Category: Centerville

by Matt Bollmann

Tom House leads Centerville as Elks advance to State Championship

Dayton, Ohio — The Centerville Elks appeared in their first ever state final four in school history on Saturday evening as they faced an undefeated Mentor Cardinals team who came in at 25-0 on the season. Mentor, led by Senior and Youngstown State commit Luke Chicone can score in bunches as they scored more than 90 points 13 times this season. No doubt a tough matchup for the Elks in their first ever final four appearance, Tom House and Gabe Cupps stepped up big time in their chance to lead the team to the state championship game.

Tom House came out firing, opening up the game with a quick three point shot to give the Elks an early 3-0 lead which turned quickly to an 11-2 early lead for the Elks against a tough Cardinals offense. Gabe Cupps hit a driving floater as time expired in the first quarter to extend their lead to 15-7 at the end of the quarter. House scored an early 7 points as Cupps added 6 in the quarter.

The Elks defense came to play as they tightened up their defense on Mentor in the second quarter holding the Cardinals scoreless for a majority of the quarter. The Cardinals defense tightened up as well in the second only allowing two points in the first 6:30 of the quarter.

Mentor finally was able to remove the lid off the basket as Kyle Culler hit a corner three with 1:44 remaining in the half, cutting into the ten point lead to bring the Cardinals to within seven at 17-10. That opened up the scoring for both sides as the Elks went on a quick 5-0 run before Cael Gray hit a three at the buzzer to pull Mentor back within seven to close the half at 22-15.

The Elks came out of the break and went on a quick 8-0 run to open the second half to open their lead up to 15 within the first four minutes of the third quarter. The Cardinals offense again was quiet to open up the second half as they went nearly four minutes without a bucket until Steven Key hit a three to pull the Cardinals to within 12. Gabe Cupps picked up his fourth foul with 9.5 seconds remaining in the third, but the Elks remained strong both offensively and defensively throughout the quarter as they held a 36-24 lead going to the final quarter.

Gabe Cupps sat on the bench the majority of the fourth quarter, but in the end did not need much production from Cupps down the stretch as Tom House continued to lead the Elks offensively. The Cardinals full court press gave the Elks some problems a few times as it forced their offense to speed up, but every time the Cardinals would make a run, the Elks seemed to have an answer.

The Elks were up 54-39 when the Cardinals went on a quick 6-0 run forcing a few turnovers with the press on the defensive end of the ball and pulled to within nine points at 54-45. In the end, Tom House was too much as he finished with a double-double, finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Cupps added 11 points as the Elks advance to the D1 state championship on Sunday evening at 8:30pm.

by Jordan Harbeck

The Tom House Story

Foreword

I was recently assigned the task of writing a short story for my journalism course. To begin, I was a bit puzzled with what the idea of the story should surround.

Tom House was an individual I’d been wanting to publish an article on for almost a year now. Instagram DM’s between us discussing the idea date back to July 26th, 2020. “I’m interested in writing an article on you. I’m going to send over a few questions to get quotes from you later that you can answer whenever you’re free,” I sent. This is when I first learned of House’s swimming background, lack of basketball experience, and much more.

The story became lost in the assortment of ideas and visions I’ve forged. But, Mrs. Drake’s assignment was distributed at just the right time, two days prior to House receiving his first division one offer. While pondering what my story would envelop, I realized this was the perfect opportunity to write on House. It was extremely newsworthy. It was timely, proximal, prominent, and brimmed with human interest.

It also gave me the chance to write about the game I love, fueling a story constructed with passion and confidence. Since joining Miami Valley Hoop Vault in the Spring of 2020, I’ve been able to build an abundant amount of relationships. I’ve been thankful to build one with Tom, and the thousands of other prospects in Dayton. I continue to enjoy watching and supporting their journeys.

Many intriguing stories have been shared of Dayton’s best this year. For example, Allen Lattimore Jr. had one of the most absorbing and heartbreaking stories of the season. I hope to share more stories of our city’s talented individuals in the future.

Through the research and process of assembling this short story, I learned a lot about Tom and his family. If I could sum up Tom House in one word: I’d choose toughness.

-Jordan Harbeck

The Tom House Story

It’s Sunday, March 7th. Tom House, a junior at Centerville High School, is watching film while eating dinner. He receives a phone call. On the other line is Coach Langhurst from Robert Morris University’s basketball program. The day after coming off of a 20 point performance in a postseason win over Mason, his hard work and dedication had finally paid off. House had received his first division one basketball offer. 

