Category: SWBL

by Will Homan

Shrout’s 33 points lifts Preble Shawnee over Waynesville

Camden, Ohio– Waynesville came into Preble Shawnee on Friday night with a one-game lead over the Arrows in the SWBL Buckeye division standings. Preble Shawnee came into Friday night on a nine-game win streak with their last loss being at Waynesville. The first quarter was fast-paced and intense. Both teams got into a rhythm on the offensive end as it was a very high scoring quarter as Waynesville was paced by Kohl Todd and Josh Mitchell. Preble Shawnee was led by Mason Shrout and Miami University- Hamilton commit Bryce Singleton. Waynesville held a 25-21 lead after one. The second quarter Preble Shawnee went on a run and never looked back. Mason Shrout was scoring from all three levels and couldn’t be stopped. Waynesville threw multiple different defense’s at Shrout but still Shrout wouldn’t be denied. Bryce Singleton was a force on the glass. Preble Shawnee led at the half 44-35. Waynesville came out firing in the third quarter led by Todd, Mitchell, and Luke Zebell, but Shrout had an answer for every Waynesville run. Dylan Hatmaker and Xavier Adams also provided scoring for the Arrows. Preble Shawnee went into the 4th with a 64-53 lead. Shrout continued his impressive performance by beating the Waynesville pressure and getting to the rim. Preble Shawnee extended their lead but Waynesville continued to fight back as Kohl Todd continued to knock down shots. Waynesville got it to 71-60 with 3:37 left but it was Preble Shawnee’s night. The Arrow’s extended their lead to as much as 19 and won by a final score of 81-64. With Preble Shawnee’s win, they now share first place in the SWBL Buckeye division with Waynesville. Mason Shrout finished with a game high 33 points. Three more Arrow’s were in double-figures as Bryce Singleton had 14, Dylan Hatmaker had 11 and Xavier Adams finished with 12. Josh Mitchell led Waynesville with 15, Kohl Todd 14, and Luke Zebell had 14 also. Both teams will now look to continue their impressive play in the SWBL to clinch a league title. Waynesville plays host to Northridge Tuesday as Preble Shawnee travels to Dixie.

Top Prospects (In no particular oder)

Kohl Todd/2021/ 5’10” G/ Waynesville- Todd didn’t have his best performance scoring the ball, but he is the X-factor for this Waynesville squad. Preble Shawnee denied Todd the ball most of the game, but Todd still managed to score 14. Todd has a quick release, deep range, and can finish around the rim in a variety of ways. One of the elite guards in the SWBL and Dayton area.

Josh Mitchell/2022/ 6’3″ G/ Waynesville- Mitchell is a complete player and can score from all three levels. Has good size and is very versatile on the offensive end. Mitchell can step out and shoot the three, attack the rim, and has a really nice mid-range game. Mitchell will be a key if Waynesville wants to make a run here come March.

Bryce Singleton/2021/ 6’4″ F/ Preble Shawnee- Singleton is one of the best rebounders in the Dayton area, leading the SWBL at 11.4 a game. The Miami University-Hamilton commit utilizes the shot fake very well to get to the charity stripe. Singleton can step out and knock down jumpers also. Has a great touch around the rim. A tough kid who always plays his tail off.

Mason Shrout/2024/ 6’4″ G/ Preble Shawnee- Shrout has been discussed as one of the top players in the 2024 class in the Dayton area and on Friday night Shrout showed why he is (in my opinion) the best 2024 prospect in the area at the moment. At 6’4″ Shrout can do it all- knockdown shooter, has the ball on a string, great court vision, and an extremely high basketball IQ. Shrout knocked down multiple tough shots as Waynesville threw everything at him but still couldn’t stop Shrout. Shrout was an impressive 14-18 from the field against Waynesville. Shrout controlled the pace of the game Friday night for all 32 minutes and I believe his best basketball is yet to come, as he is only a freshman- and leading the SWBL in scoring. Shrout may be the next best talent to come out of the SWBL since Luke Kennard.

