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Franklin Monroe Wins Season Opener vs Twin Valley South 59-56
It was a battle between Franklin Monroe & Twin Valley South neither team led by more than four points. The Jets would won late at free throw line 59-56. (Dale Barger photo)
PITSBURG – Franklin Monroe and Twin Valley South kicked off their boys basketball season in a WOAC match-up and both teams had lots of questions about their teams. It would be a highly competitive game giving each team some answers to those questions. In a game that could have gone either way Franklin Monroe would make a few more winning plays late to earn a 59-56 victory.
The Jets were coming off 21-5 record, 10-1 in the WOAC and a District Championship last season and graduated five seniors from that team: EB Fall (13.5 pt), Eric Brenner (14.7 pt), Ty Riffle, Trey Wilson and Tysyn Miller taking with them almost 40 points per game.
Franklin Monroe did have a few key pieces return from that team this year starting with Seniors Lucas Brenner (7.3 pt ) Ben Denlinger (5 pt), and junior Blake Riffle (8.4 pt) and all three would play a big role in the Jets win and help take up some of the scoring needed to make up from the previous season.
On the flip side Twin Valley South would have their third coach in three years with the current girls varsity coach Kerry Crouch serving double duty coaching the boys varsity team this year.
The Panthers finished 2024-25 with a 5-18 overall record and 3-8 in the WOAC and graduated seven seniors on that team.
Returning for South was their leading scorer junior Trent Ray (13.6 pt) and senior guard Aiden White (9.7 pt) so the Panthers also were looking to find out who will step up on the offensive side of the ball
Defensively the Panthers have plenty of size with 5 players 6’2” or taller and that length would be a concern for FM coach Troy Myers.
TV South 6'2' junior Parker Howard is one of five Panthers over 6'2" in the line-up. He scored 10 points in the game. (Dale Barger photo)
“I honestly thought coming into the game that it would be a struggle for us because of their size. They have a lot of kids who haven't played on the basketball floor in a varsity game, and neither do we. But size in high school basketball does make a difference, especially in small schools,” coach Myers stated.
That size would help Twin Valley South as they jumped on top of Franklin Monroe 12-8 in the first quarter a score that could have been higher had it not been for a number of missed lay-ups by the Panthers.
They would get five points from Trent Ray, three from 6’2” junior forward Parker Howard and two each from Levi Ritchie and 6’3” senior forward Laiden Carver.
Franklin Monroe also missed shots in the opening frame but got a triple and two free throws from Lucas Brenner, a lay-up from Blake Riffle and a free throw from junior forward Reed Brumbaugh.
FM junior Blake Riffle returns with a bigger frame and ability to not only shoot outside but go inside as well. He had 12 points for the Jets in win. (Dale Barger photo)
It would go back and forth in the second quarter with the Jets picking up some scoring from new faces with junior guard Braden Gilbert knocking down a triple and sophomore Grady Myers adding a fielder to go along with another four points from Brenner, three free throws from Blake Riffle and three points from Ben Denlinger to give FM a 23-22 lead at the break.
South points came on four points from Aiden White layups, two from Ray and Carver, then one point each from 6’2” junior forward Parker Howard and 6’5” junior forward Lucas Barlow.
South senior Aiden White can run the offense and also get to the rim and had two lay-ups in the second quarter. (Dale Barger photo)
In the third quarters Ray would step-up for South going for seven points and was matched by teammate Ritchie for an 18-point quarter.
Franklin Monroe kept the scoring pace with 17-points in the third period led by Blake Riffle's six points, Brenner’s five and another triple from Gilbert for a 40-40 tie heading into the final stanza.
FM jr. Braden Gilbert had three big triples & 11 points for the Jets. (Dale Barger photo)
There were a number of lead changes throughout the contest and neither team led in the game by more than four points.
Franklin Monroe took back the lead 45-44 on the third triple of the game by Gilbert at 6:18, then extended it on a free throw and a lay-up by Brenner to go up 48-44 at 5:07.
South responded with a five-point run to jump back in front 49-48 only to see Brenner connect on his second triple of the game to regain the lead 51-49 for the Jets.
Ritchie tied the game back up and then a free throw by Howard flipped the score 52-51 South.
The Jets senior Lucas Brenner made the tough buckets when the team needed it and had 23 points in the game to lead all scorers. (Dale Barger photo)
One thing was becoming clear in the game and that is whenever Franklin Monroe needed a tough bucket it was Lucas Brenner stepping forward. The senior guard was fouled hard going to the rim and made two free throws with a minute to go for a 53-52 lead.
Brenner scored 23 points in the game to lead all scorers with nine in the 4th quarter.
South was unable to respond, fouled sophomore guard Braxtyn Cool who sank one of two free throws to go up 54-52 with 30 seconds to play.
Cool found himself back at the line with 19 seconds left, again going one for two keeping the lead at two, 55-53.
South failed to score and the Panthers fouled senior Ben Denlinger who drained the two throws to push the lead to 57-53.
TV South junior Trent Ray would be the go to guy for the Panthers when they needed a play. he had 17 to lead his team. (Dale Barger photo)
Trent Ray, South’s leading scorer with 17 rose up and fired in a long range three ball to close the gap to 57-56 with 8 seconds to play.
The Panthers had to foul and sent Gilbert to the line with 3 seconds to play. He connected on both for a Jets.
The team that was a combined 9-for-12 in the 4th period and 22 of 32 for the game.
South had one last shot from just over half-court, but it was too long and Franklin Monroe hung on 59-56 for their season opening win.
After the game Troy Myers talked about his team’s effort and ability to make plays down the stretch as keys to the win.
“I told the guys if we didn't win the rebounding war, we weren't in the game. And down the stretch, we had some monumental rebounds. We had one by our smallest kid on the floor on the defensive end, and then we had an extra effort play down here by Denlinger on the free throw. Both got us a possession, and I thought our guys really locked in and understood the assignment on the glass, and we had some gutsy efforts there at the end,” Myers would say.
Franklin Monroe senior Ben Denlinger was one of the players praised by Myers who made big plays at the end of the game. (Dale Barger photo)
“I didn’t thing we would score 59 points on opening night. I thought we would struggle to score, and we did at times. The first half was pretty ugly, but we shot a lot of free throws, got to the rim, put pressure on the rim, and gave ourselves a chance to shoot a lot of free throws. So, I'm really proud of the guys' effort and in the second half understanding what it was going to take to win and come up with a few stops that we had to have,” Myers added.
On the other side Twin Valley South coach Kerry Crouch was pleased with his team’s effort as well and knows they were just play or two away from getting a win.
“I think we shot 43% from the field, and we probably missed 10 easy bunnies, right? So, if we make a few of those baskets. It's a different ball game,” Crouch stated.
Crouch, much like Myers is trying to feel out where he is as a team and trying not to complicate things too much initially and knows they have things to work on.