“I got the call this past Sunday over the phone. He asked about the Mason game and we talked some more. It kind of came out of nowhere. But, it was very exciting”, House shares.  

House’s resume runs far before his stellar showing on March 6th, where he shot 86% from the floor against the Comets, including 80% from behind the arc and 100% from the charity stripe. He currently places 2nd in conference scoring (18.1), 1st in three pointers made (73), 5th in free throw percentage (85.1), and 3rd in three point percentage on at least 50 attempts (40.3). These standout statistics earned him an All-Conference 1st Team selection and All-Ohio Southwest District Division One 2nd Team honors.

By joining Robert Morris, House would join an array of other Dayton natives competing in the Horizon League. This year, Trotwood-Madison alumni, Torrey Patton, has led Cleveland State to their first March Madness birth since 2009, third in school history. Bellbrook’s TJ Nagy and Oakwood’s Andy Neff contributed to Wright State’s 80% winning percentage. The Raiders also recently handed offers out to Alter’s Jacob Conner and Fairmont alumni, Ryan Hall. Wayne bred, Darius Quisenberry continues to prove he’s a superstar at Youngstown State. Green Bay’s Amari Davis recently hit the transfer portal. The former Trotwood-Madison ram was on track to be UWGB’s all-time leading scorer. It’s safe to say House would continue the trend of productive Dayton prospects to enter the Horizon League. 

Coach Andrew Toole and Coach Jimmy Langhurst might be the only division one coaches to offer House, but they aren’t the only ones to show interest in the 6’6” shooting guard. Over the past year, he’s also been contacted by Davidson, Texas A&M, Florida State, South Carolina, St. Johns, Wright State, Columbia, Valparaiso, Princeton, Miami (OH), and many other division one programs. There’s many high caliber high school athletes with through the roof statistics. So this raises the question, what makes college coaches so keen of House? 

“My size and scoring ability [is what makes me stick out]. Also, how I can affect games outside of scoring: rebounding, communication, defense . . .” the state ranked shooter explains. 

Tom House relishes in the realization that he’s a regional champion. (Source: Miami Valley Hoop Vault)

He also pointed to his room for growth as a primary factor. What many don’t know is that House was recently a nationally acclaimed swimmer, so the majority of his focus was not directed at basketball until just a year ago. House had not played organized basketball until middle school, and was heavily committed to swimming. His work ethic led him to become a top ten nationally ranked swimmer as a 15 year old, as well as an invitation to the National Select Camp in December of 2019. He was Olympic bound. But, in May of 2020, House made a huge sacrifice. He directed all his efforts away from the pool, and towards the court. 

“I’d get up and go to practice and [swimming] wasn’t something I loved to do. You have to love what you do if you’re going to choose to do it all throughout college. It was an easy decision for me, but it took a while since I’d been swimming since I was 4 [years old]. I wasn’t in love with swimming, but I’m in love with getting better at basketball,” House tells me. 

With his efforts directed elsewhere for the majority of his childhood and a strained Retinaculum and bone bruise postponing his sophomore season, it has to be an eye-catcher to coaches that House has reached this level of success this quickly. Much of his spike in value and productivity can be attributed to his favorite aspect of the game: consistency in work.

“For me, it’s being able to get better and see results everyday. . . If you’re able to put time into what you love doing, you’ll see results. It’s amazing,” House described.

House also assigned his love for the game and surge of success to his fellow teammates and coaches. “I’ve got a good support system. I have Gabe [Cupps] and his dad, [Coach Cupps], so we’re able to get into the gym. And, of course Rich Rolf. They love getting in the gym with me,” House says. 

House drills the game winner to send Centerville to their first state semifinal appearance in school history! (Source: Miami Valley Hoop Vault)

Surrounded in a program of leaders, the Cupps’ and Rolf are well-known and well respected in Ohio’s basketball community. Gabe and Rich both took home All-Conference 1st Team and All-Ohio Southwest Division One 1st Team honors this season. Gabe Cupps, a national star, currently ranks 1st in conference assists per game (5.2). Rich Rolf, a 6’7” junior, leads the Greater Western Ohio Conference in rebounds per game (11.2).

