State Tourney: Region 12 Preview

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.