Tip-Off 2016 2016-2017 High School Basketball Preview
2016-17 Basketball Preview Special brought to you by The Clermont Sun
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TIP-OFF ‘16 - ‘17 Basketball Preview
Barons looking for another SBAAC title BY GARTH SHANKLIN Sports Editor
The Amelia Barons’ boys’ basketball team posted an excellent regularseason in 2015-2016. The team won six of their first eight games, all of which came after back-to-back losses to Anderson and Norwood to start the season. Head coach Craig Mazzaro said that the team’s slow start last year was simply due to a lack of playing time at the varsity level. “We were just inexperienced,” Mazzaro said. “Some guys didn’t realize what it takes at this level, how hard you have to go and what kind of defense you have to play. They had to get themselves beat a few times before they began to realize it. Hopefully that doesn’t happen again this year.” Mazzaro may not want the team’s season to start the same way as last year’s campaign, but if the regular season were to finish the same way Amelia’s did last year, it’s unlikely anyone associated with the team would complain. The Barons finished last year with 15 wins, an 8-2 record in the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference’s American Division and a conference title. Senior David Winkler was a large reason for the team’s success last season. Winkler averaged 11.4 points per game, good for second on the team. He shot 43.7 percent from behind the three-point line last year, and Mazzaro said the team will miss his ability from behind the arc this season. “He was a real big cog for us, he was our outside threat,” Mazzaro said. “We
have to have some people step up and replace him.” The team will have several key new players on the roster this year. Matt Fletcher, a 6-foot-4-inch junior, joins the team from the junior varsity squad last year. Mitch Mentzel, a 6foot-1-inch junior, joins 5foot-10-inch guard Brandon Gainer on the team. Height is not necessarily a problem for the Barons. Senior Ryan Turner checks in at 6 feet 8 inches tall with Cage Meyer one inch shorter. Meyer led the team in scoring last season at 12.3 points per game last season. He also snagged nearly nine rebounds per game. Mazzaro says Meyer can be even better this year as long as he improves on a few areas of his game. “He has to learn how to play a little bit stronger in the box,” Mazzaro said. “He has to go harder all the time.” Turner averaged just over nine points per game last season, good for third on the team. The Barons will need consistent play from all of their returning team members, because, as Mazzaro said, it’s hard to know which new players will adapt to the varsity game. “You won’t know until the ball is tipped off,” Mazzaro said. “When the lights come on, you never know what’s going to happen.” The team’s goal is the same as it usually is, even though this is the final season for Amelia basketball. The Barons have won the last four SBAAC titles, and the team is looking to go out on top yet again. “We get everybody’s best shot in our league, so we try to win that.” Mazzaro said. “We give it all we have every game and see what happens.”
2016-2017 Amelia Boys’ Basketball Schedule Fri. Dec. 2 Tue. 6 Fri. 9 Tue. 13 Fri. 16 Tue. 20 Thu. 22 Thu. 29 Tue. Jan. 3 Fri. 6 Tue. 10 Tue. 17 Fri. 20 Tue. 24 Fri. 27 Sat. 28 Fri. Feb. 3 Tue. 7 Fri. 10 Tue. 14 Fri. 17
Bethel-Tate * at Anderson Norwood * at Western Brown *
at New Richmond *
at Goshen * at Turpin Clark Montessori at Little Miami Batavia * CNE at Williamsburg at Norwood * Winton Woods New Richmond * at Georgetown Goshen * at Ripley-Union at Batavia * Indian Hill Western Brown *
7:30 7:30 7:30 7:00 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 6:00 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30
PHOTO / GARTH SHANKLIN
Ryan Turner averaged nearly 10 points per game for Amelia last season.
PHOTO / GARTH SHANKLIN
Ameliaʼs David Winkler looks to pass the ball in a game last season. Winkler was one of three seniors on the Barons in 2015-2016.
Lady Barons aiming for winning season 2016-2017 Amelia Girls’ Basketball Schedule Bethel-Tate Thu. Dec. 1 at Blanchester * Mon. 5 at Little Miami Thu. 8 Norwood * Mon. 12 Felicity-Franklin Thu. 15 at New Richmond * Mon. 19 at Goshen * Wed. 21 at Turpin Mon. Jan. 2 Trailblazers Thu. 5 Batavia * Mon. 9 CNE * Wed. 11 at Western Brown * Wed. 18 at Aiken Thu. 19 at Norwood * Mon. 23 Williamsburg Thu. 26 New Richmond * Sat. 28 at Georgetown Mon. 30 Indian Hill Thu. Feb. 2 Goshen * Mon. 6 at Batavia * Thu. 9 Western Brown * Mon. Nov. 28
7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:00 7:30 2:00 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30
GO BA RONS!
66 W. Main St., Amelia
513.753.9384
PHOTO / GARTH SHANKLIN
Amelia junior Shelby Hatcher averaged just over four points while grabbing nearly three rebounds per game for the Lady Barons last season.