The elks are currently 24-3 and expected to make a state championship run this postseason, as well as next. They’ve competed against one of the toughest schedules in Ohio this year, facing La Salle, Moeller, Pickerington Central, Woodward, Wayne, St Vincent St Mary’s, St. Edward, Trotwood-Madison, ISA Andrews Osborne, and more!

Their season has yet to end, reaping a district championship triumph over Mason and the GMC Player of The Year, Trey Killens. Most recently, they moved onto OHSAA’s division one ‘final four’ for the first time in program history, after a 40-38 win over Ohio basketball’s goliath: Archbishop Moeller. Coach Brook Cupps has led at the helm of Centerville’s success this season.

“His passion for the game and his teammates immediately sets him apart from the majority of high school players. Add in a relentless work ethic and the courage to always want to compete against the best and you have the makings of a great player. Tom’s parents have provided him with a tremendous foundation to grow from. He’s a great teammate that cares about winning above all else. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a small part of his journey as a player, and person,” House’s varsity coach says. 

House’s parents certainly have set the right groundwork for his growth thus far. Coming from an athletically enriched family, he has grown up around the game. His father, Jeff House, served as a collegiate and professional women’s basketball coach. Mr. House’s influence spanned over many campuses and organizations, coaching 19 WNBA All-Stars and major award winners along with four Olympians. As a recruiting coordinator at Virginia, he produced three top 15 recruiting classes for three consecutive years: No. 10 (2008), No. 3 (2009), and No 14 (2010).

Tom House’s mother, Ann-Leonard House, was the head women’s volleyball coach at UMass-Lowell and Rutgers. The volleyball affluence trickled down to House’s sister, Elizabeth House. She’s currently in her junior year at the University of Dayton, one of the volleyball program’s leading contributors. 

“For us, it was just facilitating his dreams. All of this was Tom’s perseverance and belief in himself that he could accomplish everything that he dreamed of doing in basketball,” reveals Mr. House. 

Twitter lights up with excitement after Tom House’s game winner against the back to back, defending state champions.

Tom’s offer was no surprise to Mr. House, but the timing was . . .

“I never doubted that Tom would receive an offer, while excelling at what he loved doing. But, I didn’t expect it to be this soon. Tom was spending all of his time in the pool until just about a year ago, so he wasn’t on many radars. When he decides to focus on basketball, the pandemic hits. So, recruitment conditions weren’t ideal.”

With both of House’s parents persevering through extremely adverse situations, it’s no wonder he’s become the individual he is today. It’s also no wonder he’s been able to compete in his last two post-season games with a grade two MCL strain.

Mr. House bounced back from a career ending injury while playing at Nazareth College, quickly jumping into the coaching scene where he became tremendously fruitful. A couple years ago, Mrs. House trampled the odds and beat breast cancer; one of the leading causes of death among women. She’s the reason Tom House dons #12 every time he steps onto the floor. 

“I’m really close with my mom. She does a lot for me . . . She’s probably the strongest person I know. Twelve represents ‘I love you’. That’s my thing with #12. That’s my way of paying respect to my mom every time that I play,” House clarifies. 

The Centerville Elks are all smiles as they punch their ticket to UD arena’s final four! (Source: Miami Valley Hoop Vault)

House’s family will certainly be in his thoughts as he strides into the OHSAA’s state semifinals on Saturday, March 20th. After draining the game winning three, hand in his face, playing on a severely unhealthy knee, against the #1 ranked team in OHSAA DI basketball, House will have his work cut out for him once again.

The elks will go head to head with another #1 seed, Mentor. The Cleveland area program is undefeated on the season, 25-0. Not only will some of Ohio’s best talent face off at the University of Dayton arena, two of the most decorated coaches will as well.

Cupps will be challenged with the task of out coaching Mentor’s Bob Krizancic. Krizancic has forty-plus years of coaching experience under his belt, tallying up a career record of 678-279. While at Mentor, he brandishes a winning percentage of 72%. This puts him at 6th in all-time OHSAA victories as a coach. In 2013, he brought the cardinals their first, and only state championship.

Coach Cupps, House, and the Centerville Elks will be looking to bring home their first title this year on March 21st. First, they must eliminate the challenge ahead in Mentor. Tune in Saturday at 5:30pm, UD Arena, to see Tom House in action.

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by Rob Ellis

Centerville pulls out a scrappy comeback win over Elder

Cincinnati, Ohio — After the highly anticipated matchup between St. Xavier and Moeller concluded with an overtime win from the Crusaders, Centerville was set to square off against Elder. The Panthers were a dominant team shooting the ball this year as they showed early in the season when they rained down 16 threes in their 77-41 win over Beavercreek.

