Friday Recap: Wayne escapes upset; Dunbar shuts down Belmont; Trotwood shines; Stivers upends Ponitz; Laravie drops 33 on Purcell;

   Heres the recap of the first full Friday of high school hoops in the Miami Valley:

Wayne holds off pesky Fairmont team   -
Wayne came out the gate and was tested by a tough Fairmont squad who, quite frankly, gave them all they can handle. The Warriors won 65-57 and was led by Junior Standout L'Christian "Blue" Smith, who scored 22 points and was relentless inside. Isaiah Trice, Travis Trice 3rd son to come through program, added 11 in the winning cause.
Jack Hendrix was the leading scorer for Fairmont, with 22. Fairmont coach simply stated, "They made more winning plays."

McConnell ran the show vs Belmont 

Dunbar runs past Belmont in showdown -
  There were many people who thought that this would be Belmont year to run the basketball league in Dayton Public. With a assortment of new players and coaches, the Bison felt like this could be the year that the Bison turn the tide on the city.

Not so fast Belmont.

    The Wolverines came out firing on all cylinders, jumped out to a big lead by halftime (15) and turned the early City League clash into a rout 78-59. Star F Caleb McConnell, who is actively on the Wright State Raiders & other mid-majors radar,  dropped 19 to lead the Wolverines, who now move to 2-1 after falling to State ranked Newark (#3) last weekend.
Belmont played more efficient in the 2nd half, but by that time the deficit was too big to overcome. Dunbar won every quarter, pointwise as well.
Dunbar moves to 2-1 while Belmont falls to 3-2.

Trotwood debut starts slow, finishes fast as they run past  Fairborn -

    Trotwood, the one area team who got the farthest in the OHSAA tournament last season, looked to start slow, but once the Rams got rolling, it was no stopping them as they dumped Fairborn 95-71. Amir Foster, Sophmore sensation Amari Davis and Senior All-State Performer Torrey Patton led the Rams, who are looking for another deep run this season.

The Rams move to 1-0.

Stivers stop Ponitz  -

  Stivers got its first city league victory of the season after a win at Ponitz HS 63-54.
Freshman sensation Trevon Ellis led the Tigers with 16 to get the Tigers to 3-1 on the season. Ponitz made a late 4th quarter run, but it was not enough as Carlos Roberts and the Tigers get a big road win.
Ponitz falls to 1-1 in City league play.

Alter wins led by Laravie

 Alter grabs big win as Dominic Laravie dominated Purcell Marian with 33 points. Alter now goes to 1-0.

C-J  wins in final moments 

   C-J player Nick Barnes hit 2 Game Winning free throws to lift the Eagles over McNicholas. Christian Montague led the Eagles with 26 and P'Hariz Watkins added 21. C-J now moves to 2-1.

Hoskins gets 1st win as Middies  coach

Former Thurgood coach, now Middletown head guy Darnell Hoskins got his first w in his tenure at Middie Country with a big win over Cin. Princeton 52-45. Hoskins had previously been at Thurgood, and now will see if he can lead the Middies back to prominence.

Centerville throttles Springboro

 Centerville shut down Springboro in GWOC action as the Elks held the "Boro" to just 30 points total.

Stars of Weekend 
These are the stars of Friday Night:

Torrey Patton, Sr. G Trotwood
The reigning D-2 OHSAA Player of the Year picked up right where he left off, dropping 25 on opening night for the Rams.

L'Christian Blue Smith, Jr. F-C  Wayne
The hottest prospect in the country - & yes I said it -in the entire country - picked up 22, some huge blocks, plenty boards and dunks worthy of ESPN, along with the key win vs Fairmont.

Caleb McConnell, Jr. F  Dunbar
 McConnell Came up big as he lit up the Bison with 19 in a battle of 2 of the best in the city. not only did he score, but his passing and defense was also key as well.

Trevon Ellis, Fr. G  Stivers
  Ellis, the dynamic fab frosh, scored a game high 16 as he led the Stivers Tigers to a big road win vs Ponitz.

Amir Foster, Sr. G  Trotwood
 Foster, the dynamite of a guard opposite Patton, exploded for 23, and was able to help Trotwood
handle business against Fairborn.

Dominick Lavarie, Sr. F Alter
 Laravie dominated the competition and went for 33 in the season opener.

Andre Gordon, Jr. G Sidney
 Gordon ignited the Sidney squad with 31 as they defeated Tipp.

Nick Barnes, C-J
 Barnes hit 2 crucial FTs to give Eagles the W.



Team Of The Week:
DUNBAR - The Wolverines, who were slight underdogs heading into Friday nights game, sent a message to rest of City League with resounding W over Belmont.

Top 5 games in Week 3; Will Wayne continue to rule the Nati? Can Dunbar keep rollin? 4-Star Recruit Decommitts

As we hit the mid-season stretch here's a few games which could show who are the teams to watch, to not watch, and to see if this will be the weekend of no rain delays, which already happened with Ponitz game last night.

Will tonight be the "Blue" Show @ Lakota?

