What a week of high school tournament basketball for both girls and boys! As the girls state championships were realized and the boys state qualifiers were determined let’s have a brief recap of games of local interest along with a few other thoughts:
—Fort Loramie’s Lady Redskins won their fourth D-IV championship in the past twelve years, the last two in the past four years. If you didn’t have a chance to see them in action this year their defensive pressure was impressive to watch, leading to their offense at the other end of the court. Coach Carla Siegel’s charges are well-coached and tradition-bound, a machine that constantly produces outstanding basketball.
—In D-III Columbus Africentric, a collection of quality players from around the Capital City, once again used their skills and athleticism to overcome their opponents, in this year’s title game the girls from the tradition-rich program of Ottawa-Glandorf.
—Purcell-Marian from Cincinnati, led by two-time Ohio Ms. Basketball junior Dee Alexander, won its third consecutive state title, the first in D-III and the last two in D-II.
—Olmstead Falls, by defeating the GWOC’s Springboro and super junior Bryn Martin, claimed D-I honors after finishing as state runner-up last year.
—In boys regional action in the OHSAA Southwest District, Russia’s Raiders return to the state D-IV semifinals following a decisive victory over a good Troy Christian Eagles squad. For the second straight year they’ll face off with an AAU All-Star team from Richmond Heights (don’t get me started on that team along with Harvest Prep!).
—In D-II Kettering Alter returns to the state scene for a second time in the last three years, a well-coached talented group who can make it rain three-point baskets in a hurry. The Knights will face Youngstown Ursuline, a team returning to the Final Four for the first time since 1994.
—Centerville returns to the D-I state semifinals for the fourth straight year looking for a second title after hitting a late three-point shot to defeat Cincinnati Moeller 70-69 in double overtime.
—I overlooked the D-III regional you say? Just saving the best for last!! Tri-Village put up a game effort versus Preble Shawnee in one semi, at one point leading by eight points in the first half, only to fall to Ohio Mr. Basketball finalist Mason Shrout and teammates by a 57-48 count. An interesting game to watch because of the strategies employed by both coaching staffs and the resulting countermeasures!
—In the other semi, Versailles demolished Mariemont in a 68-43 rout. The Tigers only took one shot outside the lane the entire second half as they dominated inside play. As my friend Pat Serve observed, “the average height of the American male and Mariemont’s team is about 5’9”, not enough to handle the Tigers physical presence!”
—In the finals for the right to head to the State at UD Arena, Shawnee’s Arrows outscored Versailles 26-6 in the second and fourth quarters on their way to a 53-32 win. Shrout put up 28 points and was ably supported by his teammates as they advanced to face Cleveland Lutheran East and Michigan State signee Jesse McCullough. Good luck to the Arrows as they represent the WOAC and congratulations to both Tri-Village and Versailles on outstanding seasons!
—One final thought, a compliment to three or four young ladies from Versailles who were observed picking up numerous bottles, wrappers, and popcorn boxes from the student section after the Mariemont game Wednesday evening and putting them in the trash. Great job girls!!
The March Madness brackets just came out and will cause angst and anxiety among both casual and diehard fans as they take out their spread sheets, dartboards, and crystal balls in making their picks! A few warning signs to consider: four of the five most popular choices for national number one seeds lost in their conference tournaments over the weekend; only eleven of thirty-two top seeds won their league honors; and a few conferences, like Dayton’s A-10, saw all four top seeds go down in their first games.
I’ll make my picks in private, preferring not to expose myself to ridicule anymore! I will say that beware McNeese State, James Madison, Grand Canyon, and Duquesne in first round matchups. Have at it and good luck, knowing that many winners will be chosen based only on school colors in a lot of instances!
THE’s Justin Fields was traded from the Bears after three fairly undistinguished years calling signals for the “Monsters of the Midway”. A lot of factors, not entirely his doing, entered into the trade to the Steelers, where hopefully he’ll be able to continue improving while backing up Russell Wilson, newly acquired from the Broncos.
Here’s a random thought for you to ponder—according to The Week magazine numerous frog species are being pushed to the edge of extinction. Why? The nation of France consumes over 3,000 tons of frogs’ legs per year! Ribbit!!
Finally, Mother Nature struck at random this past week throughout Eastern Indiana, here locally, and further east and north causing major damage and unfortunately loss of life. There are numerous ways to contribute and help those devastated by the storms; check with other MyCountyLink articles as well as other local media outlets for ways to offer assistance. Let’s pull together and help out these good folks!