Centerville knew they would be in for a battle against Elder and they needed to be on the top of their game to be able to get to the Regional Final game against Moeller. The Centerville and Moeller rivalry has been brewing as the Crusaders have eliminated Centerville from the postseason in each of the last two seasons.

With Moeller showing that they’re beatable with losses to Elder and St. Xavier throughout the regular season, the Elks know this might just be the season that they can take down the powerhouse of the south. But in order to get to that highly anticipated rematch, Centerville would need to bring down a hot Elder team.

Rich Rolf got the scoring started with a three and then Centerville’s pressure forced Elder to throw the ball out-of-bounds. Rolf would hit another three later in the quarter and Tom House would gives the Elks a 9-8 lead with his quick release three. A couple of scores with under a minute left from Elder gave them the 13-9 advantage after one.

Tom House took a fall to begin the second quarter that would sideline him for part of the remainder of the half. After that injury to House, the Elks went on a cold streak. Gabe Cupps finally connected on a three but it was already after Elder took a double digit lead. Centerville would go into halftime trailing 22-14.

The Elks knew going into the second half that something had to change if they were going to pullout this game. Gabe Cupps stepped up defensively from the start of the third. Despite being in obvious pain, Tom House hit a big corner three. The Elks then went on a run. And-one’s from Cupps and Ryan Keifer and then a steal and score from Gabe Cupps brought Centerville down by just two as they trailed 34-32 heading into the fourth quarter.

Centerville took their first lead since the first quarter after Rich Rolf pulled up from three. They extended their lead to 43-39 after Quinn Hafner banked in his second three of the night. Then Cupps drew a charge on the other end as the Elks continued their defensive dominance in the second half. Elder got the ball down 47-40 late in the game and they were unsuccessful from deep again. Cupps sealed the win as he pulled down a defensive rebound and knocked down the free throws to seal Centerville’s 52-43 win over Elder.

A player that greatly affected the outcome on Wednesday night but might go unnoticed was Ryan Keifer. The junior guard came up huge with a couple of late layups including an and-one and a huge steal late in the game. Keifer showed his basketball I.Q. by holding the ball and draining the clock instead of going up for a contested layup.

Gabe Cupps finished with a team high 16 points as he led the charge in Centerville’s comeback win. Cupps’ defense effort was just as impressive and important that any bucket he scored. Rich Rolf had 13 points for the Elks and Tom House had 9 points off of a trio of threes. Centerville will now get a shot at revenge as they will face Moeller at Princeton at 7:30 pm on Saturday for the third straight season with a trip to the State Semifinal on the line.

by Rob Ellis

Friday Night Rundown (2/12/21)

Dayton, Ohio — A lot of conference titles were finally decided on Friday night as Botkins, Anna, Legacy Christan, and Minster were all crowned as conference champs.

Centerville swept Wayne as they defeated them for the second time in the regular season. When Wayne defeated Centerville twice in the regular season last year, the Elks got their revenge with a blowout win the playoffs. Will the same thing happen this year?

Buzzer beaters were everywhere Friday. Josh Tolliver carried Springfield to another win with a clutch shot over Northmont. Nolan Berning led Fort Loramie to hold on late and Will Reittinger hit his unconvential shot to lift Bethel over Ansonia.

Wayne High School

Tom House leads the Elks with 21 points and Rich Rolf pulled down a game sealing offensive rebound with 7 seconds left as the Elks sweep Wayne in the regular season. The Warriors were led by Prophet Johnson who continues to show why he deserves to be the GWOC player of the year as he dropped 25 points in the loss. Sophomore Lawrent Rice had 17 and Gabe Cupps had 15 for Centerville.

Carroll High School

McNicholas wins their first GCL Co-Ed title since 2018 with their win over Carroll on Friday. The Rockets were led by Caden Conrad who had 23 points in the exciting win.

Alter High School

Anthony Ruffolo drops 21 points, but the Knights lose a tough one on senior night to Badin. The Rams look to build some momentum with this win before their first round tournament matchup against Roger Bacon.

Jackson Center High School

Anna picks up a huge win on the road at Jackson Center as the Rockets now hold a share of the SCAL title.

