

Fouls: 13-9 Central Catholic

Records: Louisville 7-10, Central Catholic 11-4

JV: Louisville 24, Central Catholic 9

JV Statistics

LEOPARDS 24, CRUSADERS 9