BY GARTH SHANKLIN Sports Editor
The Amelia Lady Barons’ basketball team enters their final season looking to build on last season’s finish. The team didn’t have the best start to the 2015-2016 campaign. The squad lost their first four games before edging past Western Brown 54-53 on Dec. 14, 2015 for their first win of the season. Two games later, things began to turn around. After a loss to Glen Este dropped the Lady Barons to 1-6, the team went on a
roll, winning four of their next five games. The Lady Barons defeated Norwood, Batavia and the Cincinnati Trailblazers to turn the year around and pull themselves over .500 on the season. The team would finish the regular season at 11-11, a loss to Lakota East in the sectional tournament marking the team’s 12th defeat and the end of their season. Last season’s team was led by Mackenzie Hultz, who averaged just over 10 points per game for the Lady Barons. Head coach Tara Kaiser said the team will miss a few aspects of
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Hutlz’s game, adding the team has a plan to replace her scoring. “We’ll miss her speed of play and her ability to finish under pressure,” Kaiser said. “We hope to spread those points out among several players.” Outside of Hultz, Kendall Kaiser also is gone from last year’s team. Kaiser averaged 7.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest for the Lady Barons in 2015-2016. The team’s other three top scorers, Kylie Smith, Kasey Broughton and Shelby Hatcher, all return to the squad this season. The team has several new players on the roster for 2016-2017. Coach Kaiser said the underclassmen will find themselves playing important positions for the Lady Barons this year.
“Underclassmen will play a huge role on the team,” Kaiser said. “Two of them probably will be starters and the third will be quick off the bench and perhaps start as she gains experience.” The team has a few goals for the season, according to Kaiser. Some of them are more resultsbased than others. Kaiser said the team wants to finish above .500 on the season while also placing higher than third in the conference. That’s not the only thing the team is hoping to accomplish this season, however. “We want our girls to truly enjoy this last season of Amelia basketball,” Kaiser said. “We hope to provide opportunity for a great experience while winning a lot of games.”
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Batavia seniors look to go out on top BY GARTH SHANKLIN Sports Editor
The Batavia Bulldogs will enter the 2016-2017 season heavy on upperclassmen looking to end their high school careers with a conference title. Last season saw the Bulldogs finish the season 14-8, 5-5 in the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference' American Division. The Bulldogs' season ended with a two-point loss to Western Brown at Mason High School in the sectional tournament opener. Head coach Aaron Brose called last season a “success,” and thanked the team's senior class for their efforts. “I'd categorize last season as a success,” Brose said. “We finished 14-8 and were able to accomplish a lot of the goals that our players set out to accomplish. We were fortunate that our senior class was very team oriented and all sought the same goals.” One of those seniors was Shawn Adams, who led the team with 11.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game last season. Brose said the team has to focus on replacing Adams' leadership before they worry about his on-court stats. “[Adams] was a kid that all the players gravitated to,” Brose said. “He was our leading scorer but that was minimal in terms of his impact. I'm less concerned about replacing his scoring as I am about replacing his leadership. We have a couple kids who we hope can fill that role but they have big shoes to fill.” The team's senior class this year is extensive. The
Bulldogs have nine seniors on the roster, although only five of them have played all four years. One of those five is guard Collin Sammons. Sammons averaged 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game last season. Logan Richardson played two seasons of varsity entering this season, last year scoring 3.2 points per game in 2015-2016. Brose says he has high expectations for both players this season. “Both players want to win and have the respect of their teammates,” Brose said. “They both know and understand the expectations that the coaches have for them and we expect big things from both.” Other players could have breakout seasons as well, according to Brose. Senior Garrett Kraus was fourth on the team in scoring last season en route to earning second-team all-conference honors. “He has the potential to take his game to another level,” Brose said. “It wouldn't be surprising to see him as a double-double performer every night.” Senior Cole Maxson didn't see a lot of varsity time last season, but Brose likes what he saw in Maxson's game. “He has the ability to score in a number of different ways for us,” Brose said. “He can score with his back to the basket but also has the ability to step outside and hit the three. We expect big things from him, he's worked all offseason to put himself in position to be a force for our team.” One player who didn't see the court in 2015-2016 could make an impact this year for the Bulldogs. Con-
2016-2017 Batavia Boys’ Basketball Schedule Fri. Dec. 2 Tue. 6 Fri. 9 Tue. 13 Fri. 16 Tue. 20 Thu. 22 Fri. Jan. 6 Tue. 10 Fri. 13 Tue. 17 Fri. 20 Tue. 24 Fri. 27 Fri. Feb. 3 Tue. 7 Fri. 10 Mon. 13 Fri. 17
Georgetown * 7:30 at Mariemont 7:30 New Richmond * 7:30 Fayetteville 7:30 Goshen * 7:30 at Western Brown * 7:30 Madeira 7:30 at Amelia * 7:30 Blanchester * 7:30 at Norwood * 7:30 Bethel-Tate 7:30 at New Richmond * 7:30 Williamsburg * 7:30 at Goshen * 7:30 Western Brown * 7:30 at CNE * 7:30 Amelia * 7:30 at Ripley-Union 7:30 Norwood * 7:30
ner Gadbury tore a labrum last season and Brose said he has performed well during the team's practice. There are eight newcomers to the team this season, and all of them will have to perform if the team wants to reach their goals this season, Brose said. “If we're going to have the success this season, we'd like it to take all of the players on the roster,” he said. The team's goals are straightforward: success in the conference and in the
postseason. “[Our] goal first and foremost is to compete for a league championship,” Brose said. “Our division will not be easy, the division is very balanced with every team having a chance to win the league, but I think with our kids we have a chance to accomplish that goal. After that, we would like to make a run in the D-II tournament. We have a PHOTO / GARTH SHANKLIN tough sectional, but we believe our kids have the Logan Richardson is one of nine seniors on the Batavia roster this season. ability to compete.”