“Starting off in the beginning of the year we’re talking about just playing basketball and not worrying about running a lot of sets, we want the kids go out there and not think about too many things and just play basketball,” Crouch explained.
“We’ve got kids out there that have some experience, other who haven’t played in a while and some new with little experience. So, I feel like we're at different tiers, but I like what we have, and our length is going to help us,” Crouch added.
Junior Guard Levi Ritchie had a good game of South and glides to the rim for a bucket. He had 14 points for the Panthers. (Dale Barger photo)
“I think people will have to take notice that we're a pretty good basketball team. We'll go back to practice on Sunday and obviously work on defense, help side defense, playing without following, which I yelled the whole game. We had a lot of kids in foul trouble and had to go deeper in the bench. But I think those kids stepped up. I believe we’re just a steppingstone away from figuring it out,” Crouch concluded.
South was led by Trent Ray with 17 points, Levi Rithchie 14 and Parker Howard 10. They will back in action on Monday traveling to Middletown Christian.
Franklin Monroe was led by Lucas Brenner with 23 points, Blake Riffle had 12, and Braden Gilbert with 11. The Jets are back in action at Calvary Christian Saturday.
Box Scores
Score by Quarters
TVS … 12 … 10 … 18 … 16 – 56
FM …. 08 … 15 … 17 … 19 – 59
Team Scoring
Twin Valley South – (0-1, 0-1 WOAC)
P. Howard 0-3-4/8 - 10, A. White 0-2-0/0 - 4, L Ritchie 2-3-2/2 – 14, L. Carter 0-3-0/0 - 6, L. Barlow 0-2-1/2 - 5, T. Ray 1-6-2/4 – 17, Totals 3-19-9/16 – 56
Franklin Monroe – (1-0, 1-0 WOAC)
L.Brenner 2-5-7/10 -23, B. Cool 0-0-2/4 -2, R. Brumbaugh 0-1-1/2 -3, B. Gilbert 0-3-2/2-11, B Riffle 0-3-6/8 -12, B. Denlinger 0-1-4/6 -6, G Myers 0-1-0/0 -2, Totals 5-11-22/32 -59
Franklin Monroe was able to defend their home court and open the season with a big 59-56 win over Twin Valley South. (Dale Barger photo)
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Mississinawa Valley Girls Basketball Stuns Tri-Village in WOAC Match-up.
Mississinawa Coach Kirk Comer makes adjustments during game with Tri-Village. The Blackhawks won the key early season WOAC game 65-38. (Dale Barger photo)
NEW MADISON – The Mississinawa Valley girls basketball team jumped out to a 17-5 first quarter lead and finished strong in the fourth quarter for a convincing 65-38 win over Tri-Village in a key WOAC match-up of top teams.
Both teams were tight to start the contest until Mississinawa senior Makenna Hoggatt dropped a trey at the 5:45 mark and she would follow that up with a second one at 4:31 to give the Hawks a 9-3 lead.
Mississinawa came out in a 3-2 zone and the Patriots who have traditionally feasted on perimeter shooting struggled against the zone with freshman Taytum Gray the only one to hit one from deep in the first quarter.
Meanwhile the Blackhawks would get one more triple from Makenna, a fielder from Cora Hoggatt and Brooklynn Seubert along with free throws from Paige Emrick for a 17-5 lead.
Senior Makenna Hoggatt had the hot hand early knocking down three triples in the opening quarter to give the Hawks a 17-5 lead. (Dale Barger photo)
First year Mississinawa Valley head coach Kirk Comer was pleased but not really surprised by his team’s start.
“They came in here tonight with a lot of confidence, everybody did their job and MaKenna hitting those threes early, I thought was just huge for us,” Comer said.
Comer a veteran coach with 20 years at Jay County (Portland, Indiana) takes over the reins left by departing coach Michael Paige who is now coaching at Northmont.
While the offense was good … it’s the defense that would make the difference in the first half as they would hold the Patriots to just six points in the second quarter and 11 in the first half with 8 Patriot points coming from Gray.
Blackhawk’s senior guard Paige Emrick scored 6 of her 9 first half points in the second quarter by getting to the rim to tie Makenna who had 9 as well for a 29-11 lead at the break.
Senior Paige Emrick would lead all scorers in the game with 19 points for the Hawks in big win over Tri-Village. (Dale Barger photo)
Tri-Village adjusted trying to solve the zone defense in the third quarter by attacking middle of the zone which got them some lay-ups and to the free throw line, rather than chucking up all perimeter shots.
They scored 17 in the third quarter cutting into the lead trailing 40-28 heading into the final stanza.
Coach Comer talked about the adjustments by Tri-Village against their defense.
“I thought our defense played extremely well, we got out on their shooters and pushed them out a little bit further than maybe they're used to. They started to attack the middle of our zone, and it hurt us a couple times in the third quarter,” Comer stated.
But Mississinawa made some of their own adjustments defensively heading into the fourth quarter.
“We had our girls start doubling the middle forcing them to kick it back out,” Comer explained.
Typically, a good three-point shooting team, Tri-Village couldn’t dial it in, and the lack of scoring kept them from getting into their press forcing an up-tempo game that they like to play to get easy scores off turnovers.
Mississinawa was able to move the ball around shared it well forcing the Patriots to foul in the final frame with Paige Emrick and Brooklyn Seubert going to the line 14 times and would convert 10 of them.
The Hawks scored 25 points in the final frame for a convincing 65-38 victory.
Mississinawa coming off the school’s back-to-back district championship lost their all-time leading scorer Taylee Woodbury 16 ppg and Syenna Purdin 10 ppg to graduation.
One might expect the Blackhawks to struggle a bit to start the year having to replace 26 points and the intangibles they brought to the table … but the Blackhawks senior class this year might be one of the most athletic they’ve had in school history, and they would show that in their game with Tri-Village.
“I thought the key for us tonight was just everybody doing what they do. We dominated the boards. we know Tri-Village is a good team and they shoot the ball well, but if they miss and get the rebound then shoot again that’s a problem, so we knew we had to limit them to one shot,” Comer stated after the game.
Senior Brooklynn Seubert had 15 of the Mississinawa's 48 rebounds the played a big role in their win over Tri-Village. (Dale Barger photo)
“Tonight was just a really good win. The girls are really excited and should be they've been working really hard. Sometimes they don't understand why we're doing things, the way we're doing it. But when you get something to pay off like this, it sure helps the next day to go back into practice,” Comer added.
“Hopefully now we can build on this. And I told them, we're only four games in and what happens in December, doesn't really matter, it's what happens in February and March,” Comer clarified.
On that note, he knows the Tri-Village loss now isn’t the worst thing that can happen to them.
“Brad's a great coach and a good friend they'll bounce back, and they’ll be better because of it,” Comer concluded.
Fr. Taytum Gray goes in for a lay-up for the Patriots and led the team with 12 points. (Dale Barger photo)
Tri-Village got 12 points from Taytum Gray and 10 each from Tai Mize and Adalynn Hines in the game. The Patriots fall to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the WOAC. They will look to rebound at Bellefontaine on Monday.
