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CHILLICOTHE — Tournament seeds have been revealed, brackets have been released and the best part of the season, in our opinion, is upon us.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
A loss means the end of the road while a win means moving on. This is where we’ve seen average teams become great. It’s where great players make a name for themselves. It’s where pressure can be your best friend or your worst enemy.
But most of all, it’s where legendary stories find their origins.
Here’s a brief preview of what to look for during the most exciting part of the year.
First round games to watch
DIVISION III: No. 21 Piketon (7-15) at No. 12 Westfall (13-9): Don’t look now, but the Mustangs have won four straight games — including one over Piketon — and have a ton of momentum heading into the tournament. By the way, that shot from Caleb Graul? Smooth like butter. However, don’t be fooled by the seeding because the Redstreaks own a victory over the Mustangs as well. Westfall’s Casey Cline and Brody Clark vs. Piketon’s Brent McGuire and Declan Davis. There’s nothing better than a good rubber match with the season on the line, and there’s no doubt round three will live up to the hype.
DIVISION II: No. 10 Unioto (14-8) at No. 7 Marietta (14-7): There might not be a more even opening round matchup on paper than this one. The only bad part is Unioto having to suffer through a two-and-a-half hour bus ride to Marietta. I’ve been there before. Not fun. However, this Unioto team is 8-9 players deep, led by K.B. Perkins, who is averaging nearly a double-double and leading scorer Zeke Schobelock at 10.6 points. They’ll need every bit of that depth against a Tiger squad, led by A.J. Graham, Issac Koast and Alex Kendell, that is 8-1 at home, scoring 63.4 points on their home floor with victories over the likes of Federal Hocking and Warren. The points very well could rack up in this one.
DIVISION IV: No. 11 Whiteoak (11-11) at No. 6 Notre Dame (17-5): If I’m being honest, this game intrigues me the most. Notre Dame plays a physical style of basketball, led by the trio of Dominic Sparks, Cody Metzler and Miles Phillips. And on paper, this seems one-sided as the Titans have all the momentum. But don’t sleep on the Wildcats. This team can put up points in bunches and if you give Landen Barnett an ounce of breathing room, you’ve already lost. There’s a reason he’s scored over 1,000 points in his career and is averaging nearly 18 points per night. Remember Jackson last season in Division II going to a district final after going 11-11 in the regular season? Whiteoak has that potential, so keep a close eye.
Upset alerts
These teams have a chance at pulling off first or second-round upsets.
They gotta play us.
Oak Hill: At one point this season, the Oaks suffered a 10-game losing streak. But lo and behold, they ended the year with back-to-back wins, including an overtime victory at South Webster. That was just the confidence booster they needed and now comes a trip to Rock Hill, where the Oaks could pull off an upset. Kade Kinzel is quicker than a hiccup with a first step to leave anyone in the dust. Aidan Hall is relentless on the inside and Gavin Howell can knock down the outside shot. Now, on the opposite hand, Rock Hill’s trio of Noah Doddridge, Brayden Adams and Blake Porter will cause all types of chaos, but the Redmen are on a three-game losing streak. This could come down to depth, which the Oaks aren’t afraid of. They can go eight deep and trust guys like A.J. Harrison, Garrett McKinniss, Evan Fisher and Rylan Sams in big spots.
Gallia Academy: The potential of a second round matchup against Miami Trace would be colossal, and not just because of the battle of the bulls between GA’s 6-foot-8 Isaac Clary and MT’s 6-foot-8 Andrew Guthrie. OK, that’s the main reason. Remember, just two seasons ago, this Blue Devil team made it to a district championship out of nowhere as a No. 14 seed. Fast forward to this year and they’ve won 16 games with wins over Fairfield Union, Warren, Marietta, and Fairland on their resume. Five of their six losses have come by three possessions or less, meaning they’ve faced their share of adversity. Don’t get me wrong, the Panthers can play and are much improved, but given the experience level and tough schedule they played, it feels like an upset could be coming.
Jackson: Could you imagine the Ironmen doing it again, and just coming out of nowhere to create more chaos? To be fair, that’s what the tournament is all about. Last year, they were a 12-seed that made a district final. Now they’re a 13-seed with an even tougher road ahead. After beating River Valley at home, they’ll make a trip to New Lexington. They play four freshmen in Ryan Seimetz, Charlie Woodard, Bodhi Wolford and Stephen Jenkins, who have shown a ton of growth throughout the season alongside Boston Campbell and Evan Jarvis. Last season at this time, they were 11-11. This season? 12-11. If they make it to New Lexington, that upset feeling will be in the air.
