Kettering Fairmont beat Dayton Dunbar 57-54
Cincinnati St. Xavier beat Chaminade-Julienne 38-32 Pickerington Central beat LaSalle 59-44 Trotwood-Madison beat Kettering Alter 73-60 Fairmont survives against young Wolverines Fairmont was hungry to get their first win after dropping a gritty game to Cincinnati St. Xavier and a double digit loss to Beavercreek on Friday night. Dunbar on the other hand was fresh off of a win over Belmont to start City League play. The Firebirds controlled much of this one, leading by as much as 10 points at the quarter breaks. But Dunbar showed some bounce back by cutting into the deficit in the 4th and nearly taking out the Firebirds. But Fairmont would get that first W with a 57-54 victory. Evan Gentile scored 19 points in the win. GCL South bests C-J St. Xavier would be the Eagles’ 2nd GCL South opponent after losing by 9 to Moeller last week. C-J led by 5 at the half and looked more comfortable compared to a week ago. But St.X fought back in the 3rd to retake the lead at the quarter break and would finish out with a 38-32 victory. The Eagles showed a lot of fight in the loss and have played one of the toughest schedules in the state to start the year. The Bombers move to 4-0 and are slowly becoming one of the top teams in the state and in Division I. Rams run into Knights In the finale of the Rich Kidd Classic, the defending state champion Knights went up against Trotwood-Madison. While the game started in Alter’s favor, it quickly shifted at the half as Trotwood took a 12 point lead into the locker room. While the Knights would adjust and cut the deficit to 8, they couldn’t take the lead as Trotwood would win the heavyweight fight 73-60. The Rams move to 4-1 with the win and were paced by Kentucky football commit Jermiel Atkins.
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3pm- Pike (IN) vs Jeffersonville (IN) 70-61
6pm- Indian Hill vs Huntington Prep (WV) 60-61 The host Braves were one of two Ohio teams playing this week at the Body Armor Classic. After losing a tough league game to Mariemont the night before, the Braves had a close loss to Expressions Elite 61-60 to end the event. The bigger takeaway was freshman Rocco DiSanto and his 36 point outing. It’s been a tough start for Indian Hill and DiSanto gives them a chance to be one of the better programs in the CHL once they get into a groove. Lakota East defeated Goshen 67-44
Loveland defeated Preble Shawnee 64-54 Cincinnati St. Xavier defeated Fairmont 45-38 Colonial (FL) defeated Sycamore 72-65 Richmond Heights defeated Kettering Alter 62-46 Little Miami defeated Mason 58-47 Wyoming defeated Hilliard Bradley 57-41 Aiken defeated Beavercreek 80-65 Summit Country Day defeated Harvest Prep 65-54 Moeller defeated Chaminade-Julienne 51-42 CHCA defeated Tri-Village 66-60 (OT) Richmond Heights wins the battle of defending champs Without a doubt the most anticipated game of the event and potentially of the whole weekend. Richmond Heights entered this game the 3-time defending state champions in Division IV while Alter is the defending state champions from Division II. Many anticipated this game to be a battle of two focuses. Alter’s height vs Richmond Heights’ guard play. It was also anticipated this game would be a close one, but Richmond Heights left no doubt with their trio of Dorian Jones, DeErrick Barber and Demarris Winters playing well and handing the Knights a 62-46 loss on opening weekend. It’s a statement that the Spartans may have lost some talent from a year ago, but guards win and they’ve got 3 winners in their backcourt. Alter doesn’t have any alarms going off with this loss, but many eyes were on them and their two Division I commits in RJ Greer (NC State) and Brady Conner (Wright State). Wyoming’s juniors picking up where they left off The junior class at Wyoming has had plenty of success. As freshman they lost in the District Finals to eventual State Semifinalist Chaminade-Julienne. As sophomores they lost to Kettering Alter in the Regional Finals. This group wins and they had a tough opening game with a very organized Hilliard Bradley team. The Cowboys not only won, but beat the Jaguars by 16 points. It’s tough to score 45+ on Bradley and their stout defense. But behind Kellen Wiley and Darren Gray, Wyoming has plenty of offensive firepower. This group will be heavily favored to contend in Division IV with Kettering Alter being the team in their way. Summit Country Day, CHCA cement themselves as teams to watch Summit impressed me in Cincinnati just a few weeks ago and they again turned heads with a convincing win over powerhouse Harvest Prep. The Knights have been getting production from Max Joiner (Fr) and Tim Martin (Jr) and beat a Warriors team that was considered a favorite in Division V