Mississinawa was led by Paige Emrick with 19 points, Makenna Hoggatt had 14 and Brooklynn Seubert had a double-double 12 points and 15 rebounds. The Blackhawks improve to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the WOAC and will host Botkins on Monday.
Another big game in the conference last night saw Arcanum come away with a 58-54 overtime win at Ansonia.
Box Score
Score by Quarters
MV 17 … 12 … 11 … 25 – 65
TV 05 … 06 … 17 … 10 – 38
Team Scoring
MV: T. Woodbury 1-2-1/2 – 8, M. Hoggatt 4-1-0/0 – 14, M. Stachler 0-1-0/0 – 2,
C. Seubert 0-2-0/0 – 4, C. Hoggatt 0-3-0/0 – 6, P. Emerick 0-5-9/12 – 19,
B. Seubert 0-3-6/11 – 12, Totals 5-17-16/25 – 65
TV: T. Gray 2-3-0/0 – 12, T. Mize 1-2-3-4 – 10, M. Bierly 0-0-1/2 – 1, R. Hunt 1-0-0/0 – 3,
K. Wilcox 0-1-0/0 – 2, A. Hines 0-4-2/4 – 10, Totals 4-10-6/10 – 38
Mississinawa had plenty to cheer about as they just plain outplayed Tri-Village for a key early season WOAC win 65-38. (Dale Barger photo)
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Newton Wins Defensive Battle Verses Bradford in WOAC Boys Basketball
No Harm, No Foul, a game of Chicago, in Newton vs Bradford game. Each team gave as good as they got. The Indians won the low scoring game 33-19. (Dale Barger photo)
PLEASANT HILL – The Newton boys basketball team’s 33-19 win over visiting Bradford resembled a pick-up game of “Chicago” or even “King of the Mountain” with a football rather than basketball due to the physical style of play.
Ironically the only 3-pointer of the night for Bradford came on the first shot of the game from senior guard Greg Chowning for a quick 3-0 lead for the Railroaders.
Bradford guard Greg Chowning knocks down a triple ... it was the only one for the Railroaders all night. (Dale Barger photo)
Senior forward Isaac Hainline would sink two free throws for Newton to close the gap to 3-2 at 7:19 where the score remained that way for the next couple of minutes.
A free throw by Newton senior guard Rhett Koffer knotted the game at 3-3 and then a putback from Ayden Kane gave the Indians the lead 5-4 at 4:19 and they would never relinquish it the rest of the game.
Bradford was working hard to get their big man 6’5” junior center Rallie Wirrig going but the Indians were attached to him on both sides making life difficult inside for him and would shut him out in the first quarter with Newton holding a 10-5 lead.
Bradford's Rallie Wiring had to endure physical double teams by the Indians who made it tough on him all night. Wirrig led all scorers with 11 points. (Dale Barger photo)
First year Bradford coach Dillon McCullough was determined to get Wirrig touches in the 2nd period and why not. He had 18 points in Bradford’s season opening win over Houston and averaged 11 points and 9 rebounds a game last year and the Railroaders needed some easy baskets.
While Wirrig scored 7 points in the quarter there was nothing easy about them with 6’4” sophomore center Ayden Kane leaning on him and getting help defense from all over determined to not let Wirrig dominate the paint.
Newton senior guard Luke Cornett was consistent getting to the basket and went for 10 points on 5 rim attacks. (Dale Barger photo)
The Indians scored 6 points in the second and held a 16-12 lead at the break.
Newton started the 3rd quarter with a couple of Kane free throws and a triple from Koffer at 5:24 to go up 21-14.
The Railroaders only mustered three points and trailed 27-15 and with both offenses struggling it would feel like a mountain to climb for Bradford heading into the final stanza.
The physicality was on full display in the final frame, and it was the Indians standing at the top of the mountain knocking Bradford off looking up from the bottom on the wrong end of the scoreboard with Newton winning 31-19.
Newton senior guard Rhett Koffer showed ability to get to the rim & knocked down a triple in the 2nd half the only one all night for the Indians. (Dale Barger photo)
Newton was coming off a very easy 62-5 win over Jefferson, but it would be anything but easy verses Bradford in their first WOAC league game. They would have to earn the win and in the process find out a little bit about the toughness of their kids along the way.
“Kudos to Bradford coach McCullough, they were ready and played us hard. I mean, they took away things we usually try to get into, so good job by them. I'm just proud of my guys because at some point with our sporadic offense we had to turn defense into offense and it kind of helped us a lot,” Cantrell commented.
“When we scrimmaged Fort Recovery I saw something from our dudes, about their toughness, that's really one thing if you can't put the ball in the hoop, you’ve got to be tough,” Cantrell stated.
“We had to make life tough for their big, he’s a man amongst boys, obviously he's going to be the focal point on everybody's scouting report. In the last week and a half, we've been really just keying in on, how can we eliminate paint touches and post touches and like, where do we want to send our help from? Because they run good stuff for him but at the end of the day Ayden Kane played up to the moment,” Cantrell praised.
While the Indians are happy with the win coach Cantrell knows they have to get better on offense.
“I think the big thing for us right now is for us to get our looks, we got to have good spacing, good movement, good off ball screening. We talk about getting two feet in the paint all the time and creating an advantage, or like a domino effect, that’s one thing that Luke and Rhett do a phenomenal job of, they really do a great job of penetrating and dishing, but you could tell, I mean, they were ready for us. They took away some things, but I was proud to see our guys react and tough it out,” Cantrell explained.
Newton Senior Isaac Hainline provided toughness all over the court and combined to help Ayden Kane to slow down Bradford in the paint. (Dale Barger photo)
Newton has put together some early season non-conference games to test them and will be going to Columbus to participate in the Wellington Tournament to face Patriot Prep Academy who just won a district title last year.
“It should be a good challenge for us. I'm good friends with one of the previous coaches who just retired, so that's why we got into it, it should be fun and a good test,” Cantrell concluded.
Rylie Wirrig led all scorers with 11 points and a dozen rebounds to pace Bradford and Luke Cornett led the Indians with 10 points.
Bradford is back in action Saturday taking on the same Jefferson team that Newton played last week.
Box Score
Score by Quarter
Bradford: 05 … 07 … 03 … 04 – 19
Newton: 10 … 06 … 11 … 06 – 33
Team Scoring:
Bradford: Zander Lingo 0-0-1/2 -1, Greg Chowning 1-1-1/2 – 6, Colton Gambill 0-0-1/2 – 1,
Rallie Wirrig 0-4-3/4 – 11, Totals 1-5-6/10 – 19
Newton: Rhett Koffer 1-1-3/6 – 8, Luke Cornett 0-5-0/0 – 10, Trenton Robinson 0-0-2/2 – 2, Isaac Hainline 0-1-5/6 – 7, Ayden Kane 0-2-2/2 – 6, Totals 1-9-12/16 – 33
Newton Cheerleaders pose during the game. (Dale Barger photo)
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WOAC 2025-26 Boys Basketball Team Previews
The 2025-26 Boys Basketball season kicks off this evening, here is a preview of the 12 WOAC teams. (Dale Barger photo)
The 2025-26 Boys basketball league title chase according to most coaches will be between, Tri-Village, Franklin Monroe, Preble Shawnee with Arcanum being a strong challenger. The top 3 teams last year all won district championships and advanced to the regional semi-finals making a strong showing for the WOAC.