Springfield High School

Josh Tolliver plays the hero again for Springfield as he hits the game winner with just 5 seconds left to lift the Wildcats over Northmont. Tolliver hit the game winner in Springfield’s big win over Wayne last week as well.

Springboro High School

Springboro freshman Maxim Butler scored all 11 of his points in the fourth quarter as Springboro picks up a big non-conference win over Troy. The Panthers will face Springfield in the first round of the tournament and this win is a good sign for the Panthers to compete in that interesting matchup.

Coldwater High School

Minster clinches the MAC title with their win over Coldwater. This marks the first outright conference title in Minster program history.

Russia High School

Botkins ends their historic regular season with a win at Russia and a share of the SCAL title. The Trojans were led by Jacob and Carter Pleiman who each had 12 points. Russia missed the last second shot as Botkins holds on and will be SCAL champions.

Fairlawn High School

Nolan Berning hits the game winning three with just seconds left as Fort Loramie takes down Fairlawn and improves to 14-7 on the season.

Ansonia High School

Will Reittinger wins it at the buzzer for Bethel as the Bees steal a conference game from Ansonia in the final seconds.

Legacy Christian High School

Legacy Christian senior Jonathan Riddle scored his 1,000th point last night in the Knights’ win over Miami Valley. That win seals Legacy Christian’s MBC conference title. Their first MBC title since 2019. Riddle was also named the Metro Buckeye Conference player of the year this morning and head coach Mark Erwin was named the MBC coach of the year as well.

Emmanuel Christian Academy

Emmanuel Christian senior Jason Channels scored his 1,000th career point on Friday night but the balanced scoring attack from the Eagles was too much as Parker Penrod, Ben Major, Lucas Day, and Zach King combine for 41 of their 54 points.

Dixie High School

Milton-Union sophomore Blake Brumbaugh continues to impress as he had 23 points on Friday night. He’s averaging 19 points on the season and is one of the top players in the SWBL.

Madison Plains High School

Tyler Galluch drops 20 points as he went 7/8 from the field. The sophomore also pulled down 11 rebounds in the Irish’s 77-37 win over Madison Plains.

Dayton Christian High School

Dayton Christian junior Devin Drier pours on 25 points as the Warriors move past Middletown Christian and improve to 13-7 on the season.

Miami East High School

Jacob Roeth finished with 33 points and Nick Prince had 22 for Miami East as the Vikings pickup a big win over Newton.

Covington High School

Layne Sarver and the Patriots finish their regular season 22-0 as Tri-Village downs Covington to go perfect in CCC play. Their next game will be on the 23rd as East Dayton Christian forfeited their opening tournament game.

DAYTON SCOREBOARD FROM 2/12

Greenville High School

Stebbins High School

Emmanuel Christian Academy

Dayton Christian High School

Legacy Christian High School

Piqua High School

Northridge High School

Waynesville High School

Dixie High School

Jonathan Alder High School

St. Henry High School

London High School

Triad High School

National Trail High School

Miami East High School

Mechanicsburg High School

Fenwick High School

Coldwater High School

Bellefontaine High School

New Knoxville High School

Lima Senior High School

Jackson Center High School

Versailles High School

Alter High School

Benjamin Logan High School

Marion Local High School

Ponitz High School

Graham High School

Twin Valley South High School

Madison Plains High School

Chaminade Julienne High School

Carroll High School

Ansonia High School

Greeneview High School

Northwestern High School

Fairlawn High School

Wayne High School

Springfield High School

Stivers High School

Tri-County North High School

Covington High School

Trent Arena

Greenon High School

Miamisburg High School

West Jefferson High School

Springboro High School

Russia High School

Oakwood High School

Valley View High School

Bellbrook High School

Thurgood Marshall High School

by Rob Ellis

Week 11 Power Rankings Breakdown

Dayton, Ohio — A lot of the top teams in Dayton fell this past week as Centerville, Wayne, and Dunbar all suffered losses on Saturday. There’s also a new number one in division three as Greeneview fell to Greenon. With conference championship races heating up, this should be a big week full of exciting games and matchups.

D1

1)Centerville | 10-3 (5-1, GWOC) |

Centerville had a big test on Saturday afternoon as they hosted St. Vincent-St. Mary’s led by Ohio State Malaki Branham. Branham is one of the best players in the state on one of the best teams in the state and it showed. The Elks battelled hard and almost came away with a victory but eventually fell. This week won’t get any easier as they host Trotwood-Madison on Tuesday and then travel to Springfield Wednesday before hosting Fairmont on Friday to close out their week.