alongside Richmond Heights and Lutheran East. CHCA meanwhile won a dual between Luke Sanders and Tri-Village’s Trey Sagester. The Eagles are coming out of Division IV and have a solid core around Sanders and it showed against the well-coached Patriots. Both CHCA and Summit come out of the Miami Valley Conference and I have no doubt they will both be households names in the conference throughout the year. AIken can score…a lot We knew Aiken had potential with all the athletes on their roster. But Jaiden Arnold and James Burnett combined for 50 of AIken’s 80 points on Saturday. Being able to defend not one but two potential scoring threats is not an easy task. With transfers DeAndre Carr-Short and Antwan Hinton both joining, Aiken is going to have potential to put up 80+ points on a nightly basis. GCL South won over Dayton Both Moeller and St. Xavier were tasked with facing Dayton area teams in their openers. St. X was matched up with a Kettering Fairmont team down a few guys to injury. The Firebirds battled it out and only lost by 7, but they struggled with Jacob Wassler who clearly created issues with his 6-foot-10 frame. Moeller got a matchup with Chaminade-Julienne in what would’ve been a true GCL game 10 years ago. For the Crusaders, their defense held C-J standout David Cartwright under double digits and Alex Kazanecki exploded for 22 points as Moeller started the year on a positive note winning in true GCL fashion. Alter could defend their title in a new division
The new divisional alignment certainly helps the defending champion Knights. After winning a state title in Division II a year ago, Alter returns 3 starters and will look to run things back in a new division. Replacing the guard combination of Gavin Leen and Joe Brand will be a challenge, but Alter has plenty of size in Brady Conner (Sr), Charlie Uhl (Sr), and Matt Lunne (Sr), along with NC State commit RJ Greer (Sr). The Knights will again have Cincinnati Wyoming in their way in their Region, along with Taft and Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (CHCA). Assuming the Knights can limit turnovers and utilize their size, they make a strong case to take home their 2nd straight State Title. GWOC again will be tough Every year seems to see the GWOC get a little tougher and tougher. Last season saw Centerville again win the conference title, but Beavercreek, Wayne and Springboro all finished 1-game back of the Elks. This year is no different and looks to be a competitive season in conference play. Centerville returns the Greenburg twins along with and the addition of Trey Sam (So) from Bellbrook. All 3 will be needed to replace Jonathan Powell and a lot of scoring from a State Runner-Up finish last season. Wayne again is losing their best player, but have plenty of skilled guards in Myles Perkins (Sr), Jaysean Price (Sr) and Isaiah Thompson (Jr) all back. Beavercreek has Isaiah Williams (Sr) returning for his final year, but depth will be a question for the Beavers. Springboro loses some major pieces, but have several role guys back. Springfield, Northmont and Fairmont all look solid and only make predicting this conference that much tougher to do. Tippecanoe and Sidney are the teams to beat in the MVL The Red Devils and Yellow Jackets have plenty of talent at their disposal and seem to be the favorites out of the MVL this year. Tippecanoe brings back CJ Bailey (Jr) along with a solid senior class. Sidney is senior heavy and has arguably the best scorer in the league in A’Zon Steele (Sr). He along with Julius Spradling (Sr) and Jayce Daniel (Sr) will be a tough trio for the Valley division to defend. What will the City League look like? Transfer and graduation affected the Dayton City League quite a bit with 5 of the 6 teams losing 3 or more starters from the previous year. Dunbar again looks to be the team to beat behind Moses Sanford (So) and Carlisle transfer Justyce Taylor (Jr). Meadowdale, Stivers and Thurgood Marshall all return key seniors, but will they have the depth to challenge the Wolverines at the top of the league standings? SWBL has a couple contenders For the first time in a few years, the SWBL has several teams that not only could contend within the league, but could make postseason noise as well. Oakwood had a successful season under 1st year coach Braden Short, and has Luke Rubin (Sr) returning for another big season. Valley View is young but the sophomore combo of Brody Denny and Ty Fritz are going to be a problem for years to come. Carlisle only loses one starter from a season again and has Blake Lawson (Sr) leading an upperclassmen heavy team. Bellbrook saw major growth in Austin Webb (Sr) in the offseason and bring back 4 starters from a season ago. Tri-Village in the WOAC again It should come as no surprise