Here is a preview of the 2025-26 Boys Teams with information provided by the coaches.
Tri-Village (23-3, 11-0) – League Champions – Coach Josh Sagester
2025-26 Tri-Village Boys Basketball Team (Dale Barger photo)
The Patriots return everyone from last year’s WOAC Championship team and advanced to the regional semi-final before bowing out of the post season tournament. They are the preseason #1 ranked VI team in Ohio and aspire to another league title along with a deep tournament run.
Returning Letterman
1. Trey Sagester- 6’3” Senior- Guard
Trey will be a four-year letterman for the Patriots and is the returning WOAC POY, District 9 POY, Southwest District POY and Division VI State POY. Trey can score the ball at all three levels making him difficult to defend. Trey continues to garner interest from many at the collegiate level.
2. Noah Finkbine- 6’3” Senior- Forward
Noah will be a three-year letterman for the Patriots and is a returning Second Team WOAC selection, First Team District 9 and Third Team Southwest District selection. Noah is a tough, athletic and physical presence on both ends of the floor. Noah is a swiss army knife as he does a little of everything all the while possessing a competitive motor like no other!
3. Kasyn Hollinger- 6’2” Senior- Forward
Kasyn will be a three-year letterman for the Patriots. Kaysn is experienced and extremely versatile on both ends. Kasyn has a competitive motor, high IQ and can guard multiple positions at a high level.
4. Carson Bedinghaus- 6’2” Senior Guard
Carson is a returning letterman for the Patriots. Carson brings skill level, athleticism and IQ to the table along with a willingness to defend at a high level. Carson is versatile on both ends of the floor and will shoulder some of the ball handling duties.
5. Dom Black- 6’5” Junior- Post
Dom will be a three-year letterman for the Patriots and is a returning First Team WOAC selection, First Team District 9 and Second Team All Southwest District selection. Dom is a large, experienced presence in the paint on both ends of the floor. While a Division I football recruit, Dom moves well, has great touch around the rim and possesses elite passing skills for a post player. Dom will again anchor the paint for the Patriots.
6. Griffin Richards- 6’0” Junior- PG
Griffin will be a two-year letterman for the Patriots. Griffin is a returning Second Team WOAC selection and Honorable Mention Southwest District selection. Griffin is lighting in a bottle with the ball in his hands. Griffin will continue to handle the majority of the ballhandling duties as he can get into the lane effortlessly and finish or make others around him better with his IQ and athleticism. Griffin’s athleticism allows him to dictate tempo for us on both ends.
7. Hayden Hunt- 6’4” Junior- Forward
Hayden is a returning letterman for the Patriots. Hayden is returning from a torn ACL in the Spring but will be ready to provide quality minutes out of the gate for the Patriots. Hayden is rugged, athletic and relentless on the glass. Hayden’s length and skill make him versatile in the rotation on both ends.
8. Brecken Gray- 5’11”- Sophomore- Guard
Brecken is a returning letterman for the Patriots who received valuable minutes as a freshman and received Special Mention all WOAC last year. Brecken will again be able to spread the defense on the offensive end with his shot making ability, possesses high IQ with the ball in his hands and is a feisty on ball defender for the Patriots.
Key Contributors/Newcomers|
1. Logan Delong- 6’4” Senior- Post
Senior who will provide valuable size, leadership, IQ and toughness when on the floor for the Patriots.
2. Colten Clevenger- 5’7” Freshman- PG
Freshman who will provide immediate skill level when on the floor for the Patriots. Colten can make shots and possesses elite ball handling and passing skills.
3. Levi Johnsman- 6’5” Sophomore- Post
A lengthy sophomore post player who has nice touch around the rim, will rebound at a high level and exhibits explosive jumping ability in the paint.
4. Camacho- 6’3” Sophomore- Forward
Sophomore who is an exceptional athlete with a competitive motor. Colt is an elite on ball defender and finishes well around the rim.
Strengths
- Strengths of our team will be our experience, chemistry, length and athleticism. As a coaching staff, we will continue to do our best to put kids in situations to be successful on both ends of the floor.
- Our standards and goals for our program always remain the same every year. We strive to win a WOAC championship, sectional championship, district championship and ultimately a state championship.
Pre-Season Top Teams
- Tri-Village
- Preble Shawnee
- Arcanum
- FM
- Newton
- NT
- MV
Franklin Monroe (21-5, 10-1) – 2nd Place – Coach Troy Myers
2025-26 Franklin Monroe Boys Basketball Team (Lifetouch photo)
Franklin Monroe is coming off one of their best years in school history that includes a District Championship in DVII with a win over Fort Loramie before falling to Botkins in the regional semi-final game. Look for the Jets to remain competitive this year as well.
Roster
0 Lucas Brenner, SR Guard (returner)
1 Braxtyn Cool, SO Guard
2 Vail Cox, JR Guard
3 Reed Brumbaugh, JR Forward
4 Braden Gilbert, JR Guard
10 Blake Riffle, JR Guard (returner)
12 Evan Addis, SO Guard
15 Ben Denlinger, SR Guard (returner)
20 Grady Myers, SO Guard
23 Eddie Heck, JR Forward
32 Madex Skidmore, SR Forward
Strengths/Keys To Success
While personnel for FM will be vastly different than one year ago, the standard bearers of our team have been strong through summer, fall and preseason. Only a couple returning players have logged significant varsity experience, with several others still learning what is required to compete at this level. The priority in the off-season and pre-season has been developing an environment where guys can grow into their best through habit building. This can be a lengthy process, but their approach and willingness have been exceptional. The standard for competitive excellence and urgency toward growth will not change. We'll lean heavily on the returners to continue being the example and shoulder the load while we all work to create the unity we expect to have, regardless of roster. Our style of play will be solely dependent upon what we believe puts our kids in the best position to win on game night. It may change often and it may look different than the past, but we do have some good athletes, and we do have kids who are competitive at their core. There has been no shortage of investment by our older guys, which is what we're most proud of. We'll go compete like crazy and work each and every day to improve...with faith that by the end of the year we've got our best product on the floor.
Preble Shawnee (16-10, 8-3) – 3rd Place – Coach Ryan Robinson 
2025-26 Preble Shawnee Boys Basketball Team (Champine Photography photo)
Preble Shawnee was playing some of their best basketball late in the season last year and had a nice tournament run with a big win over Dayton Christian for sectional title and then beat Seven Hills before in the district championship before falling to a good Clark Montessori team in the regional semi-finals. They bring back the core of that team and will look to challenge again for a league title and another deep tournament run in DV.
Returning Lettermen
- Brody Morton; 3 Time District Champ / 2 Time All WOAC / 1st Team All District / CO-POY in Football. Expect another big leap, like last year. Elite on both sides of the ball. 20 PPG / 50% shooting in Playoffs last year
- Brody Foxbower; All WOAC last year as JR. Expect to be around a double double nightly while Controlling the paint and glass
- Braylon Dorrel; Great tournament last year as SO ; Big leap heading into JUNIOR year, expecting big things
- Caleb Blankenship; Big time 2-way athlete. Expect a big leap from last year
Key Contributors/Newcomers
- Gage Powers; Junior Guard who will handle the ball
- Clayton Brandenburg; Junior ; High energy - Hardworking Guard/Wing
- Colton Shroeder; Senior guard that will do a little bit of everything
- Trent Geise; Senior leader
Strengths/Keys To Success
Size + Athleticism
Aggressive Defensively
Efficient Offensively
Pre-Season Top Teams
Tri Village and all of the WOAC is on the rise.
Arcanum (16-10 8-3) – 3rd Place – Coach Kevin Brackman
2025-26 Arcanum Boys Basketball Team (Handshoe Photography photo)
Arcanum basketball has over the last few years under the leadership of coach Brackman and the kids buying into his system. The Trojans have a lot of returning lettermen and a deep roster along with some added height for this year’s team. They won’t be a team you’ll want to sleep on and will get better as the season goes along and hopefully primed for a long tournament run.
Returning Lettermen
Matthew McCans - SR, 5’10, Guard, HM All-Conference, 11.7ppg, Matthew is a hard-nosed guard who can score around the rim but is also one of the top three-point shooters in the conference.
Cameron Ball - SR, 6’2, Forward, 2nd Team All-Conference, HM All Southwest District, 9.5ppg & 9.3rbs. Cameron finished second in the conference in rebounding last year. He’s got a great nose for the ball around the rim.
Charlie Weiss - SR, 6’0, Guard, 5.6ppg. Charlie is a quick combo guard who can do it all. We look for Charlie to step into a role this season where he impacts the game on multiple levels.
Cole Kessler - SR, 6’1, Guard/Forward, Cole started all 23 games for us last season. His leadership will be important to our success. He’s a strong on-ball defender who can play multiple positions within our offense.
Bishop Cartwright - JR, 6’0, Guard. Bishop came off the bench last season as a sophomore and played in all 23 games. He has proven that he can handle the ball for our team in big moments. His offensive and defensive game make him a dual threat.
Jace Mote - JR, 5’7, Guard. Jace made the jump to varsity halfway through the year last season. His ability to see the floor and facilitate the ball in our offense makes him a true PG.
Key Contributors/Newcomers
Ben Hamilton - SO, 6’7, Forward/Center, 1st Team All-Conference, Honorable Mention All-State, 10.7ppg & 10.5rbs. Ben is a gym rat whose best days are yet to come. He was the top rebounder in the conference last season as a freshman. He is a true rim protector and can score from anywhere on the floor.
Carson Hamilton - JR, 6’2, Forward. Carson has more than a dozen varsity games under his belt. His experience off the bench this season will be huge for our program.
Gideon Garno - JR, 6’0, Forward/Guard. A tough Swiss Army knife-type player who brings multiple strengths to the floor. Gideon is an excellent on-ball defender. He is set for a big junior season and will make a direct impact.
Aiden Carlisle - JR, 6’0, Guard. As one of the top shooters in our program, Aiden makes the jump from JV last season.
Talan Stone - SO, 6’3, Forward. Talan is a post player who is a versatile athlete around the rim. We expect Talan to make big strides throughout the season.
Dane Byers - SR, 5’8, Guard. Dane played JV last season. He’s a true leader in our program and is a great shooter from the perimeter.
Strengths/Keys To Success
We graduated a large chunk of our scoring but return a large portion of our squad from a team that finished 3rd in the conference last year. Every varsity player in our program brings something a little different to the table. We can score inside and out, as well as in transition. We have a deep roster that understands what it means to put the team first. We will lean on our defensive pressure to help us win games. Our goal is to be playing our best basketball come tournament time.
Pre-Season Top Teams
We have a lot of great coaches in our league who are getting the most out of their players. Conference night matchups will be fun to follow, and on non-conference nights, I expect our league to be well-represented. Tri-Village and Preble Shawnee are the two programs we hope to challenge at the top of the standings this year. We have the mold of a team that could surprise people. I believe MV, National Trail, FM, and Newton all have the ability to win big games with their experienced guard play returning from last season.
Dixie (14-9 – 7-4) – 5th Place – Coach Nick Worley
2025-26 Dixie Boys Basketball Team (Champine Photography photo)
The Dixie boys basketball program under coach Worley over the last four years has consistently been one of the hardest working and toughest teams to play in the WOAC with a never quite mentality. They graduated seven seniors and the bulk of their scoring. They return a few keys pieces to last year’s team but will need to find some additional offense.
Returning Lettermen
Dillon Phillips * 12th grade, 6’2 Forward, 7ppg & 5 reb last year
Keegan Stevenson * 12th grade, 6’0 Guard, 2ppg @ 2 reb last year
Brayden Puckett * 12th grade, 6’3 Forward, 4 ppg last year
Key Contributors/Newcomers
Collin Day - 12, 6’2 Forward
Caleb Russell - 10, 5’11 Guard
Aiden Hammond - 10, 5’10 Guard
Cole Swafford - 10, 6’1 Guard
Mason Simonton - 9 6’3 Guard
Strengths/Keys To Success
This year’s team enters the season young and inexperienced, graduating seven seniors and returning just one starter. As we continue to grow, our focus is on learning to play hard every possession and developing the toughness needed to compete. For us to find success, we must value every possession by taking care of the ball, rebounding with purpose, and committing to being stronger defensively. I am excited to see the growth throughout the year with this team.
Pre-Season Top Teams
Tri-Village, Preble Shawnee, Arcanum
Newton (13-10, 6-5) – 6th Place – Coach Michael Cantrell
2025-26 Newton boys Basketball Team (Handshoe Photography photo)
The Newton basketball graduated four seniors from last year’s team taking a good portion of their rebounding and scoring … but also have a trio of experienced seniors returning to lead the team this year. Guard play will be strong for the Indians and a team capable of competing with anyone in the league.
