OHSAA Tourney Recap: Anna Long & Miamisburg Outduel Taylor, Troy

 OHSAA Tourney Recap: 

Anna Long & Miamisburg Outduel Taylor, Troy 

By Deon Cash

Anna Long has had a very good season, but this last win will be hard to topple.

Long, who is headed to college next year, took on Troy in the 1st round, who have Wright State commit Macie Taylor.  

And for a while, it looked as if Troy would get the win.

The Trojans held a 24-20 lead after halftime when the tide would turn on a Taylor foul, giving  her 4th foul. Miamisburg would then go on a run, taking advantage of Taylor on the bench as the Vikings caught fire and turned a deficit into a advantage that would be too much to overcome. 

Add the fact that Long caught fire, dropping a nice portion of her 30 points during the 2nd half.

While Raider bound Macie Taylor was equally unstoppable (27pts), her aggressiveness became her cryptonite, as she fouled out late in the 4th and just couldn't overcome the foul trouble. 

The Burg will face off against Springboro, a team they just faced a couple weeks ago at the end of the season. 

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OHSAA Tournament: Lady Pirates End 30 Year Drought in 2OT Thriller

OHSAA Tournament: 

Lady Pirates Get 1st Playoff Win in Decades in 2OT Thriller

By Deon Cash 

The West Carrollton Lady Pirates have came a long way, but the end of the Regular season was not as kind as the team would have liked to.

With a chance to possibly tie for the Miami Valley League Championship,  the upstart Pirates fell in a couple of heartbreakers, including one to Butler.

The Aviators had beaten the Pirates on a big 3 by star junior G Sami Bardonaro, which in turn kept the Aviators alive in the MVL race.

 They would eventually lose to Sidney. 

West Carrollton also lost a nail biter to Sidney, but knew they were every bit as good as both of those teams.

So when they saw that they would face Butler in the 1st round, the cards were set for the rematch.

And after a grueling, emotional, 2OT thriller, the Lady Pirates ended decades of postseason misery with a huge comeback win, despite losing their star guard (Selena Frost) due to foul trouble.

Forward Neveah Millerton hit a huge 3, freshman Tiyah Parker played well and star guard Taryn Dewberry (unsigned) hit some clutch free throws to help seal the deal as the Pirates rejoiced after a incredible 1st round game. 

"This is a proud feeling, a great moment for the team, the organization, the pirate family." Addison said after the game. 

The Pirates will face the Distrct champs in Wayne on Thursday night at Troy HS (7:30).

While the Warriors are down after losing 6 college scholarship seniors, expect a fierce battle between these two teams in OHSAA girls playoff action.

Lions Legend Derrick Shepard New Meadowdale Coach

Its Official: Derrick Shepard New Meadowdale Football Coach 

By Deon Cash 

Derrick Shepard (L) on Set with Dayton HS Sports

Arguably the greatest player to ever suit up in a Meadowdale Lions uniform will get a chance to lead his alma mater.

Derrick Shepard, the former NFL Lineman who starred at Georgia Tech, has officially taken the head coach job at Meadowdale. 

This is, without a doubt, a dream job for Shepard. 

Shepard who was a seasonal host and football analyst for Dayton HS Sports, the 2-Time Award winning show for the last 5 years, was previously working as a Assistant Coach at Alter HS. 

Before then he was coaching in the DPS ranks, as a Assistant Coach at Ponitz under the Jim Place staff. 

He also has more time freed up to focus on coaching, as his oldest son is now a Cincinnati Bearcat (Derrick Shepard Jr.) after committing less than a month ago.

The Lions are on right road back, as former coach and OHSAA football coaching legend Earl White and his staff led Meadowdale back to respectability and in the DPS title race in his one season before he was let go.

 The Shepard hire is the right one, and one that should have been done years ago. With the right assistance, the Lions should be relevant with a major impact for years to come.

Congrats to our guy, Big Shep. Well deserved and way overdue.

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Troy, West Carrollton Girls Battle For MVL

 The Troy Lady Trojans will ride their hot streak to West Carrollton in a huge matchup taking on the Lady Pirates tonight (7:30) pm.

Troy has been on fire since gettin all District performer Macie Taylor back.

West Carrollton has been led by Sophomore Selena Frost and the new West Carrollton rebound queen Ashiya Moddickes. 

Tonight, look for both teams to play elite ball as it is a 3-team race foe the Miami Valley League championship, along with league leader Sidney.

In case you want to watch, listen, or check out the live stream, go to: 

 Www.mynmsports.com/Network 

To watch the event tonight. 

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Pirates Slay Aviators For 8th Straight Win, Make History; "Addison Impact" Is Real

 West Carrollton Slays Butler For Record Breaking Win 

By Deon Cash 

West Carrollton has had their share of losses over the years, but with the new coaches at rhe helm and a sense of hope that hasn't been prevalent for a decade or so, it could be a different era with these Pirates in the present and future. 

Seth Addison, the Pirates varsity girls head coach, is entering his third season.

And what's that quote?

"The third time the charm?"

Well if that is the case, Addison and the Lady Pirates are headed for some great moments in this 2021-22 season as they have already set the record for most wins to start a season (8-0) after a thrilling win over a team they had yet to beat in years, the Butler Aviators 62-46 last weekend.

