Weekend Recap: Springfield shows grit, wins in OT; Northmont, Centerville fall; Alter girls reach State

Here's the recap of last weekend District Final 

Leonard Taylor, Danny Davis & Wildcats celebrates OT victory over Oak Hill for District Championship

SPRINGFIELD shows resolve, wins in OT

 In what might be the Game of the OHSAA Tournament so far in Southwest Ohio, the Springfield Wildcats held off Cincy Oak Hills in OT  by the score of 46-42.

  Oak Hills led early, but Star G Danny Davis led the Wildcats to a lead at half (18-15)  as he scored 8 of his game high 16 to pace the Cats.

Sharpshooter Mike McKay pressures Oak Hills in 2nd half

But Oak Hill stormed out the 2nd half and took control of the game, led by the hot shooting of Ryan Batte,  who led them with 15. 

  Late in the 4th the Wildcats clutch players came alive, as Davis, Star big man Leonard Taylor (15 pts, 9 reb, 4 dimes, 5 stls) & sharpshooter Mike McKay  connected on some big 3s to keep the Cats afloat, then to take control of OT.

  Springfield showed some true moxie in the win, and with a ruckus crowd and a little inspiration from above never hurts.

   Head Coach Isiah Carson has a brother who passed a few years ago and was a legend on the court. A while ago Johnny "Showtime" Carson was dominating the court for Springfield, before he signed with the Bearcats, and Isaiah remembers fondly of watching his older bro fall to that Oak Hill team his senior year.

Oak Hill shot 1-6 in the 4th quarter from the FT line.
Divine intervention from big bro maybe?

Wildcats celebrate District Title 

A great moment for Springfield & their hoop program and respected coach?
Most definitely.

But you have to give credit where it's due.

They didn't fold when the chips were down, and showed extreme calm and the "clutch gene" in the midst of the wildness and anxiety that OHSAA Tournament brings.

Salute the Cats, District Champs
On to the Regionals.

CENTERVILLE falls late to Mason

Centerville started out strong, and held a lead over Mason in the 1st half as PG Donnie Shelton was dominant in leading the Elks. Centerville led 23-21 at the half, but couldn't score in double digits in either half as Mason regained momentum and shut down the Elks by a score of 44-38.

Edward Puisis led the Comets with 21 big points  & 2 steals as they head to the Regionals.

 Star G Keegan Saben scored 12 while Shelton led the Elks with 13, 4 dimes, and 5 rebs.

 Centerville shot 2-11 from the field in the decisive 4th quarter, sealing their fate.

NORTHMONT starts  slow, LaSalle advances 

The Bolts got off to a slow start and was unable to recover as they fell to Cincy LaSalle 62-33 Saturday night.

 Northmont shot 6-22 in the 1st half, and LaSalle shot 62% (13-21) en route to a big lead. Northmont went 1-17 overall from 3, which was a killer.

     LaSalle was led by F Tre Crigler, who dropped 17 , while teammates Riley Haubner  (16) & CJ Fleming (15, 7 rebs, 5 ass) to lead a balanced attack.

Alter gets back to 3rd straight State

Alter was able to shut down Carroll for a 3rd time this season last weekend, and as a result the Knights will reach a 3rd consecutive Final Four. 
 The Knights are the 2 -Time defending champions, so to accomplish this feat is second to none. 
 They are led by Senior All-American Candidate Braxtin Miller, who eas Co-MVP of the Region. 

  Miller has committed to Oklahoma State, which is a true loss for Ohio State as they have watched her dominate at the OHSAA Tournament, only to watch her leave the state. 

District Recap: Trotwood rolls; Dunbar finishes Wyoming late; Taft spoils Carroll party; Country Day stops Brookville; State Berth on the Line tonight as Alter, Carroll girls collide

Here's the recap of District Final Games this week

Star G Amir Foster goes up for 3 in win vs Urbana 

Trotwood stymies Urbana  
The Rams used patience, a balanced effort and smothering D to throttle Urbana 86-52.
While the game was close in the 1st, Trotwood turned up the pressure and the result was a 24-5 quarter Urbana could not recover from.
 The Rams had 4 scorers in double figures, and will now move on to the Regional Semis to face the team that put them out of the tourney last season in Taft.


Dunbar McConnell leads Wolves past Wyoming
Dunbar star F Caleb McConnell dropped a couple key buckets late, the Wolverines used a 10-0 spurt to end the game and the Wolverines moved back to the Regional Semis after a 66-56 win.
Wyoming had tied the game after being down 7 going into the 4th (45-38) but rallied to tie it up and had a breakaway to take the lead. After the turnover from Wyoming, Dunbar put the game away and will march on. The Wolverines had 3 players (Cook, Baker, McConnell) in double figures.



Taft D shuts Carroll down to get win  
The Senators came out cold as ice, and Carroll was hitting on all cylinders to take a 19-3 lead in the 1st quarter.
After the 1st quarter, it was all Taft as the Patriots would not score in double digits in the last 3 quarters to fall 52-40. While Taft looked bad, Carroll had the momentum. But Taft continued to battle, and the interior defense took over while the offense started to click.
Taft will face Trotwood in the Regional Semis

Country Day too much for Brookville
Cincy Country Day moved on to the Regionals after a convincing win over Brookville. Country Day was hitting on all cylinders, and Brookville couldn't match the offense.





Star Players of the Week  - Who were the top players in District Finals?

Amari Davis - Trotwood   - Davis dropped another 20 spot on great shooting, and has his flow going.

Caleb McConnell -  Dunbar  - McConnell hit a huge 3 to snap a tie game late and another to send the Wolverines to the next round. He ended with 19 and 7 rebs

Ezyontae Brazzle -  Taft  - Brazzle dropped 19 and kept the Senators afloat until they took over the game

Malek Green   - Taft  - The big man was huge, with a  double double (10 pts, 12 rebs, 2 blks) and provided inside presence for a Taft win

Torrey Patton  - Trotwood  - The smooth PG added another great all around game to the resume (19 pts, 8 assists, 7 rebs, 3 stls) to lead the Rams

Lonnie Grayson  - Wyoming  - Grayson did everything in the game, with 16pts, 6 reb, 4 dimes, 1 blk and 2 steals in the loss

Eli Ramsey  -  Carroll  - The big forward was the most effective player for Carroll with 12 pts and 5 boards, and 2 blocks to add

Levi Boettcher   - Urbana  - Boettcher was rock solid, with a double double (15pts, 11rbs, 3 dimes, 2 blocks) in the loss.




Girls (D-2)
State Semifinal Berth Tonight  on the line Between Carroll and Alter

Two of the best teams in D-2 will go at it tonight with a State Semifinal Berth on the line as Carroll (23-4) will take on Alter (24-2) @ Springfield HS (7pm).

The 2-time Defending State Champs are led by All-American Candidate  Braxtin Miller, who is headed to Oklahoma State. The PG has put the team in another position to reach the State, which is the stuff of legends.
On the other hand, you have a hungry and focused Carroll team, who has steamrolled everyone in their way.
They are led by All-State baller Amanda Schroeder, who is a serious threat all over the court and at 6'0 can post up with the best of em.
Only problem is, she averaged 7 ppg against Alter this season, both losses.
Can the Patriots pull off the upset?