Returning Lettermen
5’10” Senior PG - Luke Cornett - 3 Year Letterwinner (2nd Team WOAC) - Last Year’s Averages - 12.5 PPG, FG 51%, 3PA 27%, 3 Steals per game, 6 Rebounds Per Game
5’9” Senior SG - Rhett Koffer - 3 Year Letter winner - Last Year’s Averages - 6 PPG, FG 37%, 3PA 34%, 2 Steals Per Game
6’ Senior Forward - Isaac Hainline - 2 Year Letter Winner - Last Year’s Averages - 2 PPG, FG 36%, 2 Steals Per Game, 4 Rebounds Per Game
5’9” Junior SG - Trenton Robinson - 2 Year Letter Winner - Last Year’s Averages - 4 PPG, FG 33%, 3PA 33%, 3 Assists Per Game
Key Contributors/Newcomers
5’10” Sophomore SG - Sawyer Hainline - A skilled, physical guard who can knock down shots from deep, drive to the basket with intensity, and has play making ability.
6’3” Sophomore C - Ayden Kane - Skilled Traditional 5 man and back to basket player, big and physical, great IQ of the game and plays with an extremely high motor.
6’Sophomore Forward - Canyon Sink - A skilled forward who can knock down shots off the catch, get downhill to the basket, and play with physicality in the paint.
5’10” Sophomore Guard - Garrison Hughes - A skilled guard will run point at times but will play off the ball most of the time. Good catch and shoot game and creativity on the perimeter. Plays with a high motor and has a high IQ of the game.
Strengths/Keys To Success
Our identity is built on relentless defense and physicality. This team is locked in on one goal — doing whatever it takes to win. We’re at our best when we’re guarding at a high level, attacking the glass, eliminating second-chance opportunities, and taking smart, aggressive shots. We want to make teams uncomfortable for four quarters.
Everything we do is about building habits that show up in big moments. When the game is on the line, you don’t rise to the occasion — you fall back on your training. That’s been the standard this offseason and preseason. This group has embraced the grind — in the classroom, the gym, and the weight room. I love their toughness, their edge, and their fight, and I’m excited to see them bring it every night this winter.
Pre-Season Top Teams
Tri-Village will be a strong contender with the experience and talent they have returning to their program.
Bradford (9-15, 5-6) – 7th Place – Coach Dillon McCullough
2025-26 Bradford Boys Basketball Team (Don Selanders photo)
Bradford graduated a 4-year starter and 1000-point scorer but will also return some offense and rebounding and a deeper roster this year. Leading the team will be first year coach Dillon McCollough who was the varsity coach the last two years at Middletown Christian and ready to build the basketball program for the future.
Returning Lettermen
JR, C - Rallie Wirrig. Returning starter 11 PPG 9 REB 2nd Team All WOAC as a sophomore. Rallie is a dominant post player and an extremely skilled basketball player. Rallie will be a top player in the WOAC this season and is receiving interest from numerous colleges.
SR, G - Avery Felver. 4 PPG and a defensive stopper Avery will be taking a jump into a larger role as a senior on this team.
SR, G - Zander Lingo will be stepping into a bigger role as a player that improved tremendously this summer and will be a major contributor on defense.
JR, G/F - Raiden Wombold will be making a huge jump this year from his underclassmen years to now being a major contributor for us as an upperclassmen now.
SR, C - Casey Jones will be a great piece for us as a force down low this season.
SR, G/F - Jaxon Hatala - is a great senior leader for us and has done great stepping into a larger leadership role.
Key Contributors/Newcomers
SR 6’3 C Colton Gambill is a senior making a return to the program. Colton will have a big role for our team. His senior leadership is a major boost for us, and he is an enforcer in the paint. His size adds even more depth at our already strong post positions.
SO 5'9 G Bronson Schnurpel is a sniper 3-point shooter. He gained valuable experience as a freshman last year and now will continue to have a role in our varsity rotation.
FR 5’11 PG Jackson Felver is a successful athlete breaking middle school track records and making it to state. Jackson will gain valuable experiences being on the varsity team as a freshman and will take over as our PG next year.
FR 6’3 C Gavin Baker is a high motor aggressive big man. He will learn a lot in his first year in our program under our great depth at the big positions.
FR 6’1 G Liam Lingo is a skilled guard that will have a larger role next season for us. As a freshman he will gain knowledge and understanding in our program and will be a rotation guy for us this season as a freshman.
Strengths/Keys To Success
We are an experienced team that will rely on our leadership from our upperclassmen. We will play a physical hard-nosed brand of basketball. Leaning on specific fundamentals that we highlight: taking care of the ball offensively, taking pride in the defensive end of the court, and rebounding hard will be keys to success this season.
Pre-Season Top Teams
Here at Bradford, we are only focused on our program and controlling what we can control. We have specific goals for ourselves this season that we have been working to accomplish since June. That is all we are focused on.
Mississinawa Valley (11-12, 4-7) – 8th Place – Coach Jeff Vaughn
2025-26 Mississinawa Valley Boys Basketball Team (Dale Barger photo)
The Blackhawks lost height and scoring due to a transfer and will circle their wagons around talented guard play this year. They have capable scorers but will have to rebound by committee and use an up-tempo game to take advantage of their strengths.
Returning Lettermen
Cing Scott, Caden Hanes, Jaxin Beanblossom, Conner Hardy, Ashton Amspaugh, Elliott Seubert, Cole McGlothin
Key Contributors/Newcomers
Team is returning 4 of 5 starter from last year’s team.. Cing Scott returning leading scorer, Newcomer Kyle Wehrkamp is returning for his senior year,
Strengths/Keys To Success
Team has athleticism and returning experience. Key will be to play solid defense and rebound. We will need to have multiple guys step up each night.
Pre-Season Top Teams
Tri-Village, Arcanum, Franklin Monroe and Preble Shawnee
National Trail (8-15, 3-8) – 9th Place – Coach Andy Blevins 
2025-26 National Trail Boys Basketball Team (Champine Photography photo)
Coach Andy Blevins will be in his second year at National Trail with two key senior players returning that can provide a good part of their offense and leadership. Coach Blevins teams will play hard and not afraid to mix it up with a deeper roster than last year and will compete hard this year.
Returning Lettermen
Kellen Laird * PG/SG #30 SR 4 Year Starter 2nd Team All-WOAC 2nd Team District 15 3rd Team All SW District Honorable Mention All State. Kellen is a 4-year starter and will continue to control tempo and lead the team. Kellen can score from all 3 levels and has a lot of experience in about every situation. Kellen along with Tayden will give this young group solid senior leadership.
Tayden Blevins * SF/PF #21 SR 4 Year Letterman 3-Year Starter 2nd Team All WOAC 2nd Team District 15 Special Mention All SW District. Tayden will look to anchor our defense, is crafty on the offensive end and can be a tough matchup night in and night out. Look for him along with Kellen to provide good leadership to our young core.
Talon Bousman * G #10 SO Started the last 14 games of the season. Excellent Defender and a great teammate who is turning into a leader. Has improved his shooting in the offseason.
Key Contributors/Newcomers
Korbin Sullivan suffered a torn ACL in Football- out for season
Jonah Brinkley #1 JR This will be his first full-time varsity year. Pure Athlete, Physical, Rebounder and defender
Mason Cordle #5 SO Played mostly JV last year but got into some varsity action. Will help run the Point this year to get Laird a break and will be counted on offensively and defensively.