by Will Homan

Late Second-half surge lifts Bethel past Northridge

Tipp City, Ohio– Northridge traveled up to Bethel High School on Tuesday night for a non-conference matchup against the Bees. Northridge came into the game with a win against Milton-Union last Friday night while Bethel had lost five straight. The game started out extremely slow with both teams struggling to find a flow on the offensive end. Ethan Rimkus and Will Reittinger got things going on the offensive end for Bethel. For Northridge, Jamel Crusoe was playing really well. Crusoe had a nice transition dunk in the second quarter. Both teams were settled into a 2-3 zone and couldn’t get much going. The score was knotted at 17 all at halftime. The second half both teams found a rhythm and started to knock down shots. Northridge’s Antoine Jacobs came out in the second-half and really attacked the basket hard. Isaiah McCallop was knocking down perimeter shots for the Polar Bears. Casey Keese for Bethel started to get going as Northridge went into the 4th quarter with a 35-33 lead. The 4th quarter was all Bethel. Casey Keese did a terrific job handling Northridge’s pressure all night. Will Reittinger knocked down some big shots. Bethel showed a tremendous amount of toughness and didn’t give Northridge anything easy. They contested every shot at the rim, were quicker to every loose ball, and rebounded the ball well. I thought Bethel’s toughness in the 4th quarter was the X-factor. Northrige’s Antoine Jacobs who came into the game averaging 20 points did everything he could to keep the Polar Bears in the game, but it wasn’t enough. Jacobs finished the game with 13. Jamel Crusoe finished the game with 11 for the Polar Bears. Casey Keese finished with 19 for Bethel. Bethel will travel to Twin Valley South Friday night. Northridge will play host to SWBL foe Bellbrook.

Top Prospects (In no particular order)

Jamel Crusoe/2021/ 6’2″ F/ Northridge- Crusoe at 6’2″ is very athletic and can get to the rim very well. Has a soft touch around the rim and a nice mid-range game. Crusoe will have to continue to be aggressive on the offensive end for the Polar Bears.

Antoine Jacobs/2022/ 6’2″ G/ Northridge- Jacobs is an under-the-radar prospect in the 2022 class in the Dayton area. Jacob’s has a strong frame and really attacks the rim hard. At 6’2″ and 180, Jacob’s is a tough matchup for opposing foes with his ability to put the ball on the floor and attack. Jacob’s has had an extremely impressive season so far including a 23 point output against Wayne. Jacob’s is definitely a 2022 prospect to keep your eye out for.

Will Reittinger/2022/ 6’2″ F/ Bethel- Reittinger has the ability to stretch the floor and finish around the rim. Really liked his ability to contest shot’s around the rim. Will be a key piece for the Bees the remainder of the season.

Casey Keese/2022/ 5’8″ G/ Bethel- Keese wasn’t the tallest or most athletic player on the floor Tuesday night, but it’s safe to say he was the most skilled. Keese has the ball on a string and great court vision. Keese blew by the Northridge pressure multiple times and found teammates open for easy buckets. Keese can knock down shots and has a high basketball IQ. Keese is another 2022 prospect to keep your eye on.

by Matt Bollmann

Miamisburg Defense Leads to 11th Win

Bellbrook, Ohio — The Miamisburg Vikings (11-2) of the GWOC traveled to Bellbrook High School Tuesday evening to take on the Golden Eagles (5-7) of the SWBL. Miamisburg came into action Tuesday evening averaging 53.2 ppg as a team and allowing only 44.5 a game. Tuesday evening was no different, as their defense rose to the occasion against Bellbrook.

Alex Ball, leading scorer for Miamisburg, opened up the evening with a hot start. Hitting two three-pointers early on in the game, Miamisburg opened up to a 12-2 lead, leading Bellbrook to call an early timeout to stop the momentum of the Vikings. Miamisburg continued their hot start shooting the ball, as they opened up to a commanding 20-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, and that was really all they would need. Ball finished the quarter with 8 points, going two-for-two from deep. Evan Logan, the 6’4″ Senior, added 4 points of his own in the first.

Miamisburg’s defense came out even stronger in the second quarter, only allowing 4 total points in the second quarter. Jackson McGohan, 2023 forward, added 4 points in the second quarter, two of which were on a huge steal and fast break dunk. Ball added 4 points of his own, and led all scorers at the half with 12 points. The Vikings would go into the half with a 23 point lead by the score of 34-11.

Coming out of halftime, Bellbrook stepped up their intensity and pressure on defense only allowing 9 third quarter points, but still only scoring 7 points of their own in the quarter as they would head to the final quarter down by the score of 43-18.

Heading to the fourth quarter, Bellbrook continued their strong defense, outscoring Miamisburg in the final quarter by the score of 14-8. The Golden Eagles outscored the Vikings 21-17 in the second half, but it was far too little, too late. The Vikings improved to 11-2 on the season with a big 19 point win, 51-32.

Key Players:

Alex Ball/5’11” Guard/2021: Alex Ball finished the game with a game high 18 points. His ability to spot up from deep or attack the basket off the dribble and create space, create shots, and create plays for his teammates was the key all evening for the Vikings offense.

Evan Logan/6’4″ Forward/2021: Evan Logan finished the evening with 8 points, but was a key factor both offensively and defensively for Miamisburg. His size in the middle on defense was too much all evening for the Golden Eagles to contend with, and his movement without the ball created some good looks and easy layups all evening.

