Meredith Ossian shot Ballard to victory and helped end Davenport Assumption's championship run.

Ossian came off the bench to score 19 points and starter Emily Knittel scored 21 to lead seventh-ranked Ballard to a 55-45 victory over No. 3 Assumption in a Class 4A quarterfinal. Assumption moved up to 4A this season after winning the last three Class 3A championships.

With Assumption focusing its defense on scoring leader Gabie Doud, Ossian and Knittel found opportunities and took advantage.

Ossian, a sophomore, scored 12 points in the third quarter, when Ballard outscored the Knights 20-8 to erase 27-22 halftime deficit. Knittel's basket at the start of the fourth quarter pushed the Bombers' lead to 44-35 and they had enough firepower to hold off the Knights down the stretch.

Ossian went 6-for-7 from the field, including 4-for-5 on 3-pointers. Knittel, a 5-foot-9 junior, did her damage inside, hitting 7 of 13 shots and going 7-for-9 at the free throw line.

Doud, a sophomore who's averaging 17.8 points, finished with six points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Three-sport star Maddie Irmen, playing her final basketball game, had seven points, three rebounds and two assists for Assumption. Irmen is an all-state soccer player and state champion sprinter in track.

Belle Thrapp led the Knights with eight points, while Riley Behan and Christine Rohlf each scored six.

Ballard, in the tournament for the eighth time in the last nine years, will take a 21-4 record into a semifinal game at 8:30 p.m. Thursday. It's the ninth straight victory in an opening round game at state for the Bombers.

Assumption lost for only the second time in its last 14 state tourney games. The Knights finish 17-7 after playing a schedule loaded with Class 5A teams from the Mississippi Athletic Conference.