Josh Brubaker #40 SO Josh is back on the court after taking a year off. Josh adds size and athleticism with the ability to stretch the floor on offense. Josh can score from all 3 levels and will gain confidence as he settles back in
Coltin Lipps #20 SO Coltin adds good length and solid defense to our lineup. Coltin has the ability to finish at the rim and stretch the floor.
Westin Lipps #2 SO Just like his brother Westin adds great length to our lineup. Westin will look to be a solid inside presence while he has improved his outside shooting ability. Westin is also another guy that can match up defensively in the post or on the perimeter.
Grady Ott #15 SO Grady's length and athleticism will be valuable to our team this season. He too hasn't played basketball in a few years so his ability to learn and adapt will be the factor of how much he contributes at the varsity level, look for him to get better every game.
Kaeden Culbertson #11 FR KC is a smooth shooting freshman, that will need to adjust to the speed and physicality of the varsity game. Look for him to get better every day and knock down shots when his number is called.
Dan Osswald #14 JR Dan is a do it all glue guy. Dan is a good rebounder and has a natural ability to be in the right place at the right time.
Strengths/Keys To Success
As you can see from our roster we are only returning 3 players with much Varsity Level experience. Our success will depend on our young guys' learning curve as well as our confidence as a team. Just as much as our youth we don't have much time on the floor together, so we are working on the chemistry piece as well. I think we have a great opportunity to compete every night in the WOAC. The reason I love basketball is that any team is beatable on any given night. You have to stay locked in and bring it every night. That's no different in the WOAC, every night is a dog fight.
Our goal right now is to compete and give everyone our best shot every night. I think we have the opportunity to be in the top half of the league. We are going to be as good as our young guys learning curve. Kellen and Tayden are going to give you what you expect night in and night out. Our X Factor is our young guys. We have an athletic group this year and we are working hard. As long as our IQ keeps getting better and our Chemistry keeps building we are going to be a tough game night in and night out.
Pre-Season Top Teams
Tri-Village, Arcanum, Preble Shawnee
Twin Valley South (5-18, 3-9) – 10th Place Coach Kerry Crouch
2025-26 Twin Valley South Boys Basketball Team (Dale Barger photo)
Kerry Crouch will be doing double duty at Twin Valley South this year. After coaching the girls program last year a role, he still has this year, he is also taking on the role of head coach for the boys program as well. Twin Valley South graduated 7 seniors from last year’s team and have just two seniors on the team this year in Aidan White and Laiden Carver. Junior Trent Ray was a second team all-conference player last year and a capable scorer both inside and out averaging 13.6 ppg for the Panthers.
Returning Lettermen
Aidan White * - Senior, Guard
Trent Ray * - Junior, Forward
Parker Howard * - Junior, Forward
Key Contributors/Newcomers
Laiden Carver - Senior, Guard
Lucas Barlow - Junior, Forward
Evan Day - Junior, Forward
Levi Ritchie - Junior, Guard
Austin Burkett - Sophomore, Guard
Kobe Robison - Sophomore, Guard
Strengths/Keys To Success
This Summer/Fall we worked hard, we had great numbers with kids showing up and getting
better each time out. We are set up to have a great year, we have a solid core group that are
committed and very coachable. We are focused on building a successful basketball program
here at TVS. We have great size, very athletic, we will play fast, compete each time out and
expectations will be high.
Pre-Season Top Teams
Tri-Village, Arcanum, Preble Shawnee
Ansonia (1-22, 1-11) – 11th Place – Coach Josh Moore
2025-26 Ansonia Boys Basketball Team (Dale Barger photo)
The Ansonia boys basketball team will be under the direction of a new head coach Josh Moore.
Moore is 2006 graduate of Clinton Massie High School. He brings a strong foundation and a passion for teaching to the hardwood. He currently serves as an Engineering Teacher at Greenville High school and was the freshmen boys basketball coach last season.
Coach Moore recently celebrated his one-year wedding anniversary with his wife, Katelynn. Together, they are a proud family of five, including their children, Jada, Joseph, & Zoey.
Moore inherits a Tigers team who struggled last year but return three letterman and hope to improve on a one-win season a year ago.
Roster
Treyton Spence So 1 G 5'10
Carson Tobe So 2 G 6'0
Conner Riffle So 4 G 5'10
Jacob MacNutt So 5 F 6'0
Graham Coppess So 11 F 6'1
Karsen Weiss So 12 G 5'11
Joseph Moore Fr 15 G 5'8
Ben Barnt Sr 22 P 5'11
Jacob Schmitmeyer Jr 23 F 6'0
Brady Wright So 33 P 6'3
Strengths/Keys To Success
We must take care of the basketball, we will be a young team. Will need to do the little things right and build on that throughout the year. Shoot well from the free throw stripe.
Pre-Season Top Teams
Tri-Village, Preble Shawnee and Franklin Monroe
Tri-County North (6-16, 1-11) – 11th Place – Coach Garrett Woodyard
2025-26 Tri-County North Boys Basketball Team (Champine Photograpy photo)
Garrett Woodyard will be in his second year as the coach at Tri-County North. The Panthers only won one game in the WOAC last year but six out of conference and have some athleticism, scoring and physicality and will not be a team to sleep on this year.
Roster
0 Grayson Woodworth Junior F 6’6”
1 Bryce Krickenbarger Junior G 5'10"
2 Cameron Rike Senior G 5'10"
3 Preston Smith Sophomore G 5'11"
4 Peyton Fannin Junior G 5"10'
5 Corbin Flory Junior G 5'10"
10 Aiden Richie Senior G 5’8”
11 Ben Knife Sophomore G 5'11"
14 Luke Wright Junior F 6'0"
15 Joe O'Connell Sophomore G 5'11"
20 Bennett Woodyard Senior C 6'3"
23 Koby Reynolds Senior F 6'3"
33 Kane Collier Junior F 6'2"
Good Luck to all of our WOAC Boys Basketball Teams this year.
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National Trail Girls Basketball off to a fast 3-0 start and Preble County Tournament Champs
National Trail won the inaugural Preble County girls basketball tournament and picked up a league win over Franklin Monroe for a 3-0 start to their season. (Submitted photo)
PITSBURG – National Trail traveled to Franklin Monroe to kick off their WOAC 2025-26 conference campaign. National Trail would pull out a 23-15 win in a defensive battle to improve to 3-0 on the year and 1-0 in the WOAC while Franklin Monroe fell to 0-1 to start their year.
National Trail was coming off a big weekend to start their season in the inaugural Preble County Tournament that included four WOAC teams; National Trail, Tri-County North, Twin Valley South and Preble Shawnee.
The Blazers defeated Tri-County North 37-31 and then beat Preble Shawnee 39-31 to become the first county tournament champs.