2)Wayne | 11-2 (6-1, GWOC) |

Wayne dropped a tough matchup on Saturday against St. Xavier. GWOC player of the year front-runner Prophet Johnson had 24 points in the loss. Sophomore star Lawrent Rice also tied his career high of 22 points in their blowout win over Beavercreek on Friday. Wayne will have a loaded week with GWOC games against Northmont, Springboro, and Springfield, before hosting Columbus Independence on Saturday.

3)Franklin | 15-1 (9-0, SWBL) |

Franklin is looking very convincing. The Wildcats have won six straight by 20 or more points and haven’t lost since December 11th. Their 13 game win streak has been led by high-intensity defense and a good amount of scoring from their junior duo in Noah Rich and Nate Paarlberg. They’ll take on A.J. Eller and Brookville on Friday and then they’ll host their crosstown rivals in Springboro on Saturday.

4)Miamisburg | 12-5 (5-2, GWOC) |

After Miamisburg had a shot to win the GWOC title with a huge game against Wayne, the Warriors would not be denied and had a late comeback to take away that conference title from the Vikings. Miamisburg then dropped back-to-back games after that falling to Wayne again and then Centerville. They got back in the win column with a win over GCL Co-Ed foe Purcell Marian on Tuesday. They have two GWOC opponents in Norhtmont and Beavercreek before they’ll be tested again. This time by the Alter Knights in a big Saturday night showdown.

5)West Carrollton | 11-3 (11-3, MVL) |

Still without star Allen Lattimore, West Carrollton continues to march on and win games. They took down Sidney on Wednesday behind a 22 point performance from freshman Javen Vaughn. Vaughn has suddenly emerged as a top 2024 player in the area, as he has blossomed in Lattimore’s absence. The 5’8″ guard has scored in double figures in the last three games and looks to continue that this week with their third matchup against Butler in the past month and then a game that should be a pretty good fight against a tough Stebbins team on Wednesday.

D2

1)Trotwood-Madison | 6-1 |

After a somewhat surprising early season loss on the road against Whitehall, Trotwood has responded nicely. The Rams have won five straight including a huge win over Taft and then a big road win at La Salle. Anthony McComb played his best game of the season on Saturday as the Rams were victorious on the road against Shawn McCullough’s Springfield squad. Trotwood will have their biggest game yet with a huge matchup at Centerville on Tuesday. It’s unclear where the Rams will be seeded due to their lack of games played so this game will be crucial for them.

2)Tippecanoe | 15-0 (15-0, MVL) |

Winthrop commit Ben Knostman has played out of his mind this season. Knostman is currently averaging a triple-double and will have a very good opportunity at being the first player in the new era of the MVL to be back-to-back player of the year leading the first back-to-back conference champions. To keep their undefeated season in tact, the Red Devils will have to take down Butler on the road in a huge rivalry matchup. Then they travel to Sidney on Saturday for another big road test. Tipp has also added a road matchup at Mason to end their season on February 13th.

3)Dunbar | 8-1 (7-0, DPS) |

After a long delay, Dunbar finally got their season kicked off in early January. The Wolverines have played a somewhat easy schedule up to his point as the Dayton City League is much weaker this season than last year. They lost on Saturday to Paul McMillan and Woodward. At times this year, Dunbar has seemed to lack a true scorer they can give it to at the end of games. Hopefully Justin O’Neal, Antaune Allen, or Chanze Amerson can fully develop into that role as the Wolverines have a lot of potential and are only getting started on their road to a deep tournament run.

4)Jonathan Alder | 13-0 (6-0, CBC) |

Jonathan Alder has owned the CBC this season as senior Jackson Izzard has played great basketball averaging 18 points per game to lead the 13-0 Pioneers. They will have a huge showdown as they travel to Shawnee on Friday. Shawnee lost 47-35 earlier in the season and if Jonathan Alder can knock them off a second time, they will become the outright CBC champs.

5)Oakwood | 12-3 (6-3, SWBL) |

After starting off the season 3-3, Oakwood has rattled off nine straight wins. The duo of Will Maxwell and Keon Wright has taken over their opponents as Maxwell is averaging 17 points a game and Wright is putting up 15 points a game. Junior Jack Epley has also emerged as a factor on this team as the guard is also averaging 12 points a game. Oakwood will face Antoine Jacobs and Northridge on Friday as Jacobs has been one of the most lethal scorers in the SWBL this season.