         Selena Frost, PG;  Top Sophomore in the State? 

This marks another team the Pirates have slayed in the course of the season, as they also knocked off Miamisburg and now Butler. 

How did the Pirates get to this point? Well, there are a few factors, but the main one has heen the head coach, the staff, and their immediate impact. 

Coach Seth Addison and his staff have given the Lady Pirates a different mentality, and adter a year or so, it has started to have the impact he wanted. Addison has been able to get the maximum out of all his players, whether its from his stick of dynamite senior in Taryn Dewberry to the rising star in the Miami Valley in dynamic point guard Selena Frost. 

Dewberry and Frost really show what type of handle Addison has on the squad,  as he was able to keep Dewberry completely locked in despite coming off the bench her senior year.

 It has resulted in Dewberrys best offensive season of her career. And she is completley playing great defense as well, which is always a indicator on if players are giving max effort or not. 

As for Frost? She's a super talented sophomore who is becoming the leader of the team, but still is a work in progress. Her game has the look of a D-1 PG learing how to lead. But coach Addison is able to let her lead, all the while taking the pressure off of her to lead.  

Addison's ability to keep his team fully engaged, all the while developing the young talent -and there us some young talent - to prep for the next level has been a welcome suprise. Add the final fact that he is a great X's and O's guy, and now you could have something special brewing. 

Infuse that with a new league, and now you have a program that could be ready to become a player in the Miami Valley League and possibly in the OHSAA Tournament.

When talking to coach Addison,  a new father as well, he likes to take it in stride. 

"We stay one game at a time, prepping for our next opponent." 

Great motto coach, but enjoy this one, as West Carrollton sits at 8-0 and await the top dogs in the league, Sidney, on Wednesday at West Carrollton. 

No team has ever went 9-0 in West Carrollton history.

"We'll be ready," Addison stated. 

Expect fireworks on Wednesday night at West Carrollton.

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Springfield Looks To Use Playoff Streak vs Moeller in OHSAA State Semifinals

 The Springfield Wildcats will be taking on the Moeller Crusaders in Friday Night football action as a OHSAA State Championship berth will be on the line tonight. 

The Cats will be in their 3rd consecutive semifinal game, as All-State QB Ta'Sean Smoot has led his Springfield team to heights never reached before. 

In taking with Smoot, he seemed eager to avenge the heartbreaking losses in the State semifinals in the last couple of seasons. 

In a exclusive interview with Smoot this week, the hottest recruit in Ohio said:

                                WATCH EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH SMOOT HERE 

"We feel like we matchup well with Moeller. Were excited, prepared, and ready for the opportunity to play Moeller." 

While the offense has gotten the attention, the defense has done what no other defense has done in Cats history: provide double-digit shutout streaks in regular season(14 quarters)  and now in the playoffs. 

The current playoff streak is at 12 shutout quarters and counting is still in effect, and it will get a true test against a elite program such as Moeller. With the likes of Jokell Brown, Tywan January and Delian Bradley, the defense has never been better. 

The game will be played at Sidney HS tonight at 7pmET. 

Despite Obstacles, Meadowdale Still Playing For Shot At OHSAA Playoffs Tonight vs Ponitz

 Despite Obstacles, Lions Have "Win And In" Option

The Meadowdale Lions have been one of  the most scrutinized teams all season in the Miami Valley, as they have had a microscope on their program for the duration of the season, good or bad. 

Tonight however, they will play for something great. 

While most news this season have been good, last week was bad, and in a way that left most Lions fans, alumni, and general public scratching their heads at the Athletic department.

After a wild game vs Belmont, Earl White was suspended for a game for "Conduct Detrimental to the Program" in a big win over Belmont.

In speaking with people who were at the game, along with other officials, they are still confused on exactly what White got suspended for. 

After watching game it felt like he (White) had done everything professionally in a rivalry game, which everyone knew it would be high emotions and feelings headed into the game. 

But DPS would slap a 1-game self imposed suspemsion on White and some players as well. 

One of the officials made a statement saying that DPS was wrong in suspending White, and would not officiate games ever again if the Athletic department upheld this verdict.

DPS didn't bat a eye and didn't budge on its stance, feeling there was a legitimate reason for the suspension, which is a bold move to say the least.

  Against Schroeder the Lions would rack up over 400 yards of total offense.  But despite doing everything to win, the Lions fell on the road last week in a close loss as turnovers and inexperience reared its ugly head once again. 

The loss dropped the Lions to #17 in the OHSAA Regional poll. 

While, at the end of the day, the Lions will play tonight with a possible berth on the line and a formidable foe in Ponitz. 

The Panthers literally were one defensive stop from defeating Dunbar earlier this season, who rolled past the Lions three weeks ago. 

The Lions have shown resolve all season, and will need it tonight against a feisty Ponitz squad to secure a 6-3 record and a playoff Berth. 

If the Lions defeat Ponitz (because Panthers are a D-2 squad), it should give the Lions enough boost to jump into the #14, 15, or 16 spot. 

Regardless what happens, the Lions ressurection has been the best story in DPS on the football field.

Its a shame that DPS doesn't seem to want them to thrive.  They have challenged the whole "White to Meadowdale" regime since it looked to become a reality. 

Expect a spirited effort tonight by both teams in a huge matchup, to say the least.

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After the suspension,