Before we get into the high school basketball tournament brackets let’s spend some time talking about the young bowlers who’ve reached the district and state levels on the lanes. With only two divisions in the sport as compared to seven in both football and basketball (due to fewer schools having teams) bowling is quite competitive across the board. The smaller D-II schools have the state tournament this coming week at the HP Lanes in Columbus with the boys rolling on Friday and the girls on Saturday. The Versailles Lady Tigers won the Southwest District outing and advanced to Columbus with their five scorers paced by the “Super Sophomores”; Madelyn Farver posted a 662 series, Brooke Keiser rolled a 590, and Alayna Bertram who recorded a 571. The Fort Recovery girls finished second after winning sectional honors.
In boys D-II action it was almost a reverse situation to the girls with Fort Recovery’s Indians placing first and the Versailles boys ending up third. Versailles trip to the capitol city was led by senior Sam Albers 614 and sophomore Gabe Meyer’s 583. Ansonia’s boys also qualified for the district event but came up short in their quest for a state berth, finishing 19th of the 24 teams as seniors Noah Heck (562) and Matt Middleton (544) were joined by junior Parker Cromes (559).
In D-I play, the Greenville girls, by way of a 9th place finish out of 26 teams in the sectionals, move on to the district meet which will be held Thursday at the Beaver-Vu Lanes in Beavercreek. The Lady Wave qualified as seniors Marissa Boney (502) and Addy Arnett (453) along with freshman Haylee Fisher (449) set the pace. Good luck to all participants in each division, hopefully you’ll find your groove!
Switching to the hardwood, in D-VII girls tournament action the past week the number one-seed Lady Raiders of Russia dominated Springfield Catholic Central to advance to the district semifinals this Wednesday at Tecumseh High School versus Springfield Emmanuel Christian. Coached by former Greenville High School boys coach Mike Bashore the Blue and Gold won the Shelby County League championship on their way to a 20-3 record.
In other D-VII play, the second-seeded Lady Blackhawks of Mississinawa Valley moved on to another district semifinal to face Botkins, Wednesday at Sidney High School.
In D-VI three Darke County schools continue their seasons with Tuesday contests at Covington High School featuring Ansonia facing Xenia Legacy Christian and Arcanum squaring off with West Liberty Salem. Meanwhile the top-seeded Lady Patriots of Tri-Village meet Houston Wednesday evening at Versailles High School.
In D-IV Brookville takes on Graham Tuesday in Troy, and in D-III Versailles tips off against Valley View on Wednesday at Trotwood-Madison.
Greenville’s Lady Wave ended their first season under Coach Shane Hilliard’s guidance with a first-round D-II loss to Sidney. The Green and White finished with a 10-13 mark (10-8 in the MVL) and made great strides over the course of the season, particularly on the defensive end of the court.
The boys tournament starts this week; for complete brackets go to the OHSAA Southwest District website.
Three quick hitters— Miami’s RedHawks remain the only undefeated D-I college team with a 27-0 record. The ‘Hawks have road games at Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan this week before returning home against Toledo. With the NCAA selection committee’s seeming prejudice against midmajor schools Miami needs to continue to win prior to the MAC tourney up in Cleveland.
Great college games this weekend as Duke knocked off Michigan, Cincinnati pounded Kansas, Dayton won their third in a row, Wright State beat IU Indy and maintained its lead in Horizon League standings, and Ohio State, missing two starters, suffered a tough road loss to Michigan State.
And the NFL scouting combine takes place this week in Indianapolis with 317 prospective candidates participating in the annual “meat market”. The actual draft will be held in Pittsburgh beginning April 23rd so the NFL moves on, never sleeping!! Finally, two more items—according to the Wall Street Journal there are now more farmers age 75 and older in the US than farmers under the age of 35 per Agriculture Department findings. Evidently many farmers’ children are choosing to work in less volatile and more profitable industries. Last year, 315 farms filed for bankruptcy, a 46% rise over the previous year. The days of small farms seem to be numbered, but hopefully, continued advancements in equipment, technology, and production will enable the US to continue to “feed the world”. Have to admire the farming community—hard-working people with a love for the land, their livestock, and what they do!!
And if you haven’t had a chance, check out the Round Table episode here at MyCountyLink.com that features a tour of the recently remodeled Darke County Courthouse court and jury rooms as hosted by County Judge Travis Fleihman. Even old guys like Gaylen Blosser, Mike Stegall, and myself were impressed not only with the facilities but with Judge Fleihman’s explanations of the court system and jury selection. Four hundred names are drawn at random every three months from registered voter rolls and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles files for possible jury duty. Have you ever been seated on a jury? Let justice prevail!!