CREDIT: Cory Hall/SOSA
Cinderella favorites
Why not us?
That’s the rallying cry that so many teams are preaching right now.
To be a Cinderella, you have to peak at the right time, have a great coaching staff, feature at least one elite player and … as always … lady luck has to be in your corner.
Vinton County, Valley and Paint Valley fit that criteria.
VINTON COUNTY: Depth and shooting. Those are the two biggest things the Vikings have working for them. Garrett Brown, Braydn Cain, Jack Davidson and Cobra Sharp can all knock down looks from deep, and they’re not afraid to pull the trigger. But they do it smartly and don’t take bad shots. They have solid depth as they’ve played eight players all season that includes Ashton Allman, Owen Hire, Matt Hembree and Parker Shonborn as part of a 16-win season that resulted in a TVC championship. They’ll be on the road all tournament starting with Warren, which is no slouch out of the gates. That game would be followed by top-seeded Washington. That’s the rematch they want from each team’s season opener, a Blue Lion victory. This Viking team can be very dangerous if they’re hitting shots.
VALLEY: I don’t know if one can consider a defending district champion a Cinderella, but as a five-seed, we’re going to go with it. We all know the names by now: George Arnett, Jace Copley, Colt Buckle, Carter Nickel and Levi Stewart. They’re experienced, tough, can shoot, unselfish and more importantly, they all can drop 20 on any night in the blink of an eye.The Indians’ motivation all season long is to go back-to-back, but it’ll be a tough road to do so now in Division III and not in Division IV. If the seeds pan out after West Union, they’ll have Westfall, North Adams and a rematch with Minford. It’s a tough road, but nothing worth having comes easy. Secretly, they probably enjoy the adversity.
PAINT VALLEY: If the Bearcats play with the same energy and effort they did in their regular season finale against Zane Trace, hardware could be gracing the halls in Bainbridge. They have athleticism between Dax Estep, Carson Free and Cole Miller, the great glue player in Cavan Cooper, who does all the little things, an experienced sophomore point guard to run the show in Braylon Robertson, and a spark plug who just finds a way to make things happen in Todd Fairrow. They want a second crack at Fairfield in a district final, but they have to go through either New Boston or Miller, followed by Green, before it happens. Keep an eye on these Cardiac ‘Cats.
CREDIT: Cory Hall/SOSA
Bold predictions
Here’s the part where you find my email or Twitter (@SirBrockNetter) and send me a flurry of angered messages. But it’s okay, I understand.
Don’t look too much into these though. After all, we’re writers, not prophets.
A. Each of the district’s No. 1 or 2 seeds will win a district championship. My P.I.C. (partner in crime) Derrick Webb previously said this in the girls tournament forecast and I’m going to double down a little harder. It doesn’t happen often and the boys tournament is a lot more chaotic. But this year, it will. There’s just too much talent on each team to disprove that statement. Does that mean they won’t face tough-nosed competition? Absolutely not. They’ll have to earn every single win, per usual. But the top two seeds in Divisions II, III and IV should all be playing in the regional tournament.
B. Ironton will make a district final. Remember, this team didn’t even start the season until some teams were already 5-8 games through their schedule because of the school’s state final run in football. However, winning has been contagious. This group has won 16 games in a competitive OVC, taking conference champion South Point to the limit twice. Led by the quartet of Braden Schreck, Shaun Terry, Landen Wilson and Ethan White, adversity isn’t anything new. Opening with Sheridan isn’t easy. Then, following with New Lexington and Washington — if seeds work out — is a tough task. But they don’t call them the Fighting Tigers for nothing.
C. Minford makes the Final Four. If I’m going big, then this is the biggest one yet. And if I’m being completely honest, the Falcons won’t truly be tested until they reach a district final against Valley — two bold predictions in one … Valley vs. Minford (sorry, North Adams) round three and in a district final. For those who haven’t gotten a chance to see Minford, what are you waiting for? This team is LOADED. It reminds me of last season’s Waverly group, who won a regional title. They’ve got a standout guard in Myles Montgomery and capable shooters around him alongside more depth, height, physicality and experience in Adam Crank, Joe Hannah, Jackson Shoemaker, Bennett Kayser and Jeffrey Pica. This team isn’t going anywhere anytime soon and I believe they will put together a run like Minford has never seen before.
So, who wins district titles?
Again, we don’t know the future. And don’t bet your mortgage on these picks. But who do we THINK win district titles? Well …
Division II: No. 2 Fairfield Union (19-3)
Division III: No. 1 Minford (20-1) and No. 2 South Point (19-3)
Division IV: No. 1 Fairfield (22-0) and No. 2 Federal Hocking (19-3)
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