when it comes to WOAC that Tri-Village is identified as the team to beat. Behind legendary coach Josh Sagester, the Patriots have been a force in both conference play as well as in the postseason for many years. Trey Sagester (Jr) grew a year ago and evolved into a deadly perimeter shooter. While he is losing several seniors from a District champion team a year ago, Tri-Village does a great job of reloading vs rebuilding and will have new faces to pick up the pieces. Division VI is not as strong in SW Ohio and appears to be Tri-Village’s to take. Russia can finally win a state title For two straight seasons, the Russia Raiders reached the State Final Four, only to be defeated by eventual state champions Richmond Heights. With the new divisional alignments, Russia is away from the Spartans and are now the presumed team to beat in Division VII. Russia is losing one of the best seniors classes that has come through in recent history, but still has the pieces and the culture to contend year in and year out. Braylon Cordonnier (Sr) and Benjamin York (Sr) played major roles a year ago and are now back in more leadership roles as Russia will be the team to beat in the SCAL as well. SCAL foes Jackson Center and Botkins could have something to say, but few teams in Division VII have the depth and recent postseason success to match the Raiders. TRC could be open For the first time in the conference’s brief history, we could have an open race in the TRC this year. After years of seeing Troy Christian and Miami East dominate, we could finally see some change. Troy Christian graduated a legendary senior class and look to be a little down this year. Miami East will still hang around behind Ty Rohrer (So) and Kamden Wolfe (Sr). Northridge has been getting better each year and now look to be a potential favorite. Bethel and their standout guard Mike Halleg (Sr) will have something to say as well. Final Score (2OT)
Centerville 70 Moeller 69 There was a feeling in the air walking into Xavier University Saturday morning. While the season (and tournament) had unpredictable moments throughout, there was a feeling on gratitude for the Region 4 Championship. The 2 best teams in the Southwest District, Centerville (#1 seed from Dayton) and Moeller (#1 seed from Cincinnati) had battled their way through the Districts and first Regional matchup to setup a highly touted rematch. Centerville had defeated the Crusaders in the regular season 62-55. But more importantly, the last time these two teams faced off in the Regional Finals was 2021. That game, Moeller, the three-time defending state champions, were dethroned by Tom House on a buzzer beater, as the Elks would go on to win their first state title behind House and a slew of talent around him. By time we got to tipoff on Saturday, both teams showed they were trying to rely on what makes them unique. Moeller kept patient in their offensive sets, moved the ball and opened up opportunities for shots on the perimeter. Alex Kazanecki (Jr) specifically got off on the right foot getting 7 points in the quarter. Centerville on the other hand, was winning the hustle battle by getting 50/50 balls and securing 2nd chance opportunities on the offensive glass against the Crusaders’ height. Both teams went back and forth with Moeller leading early 14-11. Out of the 2nd quarter, Brook Cupps had a message to his team and made a timely adjustment surrounding one of the Elks’ role players. Centerville seemingly settled in come 2nd half. Defensively, they held the Crusaders to a single digit quarter. Offensively though, the Elks utilized the extra attention on their stars Jonathan Powell (Sr) and Baboucarr Njie (Sr) and went to Jamar Montgomery (Jr) for production. The junior guard was averaging 6 points per game entering the game. By halftime he had 8 points already. Montgomery found space and made himself available for easy layups to give Centerville momentum. So much so, that the Elks started to pull away and took a 29-23 lead into the half. The second half continued as a chess match with Centerville taking the lead by as much as 11 points in the quarter. Moeller would fight to get the deficit down to 4 with a sequence of Kingston Land (Jr) getting a transition dunk so powerful, one might’ve thought he had a personal vendetta with the rim. On the ensuing defensive possession, Eric Mahaffey (Sr) took a charge to get the ball back, followed by a Kazanecki 3-ball to get it down to 4. Njie would stop the bleeding with a tip-in at the buzzer to allow the Elks to maintain their lead 39-33. If any fans thought the 3rd quarter was wild, they were going to be surprised in the last 2 minutes of the game. Up by double digits again in the quarter, Moeller had to stat fouling. One of their best defenders, AJ McBride (Sr), had fouled out. The fouling worked. Centerville started to find themselves going 1-for-2 at the free throw line. On the other end, Kazanecki and Mahaffey would score and the score began to slowly get closer. At 1:25, Moeller had the deficit down to 6 points. With just 25 seconds remaining, Moeller had the deficit down to just 1-point. At 10 seconds, we were tied. The turnovers and missed free throws plagued the Elks and they found themselves entering OT with the Moeller faithful on their feet and excited to potentially steal the show. They say in OT, typically the game is indeed decided by who has the momentum. Moeller was thinking they would prove this as they jumped out early in the lead. All of a sudden, the tides seemed to be turning and it looked like Moeller was going to be making a State appearance for the first time since 2019. And then the free throw bug came to them. Moeller started to miss free throws and it allowed Centerville to erase their deficit. In the final seconds, Eli Greenburg (Jr) buried two free throws to tie the game up. The discipline of the Elks showed as they defended a Moeller drive to the rim to win the ball game. And just like that a second OT was needed. Both teams went back and forth with the second OT period, trading blows while facing adversity. Moeller, without McBride, then lost their starting PG Kyle Havens (Sr) to fouls. On the Centerville side, 4 players were sitting with 4 fouls. With just seconds to play, Moeller had the lead 69-67. Centerville had the basketball in their possession. Most people in the gym knew who might be taking the final shot. And just like that it happened. Jonathan Powell, a Xavier commit playing on his future home court, caught the ball on the wing and put up a 3-ball with heavy pressure closing out on him and buried it. Centerville had the lead 70-69 and Moeller had one more chance to try and win this game. With roughly 4 seconds left, Mahaffey possessed the ball and attacked the rim for the Crusaders. He found the paint and even got his shot up. It didn’t fall. Centerville punched their ticket for the 4th straight year to the State Final Four. The celebrating began as did the stunning looks from the Moeller portion of the fanbase. The Elks needed a full team win as 4 starters were in double figures, led by Powel with 20. Moeller in a losing effort, showed a glimpse of hope for the future. Alex Kazanecki was going to be a problem for the next several years. His 34 point performance on 11-of-16 shooting proved this. For Centerville, the next step was clear. A showdown with Toledo Whitmer. Northwest Ohio’s best team beat one of Northeast Ohio’s best teams just a few hours later on a buzzer beater of their own. All year questions have been risen on how the Elks would perform after the loss of such an incredible class, headlined by Gabe Cupps. I guess we will find out on Saturday. Final Score
Russia 56 Troy Christian 35 December 28, 2023. Russia met up with Troy Christian in the Piqua Holiday tournament. Both teams entered the game AP ranked in Division IV. Russia would win this matchup convincingly, earning a 64-39 victory. Many felt this game could be seen yet again. And they were right. Russia, returned to the Regional Final for the 2nd straight year. The Raiders had won 9 straight since their last and only loss of the year to Anna. In that winning streak, only once was the margin of loss single digits. Troy Christian entered the game not losing in February. In fact, the Eagles had lost just one time during the 2024 calendar year. But the wins? Impressive doesn’t even describe it. Wins over Jackson Center, Chaminade-Julienne and Ottawa-Glandorf on the road and a total of 13 wins in a row. The hype behind this rematch was real and there was certainly electricity in the air. The game started off in a 4-4 tie with both teams trading buckets in the first two minutes. Russia then did what they did all season, clamp down the defense. The Raiders would outscore the Eagles 12-0 in the final 6 minutes and took a 16-4 lead after the first period of play. Russia was keeping Parker Penrod (Sr), Troy Christian’s leading scorer and Southwest District Player of the Year in Division IV, to a minimum in his shots. The length on the perimeter made it hard for Penrod to get into his shot mechanics. If he did get penetration, 6’5 Felix Francis (Sr) was waiting in the paint. And just like he had done all year, Hayden Quinter (Sr) was making plays for the Raiders on the offensive end. It didn’t stop there. Russia would continue their defensive performance, using their length to force Troy Christian into turnovers and keeping them to another single digit quarter. The Raiders would double their output and take a 32-11 lead into the locker room. Even