Friday Recap: Springfield survives in OT; Wayne falls to Elks; Huge Games Today

Heres the recap on the Sectional games from Friday night.

Springfield wakes up in time to squeak past Xenia in OT
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Xenia Bucs had played a nearly flawless game, and seemed headed to a huge upset of the #1 seed.
Until the Springfield Wildcats unleashed a late flurry starting early in the 4th to send it into OT, then outlasted Xenia to win and move on to the District finals by a score of 73-72.
 Led by Leonard Taylor, Danny Davis and Mike McKay, the Wildcats will head to the finals for the first time in 4 years. They will face the winner of the #3 Oak Hills vs #12 Wilmington matchup.

Coach Carson and the Cats fans were very relieved after it looked as if Springfield would be the first #1 seed to go down in the OHSAA Bracket.

Centerville knocks off Wayne
The Centerville Elks used hot shooting, patient offense, and a Senior leader in Keegan Saben to shut down Wayne 74-58 on Friday night.
Wayne hit the first bucket of the game, a 3-pointer, and after that, it seemed like a struggle to get the ball in the hoop, as they shot poorly from the perimeter. While Centerville seemed comfortable in the game plan, the Wayne Train couldn't get on track, aside from Star F L'Christian "Blue" Smith, as Smith hit 3 3-pointers to keep Wayne in the game.
Ultimately, it was too much Saben and the Elks.
Centerville had 4 guys in double figures, led by Sabens 25, and will move on to play either #6 Lakota East or #4 Mason.

Keegan Saben delivers in the clutch for Centerville 

Saben was unstoppable, using screens, the baseline, back door moves and his own dribble moves to get his game off. Sam Lash (14) and G Donnie Shelton (10, 6rbs, 5ass, 4 steals) helped in a overall team effort.

Blue Smith (15) and Deshawn Parker (10) led the Warriors in scoring.



TODAYS GAMES:
D-1 NORTHMONT    vs  SPRINGBORO     @ Centerville (7:30)
 Can Northmont continue to play lights out like they have this season? Or will Springboro continue to find a way to win when it counts?
  This GWOC matchup could come down to the wire.



D-2 
#7 VALLEY VIEW    vs  #1 TROTWOOD   (5 pm)
Can Valley View compete with the best team in the State according to the OHSAA Final HS State Poll? While Valley View has had a good season, it will take a monumental effort to pull off the upset today as the Rams look to reach the District Finals. The Rams are averaging a whopping 115 points a game in the tournament.


#10 CARROLL        vs     #6  PONITZ    (6:30) 
In a game featuring a Carroll team who defeated Thurgood last season in this exact round, can they do it again against the higher seed? While Ponitz has been playing well, this Carroll team will be ready for the challenge. Former Flyer and current Ponitz head Coach Steve Pittman has had a very good first year. Can he grab a sectional title?



#5 CHAMINADE-JULIENNE      vs   #2 DUNBAR   (8pm)
In the game of the Day, can C-J and their dynamic backcourt somehow pull off the major upset of the Wolverines? Dunbar's offense has been nothing but high octane as they scored 100 in the last game. Can Chaminade play their game, slow the tempo down and keep the game in the 50's like they want it? Or will one of the Top teams in the State show that they are too much to handle?


CINCY Bracket
#2 HUGHES               vs         #3  TAFT 
Can Cincy Hughes get the big win over Taft?  While TAFT was a shot away from State last season, they will be hard pressed to stop Hughes and their marksmanship. Not to mention HUGHES winning the games this season as well. Can Taft find what it will take to pull off the big W?


#1 WYOMING            vs        #4 WOODWARD
Can WYOMING continue its great season? Or will perennial WOODWARD pull off the minor upset? Woodward has the pieces to do it, but Wyoming has been nearly unstoppable all season.

GWOC on display tonight in Sectional Finals; Rams #1 in final State Poll; Boddie nabs Player of Year in City League

The 2nd weekend of the OHSAA Tournament  will feature some of the best teams, exciting matchups, & rivalries in Southwest Ohio in HS hoops.
Not to mention a few intriguing rematches to boot.

Will "Blue Smith" and the Wayne Train roll over the Elks tonight?

Here's the Marquee Matchups for the Sectional Finals tonight: 

WAYNE   vs.  CENTERVILLE  @Butler HS (7:30)  
Wayne has been playing well lately, as evidenced by the shutdown Performance they had vs Miamisburg.  Centerville has also been playing at a high level, and know this is as good a shot as they will have to beat the Wayne Train in a tourney setting.

Problem is, L'Christian Blue Smith is back, and playing well. Not good for the Elks, who also are dealing with a angry Wayne team who felt like they underachieved a little bit last season, and want to atone for that.

We know that these 2 teams have no love for each other, but mutual respect.  And we also know the game will be close. Add great coaching, and you have the GWOC at its best.

Can the Cats continue to move towards a State Berth?

SPRINGFIELD   vs  XENIA  @ Centerville HS (7:30)
 In this game, Can Xenia and their high powered offense stay on pace with the top dog in the Bracket?
Xenia was able to win late in the first 2 tourney  games, and now find themselves against a extremely confident and talented Wildcats team. The Bucs, led by Samari Curtis, can score in bunches, but the Cats have done it more consistently this season, and the key is the Cats, D, which is downright stifling during stretches in games.



CITY LEAGUE  ALL CITY TEAM, PLAYER OF THE YEAR SELECTED 
Dayton Public League selected their All-City Players and Player of the Year last week.