Jackson McGohan/6’3″ Forward/2023: Jackson McGohan, when he was in the game was a force defensively. In the first half he had a nice block coming from behind the defender, blocking it off Bellbrook and causing a turnover. In the second quarter, he jumped the passing lane and was able to cause a steal leading to a fast break dunk, for two of his 6 points on the evening.

by Rob Ellis

Kohl Todd’s drops 34 points in huge win over Preble Shawnee

Waynesville, Ohio — Preble Shawnee traveled to Waynesville for an early-season test against the 1-0 Waynesville Spartans. The Arrows’ duo of Mason Shrout and Bryce Singleton have been trouble for defenses this season. Shrout is one of the top freshman in the Dayton area and Singleton is a solid big man who has played well during his time at Preble Shawnee.

Waynesville comes into this season with a lot to prove. After an early exit last year against Dunbar in the tournament, senior guard Kohl Todd has a lot to prove going into his senior season. Waynesville got a convincing win over Milton-Union last week and the Spartans looked to knock off another solid SWBL team in Preble Shawnee.

It was obvious this game was going to be very back and forth from the opening tip. Waynesville forward Luke Zebell nailed a three, then Shrout hit a three for Shawnee. Kohl Todd then dished a dime to former Centerville guard Josh Mitchell to put the Spartans back up. Todd and Shrout would battle each other as they each hit a pair of threes on consecutive possessions.

Preble Shawnee extended their first quarter lead as Shrout hit a step-back jumper. Then he dished it out to Dylan Hatmaker for a three. Hatmaker would get a steal on the very next play and then pass it to Shrout for the easy layup as the Arrows took a 28-17 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Former Dayton Elite teammates Bryce Singleton and Kohl Todd exchanged buckets as Singleton went to work down low for the post bucket. Then Todd followed that up with a deep three. Shrout continued to dominate in both inside and perimeter scoring. Waynesville’s shooting kept them in the game as Todd, Seth Bloom, and Paul Dotson all hit three’s for the Spartans. Waynesville trailed 40-31 at the half.

A huge and-one from Luke Zebell and then a transition score from Josh Mitchell brought Waynesville back within two to begin the second half. Preble Shawnee then extended their lead as Bryce Singleton hit a tough euro. Then Mason Shrout finished an and-one before Hatmaker extended the lead to seven with a transition layup. Preble Shawnee led 54-45 heading into the fourth quarter.

Kohl Todd began the final quarter hot as he hit a pair of threes. Josh Mitchell then began to lockup Shrout as the freshman who was unstoppable in the first half suddenly became cold. Mitchell blocked Shrout and then Todd took it coast to coast for the layup. A three from Paul Dotson in the corner tied the game at 56 a piece with just 4:40 to go.

On the very next possession, Sam Warren dished it inside to Mitchell who finished the and-one to give Waynesville the lead. Then Mitchell stole the ball from Shrout and took it all the way for a layup to extend the Spartans lead to 61-56. Down 62-61, Dylan Hatmaker then got a huge steal before being fouled on his ensuing layup attempt. Hatmaker tied the game but missed the second free-throw to take the lead. On the following possession, Luke Zebell scored off of a nice entry pass from Payton Layne to give Waynesville back the lead.

Seth Bloom made one of the biggest plays of the game as he took a charge from Bryce Singleton. Preble Shawnee was forced to foul. Kohl Todd made both free-throws as the Spartans extended the lead to 66-62. Shrout pump-faked a three which drew a jump from Zebell. Shrout thought he got fouled on the shot as he threw up a prayer but a no-call from the officials sealed the victory for Waynesville. Todd finished with an incredible 34 points including 6/10 from three and 10/18 from the field.

Waynesville improves to 2-0 (2-0, SWBL) on the season and is now sitting atop of the SWBL Buckeye Standings. Preble Shawnee drops to 1-2 (1-1, SWBL) and will look to bounce back with a home game on Friday as they host Dixie. Waynesville will look to keep the wheels rolling as they battle Northridge on the road on Friday.

by Rob Ellis

Franklin takes care of Oakwood behind their strong defensive performance

Franklin, Ohio — Oakwood and Franklin met on Friday for an early SWBL showdown. The Lumberjacks fell on Tuesday to Bellbrook which was very surprising as the Eagles were without Gabe Pavlak. Franklin blewout Kings the week prior and were looking to improve to 2-0 on the season.

Nate Paarlberg and Noah Rich are both juniors that have stepped up in big ways for the Wildcats. That duo paired with sharpshooting senior Isaiah Bales and starting point guard Tez Lattimore makes for a solid team.

