UL players, from left, Emily Kellaway, Reagan Vinskovich and Sierra Scott wait in the handshake line following their 59-43 loss.

DAYTON – Unfortunately all dreams come to an end at some point.

The Union Local girls basketball team and its droves of supporters who made the trip across the state of Ohio were dealt that cruel reality Thursday afternoon.

The Jets saw their season of firsts and ‘first flight’ to an OHSAA State Tournament come to an abrupt end at the hands of a young and talented Cincinnati Purcell Marian squad, 59-43, inside U.D. Arena in the Division III state semifinals.

“The girls are really hurting right now and a lot of tears were shed in the locker room, but this one game will not define these kids or this season,” Union Local head coach Scooter Tolzda said.

The Jets finish the season at 25-4 and despite coming short of the ultimate goal, they brought home a regional, district, sectional, OVAC and Buckeye 8 championship.

“This group of girls deserved to be here,” Tolzda said. “We went through a gauntlet, beating some storied teams, including the number one team in the state poll (Wheelersburg). I told the girls, ‘I wish we could try (against Purcell Marian) again, but unfortunately that’s not going to happen unless it’s next year. In time, these kids will look back and be proud of all of this.”

The Jets absolutely demonstrated early and often that they deserved to be at this point. They went toe-to-toe with Purcell Marian, which features freshman Dee Alexander who is widely regarded as the nation’s top player in the Class of 2025 by numerous scouting services.

Quite simply, however, the Jets couldn’t get into an offensive rhythm against a Cavaliers’ defense, which was pressuring from the jump ball until the final horn.

“I told the girls all year there were two things that I thought could beat us,” Tolzda said. “One was grabbing the (loose) ball and taking care of the ball. I think this was the first time this season where I was a little bit frustrated at halftime because I felt like we left a lot (of scoring chances) out there.”

Indeed.

The Jets were unable to take advantage of some chilly shooting from Purcell Marian early in the game. The Cavaliers misfired on their first 12 shots from the floor and only cashed in on eight of 27 field goals in the entire first half.

Despite those numbers, the Jets still found themselves looking up at a 21-18 deficit at halftime.

“We might have gotten caught up in the moment a little bit and panicked a little bit at times,” Tolzda said. “We never got slowed down enough to get the ball into the right place. They pressured us and we knew they could do that. Ultimately, that’s what hurt us.”

Union Local fell behind by as many as 10 in the third quarter when it put together a small spurt. Senior Keira Gregor, who battled foul trouble most of the game, knocked down two at the line and then following a Cavaliers’ turnover, classmate Hannah Merritt buried one of her three, 3-pointers to get within four at 32-28.

However, Purcell Marian went back to Alexander, who led all scorers in the game with 19 points, for an inside basket to stop the run.

That’s simply how it went for Union Local each time it seemed to gain some traction. Either Alexander or Jayda Mosely, the only Purcell Marian player who played in last year’s state tournament, knocked down a shot. Mosley hit a trey and got a rebound and putback for a bucket to thwart a Jets’ run.

Union Local junior post Reagan Vinskovich, who was guarded by the 6-1 Alexander with help from behind – got a pair at the line to get her team to within seven, but Purcell Marian scored the final four and took a 43-32 lead into the fourth.

“Sometimes the pressure being applied by the other team is more than you can realize,” Tolzda said. “They’re quicker than you think they are. We faced pressure this year, but overall the fact that they really pressured us hard showed. We tried to prepare for that, but it’s a different animal when you get into the game. Give Purcell credit because that’s who they are.”

In the fourth, Union Local was able to get the deficit under 10 just twice. At one point, the Jets got a bucket from Torre Kildow and then picked a Cavalier pocket, but couldn’t convert. Compounding matters, Mosley hit a corner trey, which created a five-point swing and seemingly ended any hopes of a Jets’ rally.

The Jets, who shot just 28% from the field, turned the ball over 16 times and were out-rebounded 40-34, were led by Kildow and Vinskovich. Each had 13 points, while Vinskovich collected eight rebounds to lead her team.

Merritt finished with 11 points.

Meanwhile, Alexander showed why high major Division I programs are eager to land her services down the road.

She finished with a game-high in both points (19) and rebounds (13). Mosley provided the top support and freshman guard Ky’Aira Miller added 11 points.