Stivers Tigers F Tony Boddie was selected as the Player of the Year, after he led the Tigers to 2nd place in the City League this season.

2017 Dayton City League 1st Team

Trotwood ends up #1 in State in Final Regular Season Poll 
The Trotwood Rams finished the Regular season #1 in the OHSAA State D-2 Basketball Poll.
Trotwood (20-2) had a banner year, only losing to Sidney and Nationally ranked Prolific Prep featuring Nationally Ranked player Gary Trent Jr.

The Rams will play tomorrow at UD Arena.

Key Games go down this weekend as Regular Season nears end

Here's the Top 5 Games of the Night as we hit the final weeks of the Regular Season:

Will the State Ranked Rams continue the great play @ Xenia? 

(1) Springfield (16-2) @ Wayne (14-6) (GWOC)

 Can the "Field continue its great season? At the expense of one of the very few down seasons at Wayne? With one of the stars (Blue Smith) not playing, can the Wayne Train survive the dynamic squad that the Wildcats boast, led by Wisconsin commit and Star G Danny Davis and F-C Leonard Taylor?
  The Wildcats will go into this game as a slight favorite, but can they pull off the huge task of beating Wayne in their gym? Davis and the crew haven't done that since he joined the varsity.

Best belive both coaches (Travis Trice - Wayne & Isiah Carson - Springfield) will have their respective teams ready for war tonight.



(2) Dunbar (16-3) @ Stivers (13-7)
 After a near loss against Rival Thurgood, how will the State Ranked Wolverines bounce back against a Stivers team playing it's best ball of the season? The Tigers sit in 2nd place in the city League and have been led by Tony Boddie and Paris Minnifield this season. It has a been a great coaching job by Felix Turner and the staff and they would love nothing more than to knock off the undefeated Wolverines in City League play.



(3) Springboro  @ Northmont (15-4)
 Can the Boro knock off one of the hottest teams in the Miami Valley?
 Northmont has played it's best ball down the stretch, enabling them to win their Division and to work for a nice seed in the tourney.
 Springboro has had a .500 season, and this will be no easy task, as Northmont has been lights out at home this season.


(4) Trotwood (17-2) @ Xenia
 Will Trotwood have a lapse against a solid Xenia team who has played well in the 2nd half of the season?
 The Rams are coming off a 98-89 win over Dunbar in one of the premiere match ups in the City.
Will they come out focused tonight vs a offensive minded Xenia team who can score with the best of em on a good night?


(5) Meadowdale @ Ponitz (13-6)
   Can the Panthers continue on a good season and tie for a 2 spot in the City League?  It's been a god season for the Panthers. Or will the Lions continue their solid play late in the season?

Wayne throttles Centerville; Dunbar D dominates; Trotwood wins 5th straight; Alter drops 65 on Roger Bacon

Heres the Week 6 Results from HS Football in Southwest Ohio

Dunbar D led by Antwuan Johnson (2), Seth Arnold (5), & JoJo Scates (6) battles Meadowdale

Wayne shuts down Elks on Homecoming

 Wayne shuts down  Cent. erville  as they scored 24 points in the 1st quarter with defense, and budding star QB Rashad McKee threw 2 TD passes- one to Ray James and L'Christian "Blue"Smith as the Warriors trounced the host Elks. Kenyon Byrd had a Pick 6 for the WayneTrain.

The Warriors are 2nd in the state in D-1, and are 5-0-1, while Centerville falls to 3-3.

Trotwood puts up 66 in winning 4th straight  

 The Rams star RB Raveion Hargrove made his return known from the start, as he took his first attempt and ran 63 yards for the score against West Carrollton. The Pirates actually tied it at 6, but the Rams would put up 60 straight unanswered points in the victory. Hargrove ended up with 160+ yards and 3 TDs as the Rams (5-1) won their 5th straight game. The Pirates fall to 1-5.

Dunbar D shuts out Meadowdale

Dunbar junior 2 way star Jo Jo Scates ran back the kickoff against the Lions, and the Wolverines never looked back as they halted Meadowdale's 2 game winning streak by winning 46-0. The Wolverines D was on point as the Lions could not get in the end zone. Dunbar also had TD's from WR Chris Jackson & RB Tavion Thomas, and rising junior LB Seth Arnold had a pick 6 for the 5-1 Wolverines. Meadowdale falls to 2-4.

Springfield dumps Xenia

 Xenia was no match for the Wildcats, who were led by RB Shane Ramey's TD Runs (64, 54, & 14) as they jumped out to a 13-0 lead en route to a 40-18 win. Star player Danny Davis scored twice as well, and the Wildcats now move to 4-2 while Xenia falls to 2-4.

C-J wins 3rd straight 

 C-J won a big conference game as they defeated Purcell Marian 28-21. Once 0-3, the Eagles have regrouped and now have won 3 straight and are brimming with confidence.

Thurgood falls to Taft

Cincy Taft, a top team in the SWOPL last year, shut down Thurgood & their winning streak as Taft won 47-7. Taft is 2-0 in the conference and could be setting up a huge matchup vs Dunbar down the road

2nd Ranked Alter posts 65 on Roger Bacon

  Alter continues its torrid play with scoring a robust 65 on Cincy Roger Bacon. Alter is 2nd in the state and has risen every week in the OHSAA Standings.

Troy bounces back

 The Troy Trojans bounced back from a tough loss to get a big win vs Tippecanoe. Troy, was undefeated until Miamisburg scored late to halt the winning streak. Troy won 35-7 and is now 5-1.