Jan. 31—Every basket Badin made in the final minutes was about confidence.
As the Rams’ defense continued to tighten up, the pressure began to build on the other end of the field. That’s where the Rams shined most on Friday night.
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There was little drama in the battle for the top spot in the Greater Catholic League coed division standings after the second half. Badin defeated Alt in Kettering, winning 66-55 on the road.
Badin led Alt by nine points heading into the fourth quarter, scoring the first six points and never looked back.
“Our players did what we asked them to do, and it met our standards,” Badin head coach Ben Cosgrove said. “Two of our best players had their worst nights, but we came out of here with a double-digit win. That should tell everyone how well we took it, how deep we were, how good we were.”
Badin (15-2) never trailed after leading by four at halftime. They gave up 18 points in the first six minutes of the game but held Alt to 16 points in the middle. The Cavaliers shot well from outside, hitting four 3-pointers in the opening game, but they couldn’t create much offense after freshman William Peagler, Jr. led all scorers with 24 points.
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“They played really well. They played hard, they were aggressive, just like they have been the past few years, that’s their style, right?” Alter head coach Eric Coulter said. “They’re going to get after you defensively, but their offense is much better now than they have been the last two years.”
Alt (11-6) won their first meeting 61-58 in overtime. Badin overturned a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter but only scored three points in overtime.
This time, Badin started to apply pressure early in the second half, getting away from Alter on the scoreboard. The Rams never let the lead drop below 10 points in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve had games like this this year where we got a little too comfortable in the first half and got a little too slack defensively,” Cosgrove said. “…It took us a minute to get our (scout report) on the defensive end, but we figured it out pretty well in the second half.
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“I think I looked at our coach one time and it was 39, and I thought, we didn’t score in a couple of minutes, but they didn’t either. So that’s always a good thing.”
Badin had his career-high scoring performances as seniors – Bryson Bowling scored 18 points and Cody Knapp scored 16 points. Eli Stroud and Carson Lowe are the only Rams players averaging double figures this season, but they only have nine points combined.
Cosgrove said this fits with the team mentality his team has built, where anyone can contribute as needed.
“We got a lot of short touches and that led to a lot of goals for Bryson,” he said. “In the first half, when we weren’t playing defense, Cody kept us shooting. Cody was shooting, and that’s what really good teams do. They do things on both ends of the floor. When the defense isn’t there, the offense is going to happen.”
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The Rams have won 10 consecutive games and are tied with the Cavaliers for first place in the league.
Badin has won back-to-back district titles but is more than a decade removed from the top spot in the league.
“That’s one thing this group hasn’t done yet,” Cosgrove said.
Alt and Badin’s only league defeats came against McNicholas. The Rockets were recently notified by the OHSAA that due to the use of ineligible players, the team would have to forfeit its first 10 wins, including games against Badin and Alt.
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These changes are not yet reflected on the GCL Co-Ed website. As of Friday night, the site still listed McNicholas at 7-1, with Alt and Badin both at 6-2.
“This has been the weirdest year I’ve ever had coaching,” Coulter said. “… Now people have to say, ‘Well, that really didn’t happen.’ Now you see, we find ourselves associated with Badin. I guess I don’t know the absolute truth because when I go to our website, it still says they’re there, we’re here, Badin’s here.”
Whatever happens at the top of the league will be revealed in the coming weeks. Badin, meanwhile, has positioned himself to return to the top.
“It’s special to be able to come out here and win the way we did for the senior group because they want that. They really want that,” Cosgrove said.
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Badin players prepare before Friday’s game. Badin defeated Alt, 66-55, in a Greater Catholic League coed game on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Kettering. Steven Wright/Staff