D3

1)Springfield Shawnee | 8-2 (4-1, CBC) |

After a two-week hiatus, Shawnee will return to action with a home matchup against London. Then they will have a rematch against the only CBC team to beat them this season as they host Jonathan Alder. Senior Jamon Miller and sophomore Zion Crowe will both need to stepup big against Jonathan Alder in order for the Braves to clinch a share at the CBC title.

2)North Union | 13-2 (7-0, CBC) |

North Union only lost one game last season, and it was the game that ended their season. Preston Crabtree has been just as dominant this season as the senior has led North Union to a perfect 7-0 conference record so far. The next three games should be solid wins for North Union as they’ve already beaten those three teams by 20+ points. They’ll then close out their season with a road game at Marysville and a home matchup versus Elgin.

3)Greeneview | 13-3 (9-2, OHC) |

Greeneview was ranked #1 in last weeks rankings, but after a loss at home to Greenon the Rams have dropped down to #3. Because of that loss, Greeneview drops down to second place in the OHC South standings and their season will be decided with a huge repeat of last year with a late season game against Cedarville. The Rams would be tied for first place with a win and with a loss, their hopes at back-to-back conference titles are over.

4)Preble Shawnee | 16-3 (9-1, SWBL) |

After a close loss to Waynesville, Preble Shawnee’s season was completely flipped around. Freshman Mason Shrout has proven to be one of the best players in the area as he lead the Arrows to an outstanding 12 straight wins. They were upset earlier in the week to Valley View but if Preble Shawnee can win their next three games against Madison, Eaton, and Northridge then they’ll become SWBL champions.

5)Anna | 12-5 (8-2, SCAL) |

Anna has been a very impressive team this season, considering all the talent they graduated. The Rockets have had big wins this season over Minster, Botkins and Fort Loramie. They did fall to West Liberty-Salem last Saturday but won over a young and impressive Miami East squad this past Saturday. Anna is currently tied with Botkins in first place in the SCAL. They have conference games against Russia and Jackson Center remaining and they will need to capitalize on those contests if they want to win another conference championship.

D4

1) Tri-Village | 18-0 (9-0, CCC) |

Tri-Village improved to 18-0 on the season with blowout victories over Emmanuel Christian and Tri-County North. Layne Sarver is playing his best basketball at the right time as the Patriots have a big test Friday against a young and tough Miami East team. That game will likely decide the CCC title as Tri-Village can lockup another conference championship right before the tournament draw. They also face Cameron Harrison and National Trail on Tuesday. Harrison is one of the top players in the CCC and it should be a solid test before the Miami East game on Friday.

2) Cedarville | 13-1 (9-1, OHC) |

Cedarville will have its biggest game of the season on Friday as they battle Greeneview for what will decide the OHC South. Greeneview lost last week to Greenon which put the Indians in first place in the division. This exact same game took place last year, but Colby Cross and Cedarville came up just short so revenge would be so sweet this Friday night with a conference title on the line.

3) Botkins | 15-3 (8-2, SCAL) |

After living on cloud nine for most of the season, Botkins was defeated in back-to-back SCAL games by Fort Loramie and Anna. The pressure of a perfect season mixed with a gauntlet of a schedule is the same thing we saw last year with Versailles. Those losses may not be the worst thing after all though because after losing in double overtime to an Antwerp team that could very well be a final four team this season, the Trojans rebounded nicely with a pair of blowout wins against Houston and Fairlawn.

4) Minster | 14-4 (7-0, MAC) |

Minster put themselves in a very good position to win the MAC title with a big win last week over St. Henry. They also took down Aidan Reichert and Jackson Center in overtime to maintain their solid 14-4 record. Minster is a team with district title potential as great coaching mixed with a talent like Justin Nixon should be a problem for any team come March. The Wildcats will have a big battle at Fort Recovery on Friday, but with a win there they will clinch at least a share of the MAC title. Then if they defeat Coldwater the following Friday, the Wildcats would become MAC champs with a perfect 9-0 conference record.

5) St. Henry | 12-5 (5-1, MAC) |

St. Henry will move back into the top five for just the second time this season. The Redskins had a heartbreaking loss on Friday to Minster which might end their hopes at a MAC title. Minster will still have to get through a very talented Fort Recovery team so all St. Henry can do is win out and hope that the Wildcats have a slipup along the way.