Carroll Wins Sectional Championship

The Carroll Lady Cougars are the Sectional 54 Champions, defeating Rossville 43-38 Saturday night.

For the second time in four years, Carroll cut down the nets as Sectional Champions.

The Cougars had one of the harder paths to the championship. They won three games in five days, beating Clinton Prairie, Clinton Central, and Rossville.

The championship looked similar to many of Carroll’s victories this year, back-and-forth, tough, and starting at the defensive end.

Jillian Salts got Carroll in rhythm early, scoring the first nine points for the Cougars.

Rossville settled in, going on a 6-0 run to match a 10-0 spurt by Carroll.

At the half, Carroll held a 20-16 advantage. Rossville made halftime adjustments and scored the first five points out of the break to take a 21-20 lead.

Carroll quickly regained the lead and held onto it for much of the second half.

Ava Burkle kept Rossville in the game, she finished with 14 points, falling just four points shy of 1000 at the end of her junior campaign.

Early in the fourth, both Salts and Burkle picked up their fourth fouls. Salts took a seat, while Burkle stayed in.

After a quick Rossville run, Carroll held a two-point lead 33-31. The Cougars scored four in a row and Ava Burkle was called for her fifth foul, sending her to the bench for the remaining three minutes of the game.

Leading 37-31 the Cougars began to bleed the clock. Rossville was able to poke the ball away and Victoria Vanderwall hit a contested side-step three to make it a three-point game.

The teams traded buckets and Carroll led 39-38. Rossville got a steal but couldn’t convert on the other end. After missing four straight free throws as a team, Carroll iced the game by hitting four free throws, all by sophomore Eliza Rinehart.

Carroll won 43-38, winning the sectional championship for the first time since the 2021-2022 season.

After the game, head coach Brady Wiles expressed his pride in his team’s fight and resilience.

“We had one of the toughest draws,” Wiles said. “But I’m so proud of our girls, all the credit goes to them.”

Carroll will move on to the Regional Championship against North Miami. They will play at Wes-Del next Saturday at 4 p.m.

Congratulations to the Rossville Hornets on a fantastic season, as they finish the year 15-9. And congrats to the Carroll Cougars, the 2025 Sectional 54 Champions.

More photos to come.