The Blazers would get off to a good start against the Jets going up 9-3 after one quarter with senior Morgan House and sophomore Taylor Reynolds knocking one down from beyond the arch. Sophomore center Sammy Gardner had a fielder, and junior Lillian Cordle made a free throw.
Franklin Monroe’s scores came from senior Caydance Nichols on a lay-up and a free throw from Peyton Buhl.
Neither team lit it up on the second frame playing to a 4-4 tie and a 13-7 Blazer lead at the half.
Sammy Gardner had 4 points in the 2nd quarter and 6 at the break for the National Trail and the Jets got a bucket from Buhl and senior Ava Figel.
The offensive struggles continued for both teams in the third period with Trail scoring the only bucket on another Gardner fielder for a 15-7 lead heading into the final stanza.
Both offenses showed signs of life in the 4th quarter. Franklin Monroe came out with a bang scoring the first four points and six in the quarter by senior Kyra Brandt to narrow the gap to 15-11 prompting a Blazers timeout to regroup.
Franklin Monroe's Kyra Brandt gave the Jets a spark to start the fourth quarter.
(Dale Barger photo)
National Trail would do just that outscoring the Jets 8-4 the rest of the way to pull out a 23-15 WOAC win.
National Trail scoring came from three free throws from House, a triple from junior Claire Osswald and a deuce from freshman Kinley Marker.
Typically, defense tends to be further ahead for most teams in the early part of the year with the offenses taking time to get in sync and fine tune execution. Both teams were pleased with the defensive efforts and know the offense will come.
Franklin Monroe coach Carrie Wood who has 16 years of coaching experience including the last 3 years at Franklin Monroe as an assistant took over the head coaching reigns previously held by Tim Barga who is now coaching up north at St. Mary’s high school.
Coach Wood talked about her debut.
“Our tenure definitely showed tonight. We're a very young team. We made some rookie mistakes. I just told the girls that it's only up from here. We're going to learn from this and come out better next game,” Wood stated.
Coach Carrie Wood in her first game as head coach at Franklin Monroe along with the bench react as they made a run at National Trail in 4th quarter. (Dale Barger photo)
“We have two seniors that have been with us for all four years. They're definitely our leaders out there. But I have four seniors total, and I will say that they really encourage the younger girls and help them on and off the court, and I couldn't ask for better leaders. I do have a freshman that I threw up there into varsity, and she's going to make freshman mistakes. We saw that tonight, but we're working on next play mentality, and I think we're going to be okay in the long run.
Franklin Monroe has dealt with a numbers issue in the program for the last four years saw a bump in numbers this year and positive for coach Wood knowing she will have more players to work with as she starts off her career as the head coach.
It's huge for the team, huge for the community and for our youth program to see the JV and varsity playing. It's good for them to get out and play games, because some of them have not ever played a game before. So, it's experience at this point, and it's only positive.
Senior Ava Figel shoots jump shot beyond arch in game with FM. (Dale Barger photo)
Wood talked about the game with National Trail and new it was going to be a tough opener.
“We knew National Trail was going to be tough for us, but I think coming out, having our first game, especially starting with a league game, was a good thing for us. We saw a lot of positives. We saw things that we need to work on, and we're going to come out, and practice tomorrow and really hammer down on them.
Wood focused on the positives from the game to build from.
“Well, we didn't score in the third quarter, and I know you can think that's a negative, but watching body language on the bench and just seeing my girls on the court continue to give effort and not give up, I couldn't ask for more than that. I know that's frustrating, but they fought through frustration, and we came out, and we did have a pretty strong fourth quarter. So that, to me, those are wins,” Wood exclaimed.
While the Jets didn’t come away with the win they did make National Trail work for the win and it’s something second year National Trail Coach Garrett Denlinger expected after the weekend tournament they played.
“We kind of knew coming into this game, after the physicality of this past weekend, we were going to be down. We had some players that were real stiff, kind of hurting, a little bit, real sore. So, it's one of those games where defensively, we had to get it done. I thought we did a nice job defensively on them. They’ve got some scrappy guards. They can handle the ball well, they can shoot, they get after it. And so, I thought we did a nice job on the defensive end, which kind of helped make up for all the errors, the turnovers and issues we had on the offensive end,” Denlinger stated.
Denlinger is pleased to see his team get off to a such a good start and hopes it will be a motivating factor for the girls to work hard and stay focused going forward.
Coach Garrett Denlinger is pleased with his young team and their start to this season. (Dale Barger photo)
“There were some questions we had with a new group coming in. We lost a lot of scoring from last year and a lot of leadership,” Denlinger commented.
The Blazers are a very young team with just one senior Morgan House.
“She does a great job and kind of got this team ready this summer and been supportive and really being that leader, we need.
“Going into the tournament over the weekend we knew we had some athleticism and a team that could surprise some people. And that's kind of the take that we had with them, and I felt like we did a great job, especially limiting North’s Cherry who is a great guard, and then also Unger the next night from Preble Shawnee to win that tournament.
“So, we face some really good guards in the conference, and I thought we did a really nice job tonight of keeping Franklin Monroe’s guards in check,”
Denlinger hopes their start will keep his young team hungry and focused.
Freshman Madison Lawson is one of the young players for the Blazers takes a jump defended by Jets junior Faith Wintrow. (Dale Barger photo)
“We've got to stay focused every game. I tell our team, we can beat a lot of teams, but we can also get beat a lot of times, like tonight, we were tired mentally and just not here. And that's the thing. Sometimes, the sign of a good team is when we're not playing well, can we still scrap something together and come out with a win? Going forward can we keep that mentality? Can we keep that hunger? It helps when you start 3-0 because they get a little taste of it. So that’s how we're approaching things going forward, Delinger concluded.
National Trail will play Tri-County North again on Friday at Hoosier Gym in Indiana Friday night while Franklin Monroe will host Houston on Saturday at 10:00 am.
Box Scores
Score by Quarters:
NT … 9 … 4 … 2 … 8 – 23
FM … 3 … 4 … 0 … 8 – 15
Team Scoring:
NT: Claire Osswald 1-0-0/0 – 3, Morgan House 1-0-3/8 – 6, Taylor Reynolds 1-0-0/8 – 3, Lillian Cordle 0-0-1/4 – 1, Sammy Gardner 0-4-0/0 – 8, Kinley Marker 0-1-0/2 – 2
Total 3-4-4/22 – 23
FM: Olivia Addis 0-0-0/2 – 0, Kyra Brandt 0-1-2/7 – 4, Peyton Buhl 0-1-1/2 – 3
Caydance Nichols 0-1-2/2 – 4, Ava Figel 0-1-0/0 – 2, Faith Wintrow 0-1-0/0 – 2
Total 0-5-5/12 – 15
SophTaylor Reynolds has been a surprise in the early going scoring 17 pts vs Tri-County North & 16 vs Preble Shawnee to help them to a tournament championship.
(Dale Barger photo)
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