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.

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?

City League Championship on the line; Wayne - Springfield rematch

Here's the key games this weekend as we hit the late stretch of the Hoop Season:

(1) City League Championship in balance as Dunbar travels to Thurgood.

   In the last 15 years, the City League hoop Championship has been decided by 2 teams - 

Dunbar and Thurgood. 

     And to no surprise to many, Thurgood Marshall and Dunbar will battle tonight for the City League crown.

 LISTEN TO DUNBAR -THURGOOD GAME TONIGHT ON LINK BELOW: 
                   radio1.gemcitysports.com

  While The last time these teams played, Thurgood hit a huge 3 at the buzzer to defeat the Wolverines - in Heroic fashion no less. 

    Darnell Hoskins Jr. was terrific, and hit 2 huge buzzer beaters (one to end each half) that catapulted the Cougars into the early lead, then gave them the final win, shocking the Wolverines.

    Now tonight both teams know exactly what is at stake, as it seems every year for the last 15 years that these two teams are playing for it all. 

   Dunbar is 7-1 in the City League Standings & if they win, will win the City League outright; If Thurgood (6-1) wins, they will control their own destiny, as they have one game left, and could win it outright as well. 

   

   The one factor that will be different in this game than before is the presence of Evan Claiborne.  

   Claiborne, the former Wolverine now Cougar, was the talk of the summer for the transfer he made from the State Semifinalist. 

   

   The 6'10 defensive stopper with range has played well since being inserted in the Cougars lineup, and watch for the emotions to fly in this game, which will be on a Championship level to say the least. 

      Dunbar has seemingly found its rhythm, and while it hasn't been a dominant year, the Wolverines have had a good one nonetheless, and it could be sweeter with a revenge win in the Cougardome to grab another City League title. 

 Who wins the epic matchup? 

Let's compare the two sides & matchups a little further: 

GUARD PLAY:  ADVANTAGE  -  Cougars 

    While Dunbar's Stormi Cook has had a breakout year, and Chris Jackson started fast, the Cougars get the nod as Hoskins Jr. has been so good, that he is the front runner for Player of the Year in the City League. 

7

FORWARDS: Advantage -  Wolverines 

     While Thurgood has players to matchup with Wolverines, they have nobody on the level of Senior Wing Terrance Landers Jr, who, with a big game tonight,  could also make a serious claim for the City League Player of the Year. 

CENTERS: Advantage - Cougars

   While the Wolverines now play small ball, the Cougars now have the big presence in the paint in Claiborne,  and this is a huge advantage that the Wolverines had the luxury of for the past two years. 

  If the big men show up for Dunbar, it could propel them to a win. If not, could be a HUGE night for Claiborne. 

COACHING :  ADVANTAGE   - Even

 With some of the best coaching minds on the sidelines for each team, its safe to say that neither side will have a real advantage come tonight. 

   Coach Pete Pullen of Dunbar has been in this situation so many times, that him and his staff are used to it. Thurgood Coach Darnell Hoskins has also thrived in tough situations, and will be ready to lock wits with the Wolverines.

 when the season started, most people thought that this would be the matchup for the City League title. And right on cue, it hasn't let us down. 

Be prepared for one of the games of the year tonight in

 Its goin' down in the Cougar dome. (Around 730 -8pm)

& it will be a sellout, so get there early.

NOTE: In case you can't make it, you can LISTEN TO THE GAME WITH THE LINK Below 
(Courtesy of Gem City Radio):

        radio1.gemcitysports.com






(2) "The Field" takes on Wayne Train tonight 

 With so many victories on this incredible run, the Warriors have hurt everybody's feelings who have been in the way.

  And in a way, they could thank the Wildcats for that.
 Springfield tapped Wayne a couple seasons ago, and since that tapping, the Warriors haven't looked back in the last two years.
  While everyone knows about the wildness that took place between the Warriors and Wildcats last year, the Wildcats did play the Warriors almost to a even tilt, and even gave the Wayne Train all they could handle in the OHSAA Regionals.

    But when the smoke settled, the Wayne Train is still on the tracks..and running over opponents in the process as they look to get into USA Top 10 (Ranked 11th) in the country.
   Which brings us to the match up tonight.

Wayne has been winning all type of ways.

    Springfield has lost a series of heartbreaking games, but still has had a solid season to date.

 Does the Wildcats have enough to pull off the upset that could change their season?

Let's look at the matchups:

GUARD PLAY: ADVANTAGE - Even

    Despite having Rodrick Caldwell, a BGSU signee, the Wildcats have Danny Davis, a super talented, athletic Guard who has D-1 coaches hoping for his services. Whole Wayne has more than Caldwell, the Wildcats do too.

FORWARDS: Advantage  - Wayne

While Springfield has size at the 3 and 4, the Wayne Train duo of Chazz George and Trey Landers is, quite possibly, the best in the state. Landers has been nothing short of dominant, and that was no more evident in the destroyal inside against Trotwood. The Warriors had their way the first time..Will it change this time?

CENTERS: Advantage - Wayne 

 While Springfield has a monster on the block, who, once started up, can't be stopped, the Warriors have a future All-american in L'Christian Smith.
 Smith has been phenomenal, especially in the last up games, and has helped taken the Warriors to the next level. And yes, he's only a sophomore.
  While Wayne has a slight advantage,  it could be taken away if the Field can get the big man working early.


COACHING : ADVANTAGE - Even

    While there is no doubt that Wayne Coach Travis Trice Sr, is the man, the top HS Hoop coach right now in Southwest Ohio, the Wildcats have a great mind as well in Coach Isiah Carson.

 While Carson hasn't been able to win the big one, he still has done a good job of having the team ready to play. And make no mistake,  they will be ready to play tonight.
  Can he push the right buttons to pull off the upset?

No matter what the records are, this game will be as intense as a Regular season game can be.
GWOC style.