Category Archives: Features
Kenton Ridge, Tippecanoe meet to decide league
TIPP CITY — Kenton Ridge and Tippecanoe are on hot streaks no other Central Buckeye Conference team has matched this season. On Monday, they’ll bring the heat on each other.
Kenton Ridge travels to Tippecanoe on Monday for the first of a two-game series that will decide the CBC Kenton Trail Division title.
The Cougars (20-2) have won their last nine games and are in second place in the Kenton Trail with a 12-1 conference record. Tippecanoe (19-4) has won 13 games in a row and is in first place in the league with a 13-0 conference record. Kenton Ridge is ranked fifth in Division II in the Ohio High School Fastpitch Softball Coaches’ Association poll, while Tippecanoe is ranked seventh.
Hot-hitting Kenton Ridge wins seventh straight game
Cougars get 11 hits in 3-0 win over Northwestern and improve to 18-2 on the season.
SPRINGFIELD — Kenton Ridge senior catcher Paige McCrary had 11 straight hits entering the Cougars’ Central Buckeye Conference crossover game at Northwestern last night. McCrary got the streak to 12 with a single in the first inning before she grounded out in each of her last three at-bats in the game.
But despite McCrary’s subpar day at the plate, the Cougars had no problems getting on base. Kenton Ridge had 11 hits in a 3-0 win over the Warriors.
That’s been the key to Kenton Ridge’s success this season according to fourth year head coach Sarah Ivory — even if a few players aren’t hitting, the rest are.
Zawadzki free throws send Troy Christian to state
Delphos St. John’s senior Curtis Geise misses a shot at the buzzer, sending Troy Christian to its first state tournament.
KETTERING — Troy Christian seniors Christian Salazar and Nathan Kirkpatrick didn’t have their heads bowed or hands together while standing on the foul lane with three seconds left in a Division IV regional final game against Delphos St. John’s last night at Trent Arena.
But have no doubts — both were praying.
Salazar and Kirkpatrick — who led the Eagles with 14 and 13 points, respectively — prayed as sophomore point guard Grant Zawadzki stood at the free-throw line, preparing for three foul shots with the game tied at 49-49.
Fairmont seeks elusive state title
Firebirds hope fourth consecutive state tournament trip is the one.
Fairmont’s march to the OHSAA Division I state tournament was almost derailed in a regional semifinal game against Mason. The Firebirds were on life support and down by as many as eight points with about 90 seconds left in the game.
After newcomer Danie Shafer hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to send the game into overtime, her teammates knew what to do from there. Fairmont pulled out the 67-63 victory.
Fairmont head coach Tim Cogan believed that nail-biting victory was helpful in preparation for the Firebirds’ regional final game against Centerville, who Fairmont defeated 58-46 last Saturday. Centerville beat Fairmont 54-48 in GWOC Central Division game on Jan. 23 in the Firebirds’ only loss this season.
Shawnee pulls away from Urbana in third quarter
Braves advance to play in the district finals against perennial power Dunbar.
SPRINGFIELD — Jaelin Williams had one of his worst games of the season in a sectional semifinal win over Greenon last Wednesday, scoring only eight points. Entering a Division II sectional final game against Urbana last night, Williams was determined to avoid a repeat performance.
And avoid that he did.
Williams led the Braves with 21 points as Shawnee beat Urbana 47-32 to earn its first trip to the district finals in three seasons.
Shawnee, Urbana get rematch in sectional final
The Braves and Hillclimbers meet in a sectional final game for a rematch of a nine-point Shawnee win in regular season.
SPRINGFIELD — It’s usual for coaches of any sport on any level to be displeased in some aspect with a performance after a game. It’s unusual for coaches of any sport on any level to be displeased after a 32-point win.
Shawnee head coach Chris McGuire was just that following a 75-43 win over Greenon in a Division II sectional semifinal at Springfield High School on Wednesday.
“We weren’t very crisp and sharp offensively,” McGuire said. “We missed a lot of easy shots there early on. Then defensively, we weren’t terrible, but we didn’t have our rotating defense as a well as we normally did. We didn’t practice as well the last couple of days as we had been recently too.”
Urbana dominates Tippecanoe in sectional semifinal
Urbana advances to third-straight sectional final with 58-34 win over Red Devils.
SPRINGFIELD — Urbana lost to Tippecanoe by five points in triple overtime in a Central Buckeye Conference crossover game on Feb. 5. The loss was burned in the minds of the Hillclimbers, and it was a source of motivation entering a rematch with Tippecanoe last night in a Division II sectional semifinal game at Springfield High School.
“We talked about that (first) game this week going into this game,” Urbana head coach Jeremy Dixon said after the game. “We didn’t want the same result.”
The Hillclimbers didn’t get anywhere near the same result. Urbana dominated Tippecanoe in a 58-39 win.
Big second quarter lifts Centerville over Tecumseh
KETTERING — With a 5-3 lead over Tecumseh six minutes into a Division I sectional semifinal game at Trent Arena last night, Centerville was looking for a way to pull away from the Arrows.
The Elks found the way in junior guards Eric Meininger and Austin Recker. Both players combined for 20 points in the last ten minutes of the first half to lead a 26-7 run for Centerville and help the Elks secure an 18-point halftime lead.
Tecumseh never pulled closer than six points in the second half, and the Elks secured their fourteenth-straight trip the sectional finals with a 53-41 win. Centerville (14-10) advances to play Miamisburg in a sectional final game on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at the Nutter Center.
Tecumseh, Centerville vye for sectional final berth
The Arrows look for first tournament win in ten years, while the Elks look to secure fourteenth-straight sectional final appearance.
KETTERING — There’s a stark difference between the tournament history of the Tecumseh and Centerville boys basketball programs.
Centerville has advanced as far as the sectional finals each season since 1999 and has won a Division I district championship four times in that time. Tecumseh has not won a tournament game since 2003.
Tecumseh looks to end both streaks today in a sectional semifinal game against the Elks at 6 p.m. at Trent Arena in Kettering.
Three point barrage lifts West Liberty-Salem
Tigers net six three-pointers in the first half to help earn first tournament victory in six seasons.
NEW CARLISLE — It was big for West Liberty-Salem just to win in the tournament.
The Tigers (18-5) earned their first tournament victory in six seasons in a 55-37 win over Brookville last night at Tecumseh’s Reynolds Gymnasium.
“It’s great,” senior guard Grant Burden said after the game. “Ever since I was a freshman, we’ve never won our first tournament game. Just to advance out to a second tournament game feels great. That was our goal.”