bigger for them? Benjamin York (Jr) had brought so much off the bench and had 13 to pace Russia at the half. Out of the half, Troy Christian was going to have to make adjustments to get Penrod open and get more shots out of him. Whatever they came up with worked. Penrod started to find rhythm and the Eagles began to try and get the ball out in transition to get more open shots. It worked. While it was an even quarter scoring wise, the Eagles at least doubled their first half scoring output with Penrod scoring 16 of 23 as the Eagles trailed 43-23. From there, the game continued at the pace until the curtain calls began for both teams. For the Eagles, somber as their senior class of Penrod, Frank Rupnik, Alex Free, and Christian Brunsman came off the floor for the final times in their high school careers. This group had done something not seen at Troy Christian since 2013. An undefeated conference record, convincing victories in the tournament, Troy Christian earned the round of applause for those seniors. On the opposite side of the arena, joy overcame the Russia faithful. For the 2nd time in a row, Russia was going to be playing in the State Final Four. Many of these players had been part of the run last year. Now they were going to try and make history. Their opponent? Talk about déjà vu… Richmond Heights is awaiting the Raiders. Their quest for a 3rd crown means they have to beat Russia. In Dayton. For the 2nd time in a row. Against a hungry and inspired Russia team. It was a tale of two games Thursday at Butler. On a night where storms rolled through, all eyes were focused on the basketball, especially at the Division II Regional. In Region 8, two expected teams were competing, as well as two teams not many expected.
Alter entered the tournament the presumed favorite in the Region. This would be their third straight appearance in the Regional Finals if they win and they had a team that was playing extremely well. Jonathan Alder was not expected to be here. Entering their District tournament as a 6-seed, the Pioneers had beaten the 3-seed (Bishop Ready) and the 5-seed (Bishop Watterson) on back-to-back games to earn this spot. The way is started, it was going to be close. Offense was at a minimum and Alder actually led after one period 8-7. The 50+ mile drive to North Dayton clearly wasn’t going to phase the Pioneers. Then, Alter woke up. The Knights got hot behind RJ Greer, who scored 8 straight points and got Alter the lead back and then some. Gavin Leen and Joe Brand contributed as well and the next thing you know, Alter led by 14 going into halftime. Out of the half was much of the same, Alter’s zone defense was too much for Alder. The Pioneers’ Peyton Heiss made shots, but couldn’t make enough to outpace Alter. The Knights would add to the lead getting it up to 27 points. Jonathan Alder cut into going into the 4th quarter. Alter would win 63-42 and punch their ticket to the Regional Finals. Final Score Alter 63 Jonathan Alder 42 Then came the second game, similar to the first. You had the Wyoming Cowboys, the 1-seed in Cincinnati, who started 4 sophomores and were one of the youngest teams in the area. Then you had Badin. The Rams were the 9-seed, entering the tournament not expected to get as far as they did with a first year head coach. It was truly a David and Goliath feel. And it lived to the hype. Both teams brought crowds that had energy and student sections in full force. Similar to the previous game before, the offense was not on display right away. Wyoming got an early lead with Devin Evans burying 2 triples and getting a 10-7 lead. Even in the deficit though, Badin was winning the physical game. 50/50 balls were going their way. The rebounds filled up. Defensively, they held Wyoming under 20 points in the half. Everything scripted was going their way. There was just one problem. The Rams had 5 shots literally rim out and the offense was not flowing. Trailing 18-11 at the half, Badin needed a change of momentum. Coach CJ Fleming had his team pick up the pressure and started to speed up the Cowboys and their young guards. And it worked. Turnovers and missed shots plagued Wyoming. The biggest momentum shift came at the end of the game when Aidan Brown attempted a halfcourt shot at the buzzer. He was fouled and hit 2 of 3 free throws. With the game now 27-22 in favor of Wyoming, you started to wonder if Badin was going to win this low scoring matchup. That is, until Kellen Wiley decided it was time to kick it up a notch. The sophomore guard made plays and created turnovers which in turn became transition buckets. All of the sudden, Wyoming stole the show and added to their lead. They instituted a 2-3 zone and forced Badin to shoot the ball from the perimeter. And the shots just weren’t