Tez Lattimore got the steal and score for Franklin and then Sam Stack got the scoring started for Oakwood as he got a bucket off an assist from Fairmont transfer Keon Wright. Franklin’s zone immediatley began giving Oakwood problems. Sophomore star Will Maxwell threw the ball out of bounds and the Wildcats continued to force Keon Wright to pass the ball away.

Both teams traded buckets as Nate Paarlberg got an and-one and then Maxwell netted a deep three for Oakwood. Dan Flannery‘s buzzer-beater attempet was just a second late as Oakwood trailed at the end of the 1st, 13-7.

Franklin’s zone continued to work well as Paarlberg forced a turnover and then made the pass to Noah irch for the easy basket. They then forced another turnover and Lattimore dished it to Paarlberg for another easy two points as Franklin extended their lead to double-digits. Oakwood was then forced to burn a timeout as Jayden Bennett hit a three for Franklin and the ‘Jacks threw the ball out-of-bounds on their next possession.

Nate Paarlberg continued to attack for Franklin as he seemed unstoppable getting inside layup and layup. Eventually, Keon Wright got in the scoring column with a three and cut the deficit to 26-14. But right after that, Tez Lattimore hit a three of his own for Franklin and then Noah Rich got a steal and then the transition layup to make it a 31-14 ballgame. Franklin led 38-18 at the break.

It appeared Oakwood had started to go on a run to begin the second half as Will Maxwell got three straight buckets on three straight possessions and then Keon Wright made a transition layup to cut the Wildcat lead to just thirteen. Then they left Isaiah Bales wide open for three, which he drained. Then a Noah Rich layup and a three off of a friendly roll, gave Franklin a twenty-one point lead again. Franklin was up 54-31 heading into the final quarter of basketball.

Franklin would go on to win the game 56-39 as they mostly held the ball in the fourth quarter. Paarlberg led the Wildcats with 17 points and 6 rebounds. Noah Rich added on 13 points and Isaiah Bales had 9 points off of 3 three-pointers. Franklin will shift their focus to Monroe as they battle the Hornets next Tuesday while Oakwood will look to get back in the win column with a matchup against Valley View at home on Tuesday.

by Luke Daxe

Ivory & Smith Helps Northmont Clinch Their Home Opener Against Bellbrook

Clayton, Ohio — The 20/21 basketball season kicked off last night for Northmont and Bellbrook in a non-conference matchup, hosted by the Thunderbolts. Two very talented prospects in the area went head-to-head in Patrick Ivory and Gabe Pavlak. Early in the first quarter neither team could find their ice breaking bucket, but in the tail end of the quarter both sides began to find a rhythm. Bellbrook ran a very disciplined defense which caused Northmont problems on the offensive end. Charges galore were being drawn by the Eagles early on, but Northmont’s composure allowed them to start taking a slight lead before the break. After two quarters of play, Northmont lead Bellbrook  28-26. 

When play resumed after halftime, the energy remained the same for both teams. The third quarter was pretty back and forth, and almost even. Northmont edged Bellbrook 13-12 in the third. All game long turnovers were an issue for Northmont. They finished the game with 21 in total. Dominant play continued from Patrick Ivory in the second half, and Jordan Smith started to find his grove in the paint. Bellbrook began to slip further into a deficit, but did not stop giving effort. Northmont controlled the rest of the second half and it resulted in a season opening victory for the Thunderbolts, 53-47.

Gabe Pavlak had a very promising first half. He shot the ball well, and was a force down low. He was managing to get the basket with ese in the first two quarters. In the third quarter he began to slow down in scoring, but still managed to keep his team in a close game against a favored Northmont. In the fourth Pavlak went down with what appeared to be an injury to his right knee. His night ended there after putting on a good opening game performance. 

Patrick Ivory was the player to watch last night finishing the game with 24 points! The 6’5” guard was smooth on the ball all night, and was finding ways to score consistently. He shot 50% from the field last night, which is expected to improve as the season goes on. Ivory performed well on defense as well with 3 steals and 1 block. Patrick Ivory is expected to show out this season alongside Jordan Smith for Northmont.

Jordan Smith had a stellar performance for the Thunderbolts finishing the night with a double-double. With 15 points and 11 boards, Smith was working downlow all night. With him ripping down boards left and right, it allowed Northmont to move in transition, which was a pain for Bellbrook. Jordan Smith came out of halftime ready to play, scoring many of his points in the third quarter. He is expected to perform at a high caliber all season, and I would not put it past him. He is an athletic big, who excels on scoring in the paint, and snagging rebounds. Jordan Smith and Patrick Ivory are expected to lead Northmont all season, and did so last night against a well coached Bellbrook side.