Heres our Top games of Week 3:


Trotwood Madison (1-1)  @ Middletown (0-2)- In a game both teams need badly for the playoff race, Trotwood (1-1)  found its rhythm against a tough Piqua squad last week after laying a egg in the first week. When talking to the coaches after game 1, it was clear that a fire needed to be lit under the Rams. Middletown (0-2) will look to get a big W, after losing last week to Springboro. Look for an offensive explosion from Rams star RB Raveion Hargrove tonight.

Can the "Team of the Week" pull off the big W @ Princeton?

Dunbar (2-0)  @ Cin Princeton (2-0) -  Dunbar has a fire about them this year that hasn't been there in a while. In a big win last week, the Wolverines seemed to have found themselves and a silver lining in these first two games. If they can pull off a big win vs a tough Princeton team tonight? It could be the start to something special for the Woverines. Look for big performances from WRs Jo Jo Scates and Chris Jackson tonight. Princeton survived at home against Springfield last week. Can they defeat another talented team at home tonight?

Miamisburg (2-0) @ Thurgood Marshall  (0-2) - Miamisburg  looks like a team on a mission as they will take on the Cougars and new head coach Brian Carter  tonight. While Thurgood hasn't won this season, they know that tonight they will have a home crowd. They will need it, as the Vikings come into Welcome Stadium with 2 D-1 recruits on the line, and skilled players all over.

Wayne (1-0) @ Lakota West (0-2)- While the Wayne Train didn't get a win until week 2, its clear they definitely want to make it 2-0 as they take on Lakota West. West hasn't been able to get on track, &  aside for the offensive trio of Zelwyn Robinson, former Trotwood Ram RB Tayvion Ware, & WR Payton Porterfield, it hasn't been a great start to the season so far. While the home crowd will be pumped, watch for Wayne stars L'Christian "Blue" Smith and Matt Wilcox to break out tonight. Also, there are some basketball ties with both teams, so look for a little revenge as well from the Wayne Train on behalf of the football team.

Meadowdale (0-2) @ Chaminade Julienne (0-2)  In a game both teams need, who will show the fire to get it done? C-J hasn't looked great, but will be at home for the contest. Meadowdale also hasn't shown their best, but with 2 good programs looking for that elusive win in Week 3? You know this will be a tough game.

Dunbar star backs off from Michigan

 Dunbar transfer & defensive star Antwuan Johnson, the LB who came to Dunbar from Springfield this season, has decomitted from Michigan. 

    Johnson, a rock solid 6'2 linebacker who makes plays all day, has decided to hold off on the Wolverines until further notice. Johnson is the type of guy who knows what he is doing, so it should be a interesting next 2 years for the Junior, who is leading the Wolverines in tackles, and is the unquestioned leader of the defense, which has stars all over the field.

 

    Johnson will be coveted and don't be surprised to see Ohio State or Michigan State jumping in the race. Also look for a few SEC schools to come calling as well.

HS Boys Tournament results; Trotwood, Wayne both drop 100, Ponitz upsets C-J, Dunbar cruises

Here are some of the Headlines and recap of what happened this last weekend in the 1st round of the OHSAA Bball tournament:

Wolverines guard Chris Jackson goes for 2 vs Massie

TROTWOOD  puts a 100 spot on ROSS
    Trotwood started off the OHSAA tourney with a bang, dropping a 100 spot on a overmatched Ross team. the Rams had 5 players in double figures led by All-GWOC Guard Torrey Patton who had 18.

THURGOOD smacks WAYNESVILLE
   The City League Champs handled business as they took out Waynesville 77-58. 
Thurgood was led by Evan Clayborne who had 17 & Jones who also had 17. 

CENTERVILLE  squeaks out win 

   The Elks won a tight game as Keegan Saben hit 12 huge points to lead the Elks to a 42-39 win. The score was 25-18 Centerville after 3 quarters when Fairmont made a run.

PONITZ upsets C-J 

    In one of the bigger upsets in the 1st round, Ponitz defeated State Semifinalist C-J to move on to the next round. 
Ponitz controlled the game, until the 4th, when the Eagles made a run to get back into it. Scott led the Panthers with 18. Ponitz led by 10 at half and played a strong game from start to finish. 
    Salute rookie head coach Dwayne Hansbro for his first OHSAA tournament win as a head coach.

DUNBAR cruises vs Massie
 The Wolverines came out firing and rolled to a easy 1st round win vs Massie. 
 Dunbar started the game on a 24-12 run, and never looked back, winning 87-52.
Terrance Landers Jr. led a balanced attack with 13. 


MEADOWDALE falls to OAKWOOD in final minute
  Meadowdale lost a heartbreaker to Oakwood as they couldn't seal the deal, lose late 48-47. 
  The game was tight all night long, and you knew it would be a fantastic finish. 
   The Lions had a couple chances, but couldn't finish the game. The Lions were led by J.Smith with 14. 
  

SPRINGFIELD claws past BUTLER
 The Wildcats easily handled Butler to move on to next round.


WAYNE drops 100 without star player
   Wayne had no trouble with West Carrolton, as they put up 101 against the Pirates. 
The Warriors didn't have star big man the Christian Blu Smith, as he sat out the game.



MIDDLETOWN survives Milford
  Middletown won it's 1st round opener vs Milford by a score of 38-35. 
 The game was close throughout,  but the Middies were able to make the key plays to push through.