falling. The Rams fought. They were the more physical team and the adjustments made would have worked perfectly. But it just wasn’t their night from the floor. Wyoming held on 50-38 to push the young Cowboys in the Region Finals where they will meet the Alter Knights. Both teams were the expected favorites. The top seeds in Dayton and Cincinnati respectively. And it’s only fitting they will battle it out to determine who goes to Dayton. Final Score Wyoming 50 Badin 38 Top Performers Gavin Leen- Alter’s senior guard continues to be a force for the Knights on the offensive side of the ball. Running the point and handling the ball, Leen is the director of the Alter orchestra. His basketball IQ is off the charts. Makes some of the tougher passes and moves so well without the basketball in hand. Leen has shown he can shoot the ball off the dribble or off the catch, none bigger than a big shot at the buzzer to end the 3rd quarter. His leadership in the backcourt is a big reason why the Knights are where they are. Kellen Wiley- Wyoming’s top scorer has shown twice why he’s a force to recon with on the offensive side of the ball. Only a sophomore, Wiley’s handle stays clean whether he’s sped up or in a half-court setting. Utilizing a quick crossover and convincing hesitation dribble, Wiley breaks you down on the perimeter and turns on the burners to explode off the drive. While his shot mechanics aren’t the most clean, it still is effective and forces defenders to choose to allow the shot or take away driving lanes. Wiley’s biggest impact came on the defensive end as he read passing lanes and created turnovers for the Cowboys in the final quarter. Tasked with defending Badin’s Cooper Ollis, Wiley moves well on defense and isn’t beat easily. Region 12
Preble Shawnee vs Tri-Village This Regional Semifinal matchup will be a rematch between the 2 Western Ohio Athletic Conference (WOAC) foes. These 2 met on February 16th with Preble Shawnee winning 49-35 in New Madison. While the Patriots are the top seed, they have certainly faced their share of tight games this postseason. Tri-Village won their District Semifinal 45-43 over Waynesville and then survived against Summit Country Day 49-46 in the District Final. They have one of the best shooters in the District in Trey Sagester (So) and one of the better facilitators in Tanner Printz (Sr). This group may not have as many scoring options as past years, but they still have one of the best coaches in Josh Sagester and they still play the physical brand of basketball that Tri-Village has thrived on for the last several years. Preble Shawnee has played well so far this postseason and capped it off with a convincing 61-52 victory of Williamsburg in the District Final. The Arrows have been here before after making the Regional Finals last year and returning many of those guys in the process. Mason Shrout (Sr) was the District Player of the Year in Division III and the leading scorer in the WOAC. He’s got size around him in 6-foot-8 Logan Hawley (Sr) and experienced guard in Isaac Blankenship (Sr). On paper, the Arrows might have the most talent and are playing their best basketball currently. This rematch is must-watch basketball. Will Preble Shawnee be able to beat Coach Josh Sagester twice in the same season? Can Tri-Village shoot the 3-ball better after going 2-for-13 in their first meeting with the Arrows? Does Mason Shrout only score 14 points again? All of this is key in whoever takes this game. Versailles vs Mariemont Versailles’ record and seed may not indicate how good this tea really is. The Tigers have been to the Regional round multiple times in the last 15 years and this year did it in a thrilling way. After beating Arcanum, the Tigers upset 2-seeded Indian Lake 43-42 on a Drake Ahrens (So) buzzer beater. A few nights later, the Tigers convincingly defeated Gamble Montessori 74-55 to punch their ticket back to Regionals. Ahrens plays more mature for his grade and can do so much offensively outside scoring. Carson Heitkamp (Sr) is a low post machine after achieving a double-double (17 pts, 22 rebounds) in the District Final. Jace Watren (Jr) has the verticality and athleticism that he pinned multiple shots against the Gators and brings some weak side rim protection for the Tigers. Mariemont is the lone Cincinnati team in this Regional after erasing a 12-point deficit to defeat Brookville 78-70 in OT. While the Warriors may not have 20+ point victories throughout the postseason, they do have a group that has played a physical brand of basketball that has guided them to reach their 2nd Regional tournament in the last 3 years. It starts with their senior leader Charlie Tully (Sr), who has been instrumental for the Warriors throughout the year. His leadership on both ends of the floor is hard to match. Sam Stalzer (So) is the #1 guy offensively but really impacts with his two-way capabilities. His brother Socko Stalzer (Sr) is another glue guy that brings tenacity on the defensive end. Neither of these teams will play fast, and both have no problem being a more halfcourt focused team. Mariemont thrives on their defense while Versailles wants to run their sets and execute often. The key in this one will be who is the tougher team? Versailles dominated the stat sheet against Gamble while Mariemont demonstrated grit erasing the deficit they created and earning a win in OT. The tougher team is the one that is going to ultimately win this one. Final Score
Bellbrook 48 CJ 44 Bellbrook made a trip to Chaminade-Julienne for a non-league matchup headlining the Battle of the Eagles. C-J entered the game on a 2-game win streak and was sitting at 5-1 since the turn of the new year. Bellbrook on the other hand was looking to turn things around as they had lost 5 of their last 6 games. C-J came out quick, using their athleticism and speed in the backcourt to pressure Bellbrook and forced 3 turnovers just to start the game. To contain the size C-J brought, Bellbrook went into a 2-3 zone defensively. Cal Weatherspoon (Sr) buried 3 3PT shots to start the game out and forced the Golden Eagles defense to account for him while they maintained their zone. C-J struggled to get a lot of ball movement against the zone and was not connecting outside Weatherspoon. C-J led after the first quarter 13-12. Bellbrook was able to quickly tie the game back up to start the second quarter as they forced several turnovers with the zone. C-J would finally break away with a 7-0 run in the middle of the quarter to extend the lead to 7. While the defense for Bellbrook did their part, offensively they struggled as leading scorer Kellen Solomon (Sr) struggled to get open looks and Austin Webb (Jr) also was not getting great looks. Bellbrook’s struggles allowed C-J to extend the lead 21-16 into the half. Something changed in that third quarter. Bellbrook had a different feel on both ends of the floor and started to get after it on both ends. The Golden Eagles were able to match their first half scoring total in the 3rd quarter alone. C-J continued to settle for 3’s and was not connecting consistent enough to force Bellbrook out of the zone. At the end of the quarter, we were tied 32-32. In the 4th quarter, Bellbrook continued to make shots and we had a back and forth game going until the final minute. With under a minute, CJ Scohy (Jr) made a double move in the paint to take the lead 46-44. C-J would draw a play up and David Cartwright (Jr) attempted the go-ahead 3 with seconds remaining, but the ball hit the back of the iron giving Bellbrook the ball back and after making 2 free throws, the Golden Eagles would go on to win 48-44 and shock the Eagles in their home gym. Weatherspoon led the Eagles with 13 points on 4-9 shooting from the floor. Bellbrook’s David Gregory (So) led the Golden Eagles with 18 points off the bench on a blistering 6-8 from the floor, including 4-6 from beyond the arc. Bellbrook’s defense did it’s part as it held C-J to 6-of-24 (25%) shooting beyond the arc. Chaminade-Julienne will look to bounce back on Friday with a GCL game at home against McNicholas and another home game Saturday against Division IV power Troy Christian. Bellbrook will face Spire Academy from NE Ohio on Friday. Final Score
Tippecanoe 60 West Carrollton 35 Tippecanoe made the trip down I-75 South for a rematch with West Carrollton on Friday night. The Red Devils had defeated West Carrollton almost a month prior 50-37 where they had a sound defensive outing. Defense was not a theme of the 1st half. Tipp knocked down several 3PTs to start the game and jump out to an early lead. West Carrollton would respond with scores of their own and tried to use their size to their advantage. The game started off close with Tippecanoe leading 14-12 after 1 quarter. The 2nd quarter was much of the same with both teams trading blows and Tipp leading 25-21 at the half. Come the 3rd quarter, the game shifted. Tipp’s defense got tighter and limited West Carrollton’s opportunities. The Pirates were held to 3 points total and weren’t getting great looks. Tipp’s Jackson Smith (Sr) was an animal on the glass, picking up nearly every offensive rebound he could and Tipp extended the lead out 38-24 at the end of 3. The final quarter continued to be all Tipp as they put away the Pirates 60-35 for a season sweep. Smith finished with a double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds. |
Written by: Tony Peters & Seth KeimEdited and Published by: Seth Keim Archives
December 2024
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