Lady Bulldogs looking to rebound BY GARTH SHANKLIN Sports Editor
Last season was a rather tumultuous one for the Batavia Lady Bulldogs basketball team. Head coach Jason McElfresh resigned abruptly in the middle of last season, and junior varsity coach Jon Nau was pressed into service as the varsity coach in the middle of December. Nau is a teacher in the district, and he likes seeing the players both on and off the court. “I teach history at the school,” Nau said. “I like that you can teach the kids in class that you coach on the floor.” One of the key things Nau looks to implement on the court this season for the Lady Bulldogs is a consistent defensive scheme. “We'd like to try to be able to stick with a defensive system that we implemented,” Nau said. “We're playing a little more manto-man on the back line. I just want them to be enthusiastic about basketball. We played in the Norwood camp and did fine, I just wanted to increase their enthusiasm for the game.” The team will have a few new faces this season. There are three freshman players on the varsity roster: guards Taylor Meyers and Macie Mehlman and forward Stephanie Carter. Mehlman will alternate with Emma Smith at the forward position, according to Nau. Carter will be in the post for the Lady Bulldogs. Nau credited her defensive play and said she has a “great attitude.” The team's third freshman, Meyers, is going to have a key role as the team's point guard this season. “She's just coming off eighth grade ball and it's been quite a step up for her
to be our starting point guard,” Nau said. “She's learning, she's improving. She has some quickness. She's probably a bit better defensively than she is offensively at this point, but she's really helped us in our man-to-man defense.” Nau added the plan is to get some of the team's younger players involved and help ease the transition to high school basketball from junior high. “I'm trying to bring some of the freshman up and getting them involved, which is a huge step up from eighth grade ball,” Nau said. “It's been a big step for them.” The team is returning a few players from last season, notably Maggie Mehlman and Manhattan Miller. “Mehlman's pretty much the do-everything player for us,” Nau said. “She was second-team all-league last year and she could be an all-league performer for us this year. She guards the best offensive player, helps out at point guard. She's a good leader.” Mehlman averaged 10 points and 4.3 rebounds per game for the Lady Bulldogs last season, third-highest on the team. The fourth-highest scorer also returned for Batavia, forward Manhattan Miller. “She had some foot injuries and had surgery over the summer and missed the soccer season,” Nau said. “She's trying to round into shape. She's a very good outside shooter, if she can get her feet set. She's a positive influence and helpful with the younger kids.” The Lady Bulldogs have simple goals for the season. The team wants to challenge teams in their division while also improving their offensive play. “Our goals are to be competitive in our division,”
2016-2017 Batavia Girls’ Basketball Schedule Fri. Nov. 25 Whiteoak
12:45 Mon. 28 Georgetown 7:30 Mon. Dec. 5 at Williamsburg 6:00 Thu. 8 New Richmond * 7:30 Wed. 14 Fayetteville 7:30 Thu. 15 Goshen * 7:30 Mon. 19 at Western Brown * 7:30 Wed. 21 at Felicity 7:30 Thu. 29 at CNE Tournament TBA Fri. 30 at CNE Tournament TBA Thu. Jan. 5 at Amelia * 7:30 Mon. 9 Blanchester * 7:30 Wed. 11 Mariemont 7:30 Thu. 12 Norwood * 7:30 Thu. 19 at New Richmond * 7:30 Mon. 23 at Bethel-Tate * 7:30 Thu. 26 Goshen * 7:30 Mon. 30 Hillsboro 7:30 Thu. Feb. 2 Western Brown * 7:30 Mon. 6 Amelia * 7:30 Thu. 9 Norwood * 7:30
Go Bulldogs! PHOTO / GARTH SHANKLIN
Junior Maggie Mehlman scored 16 points in Bataviaʼs win over Fayetteville last season.
Nau said. “Our 10 division games we're highlighting. We were 2-8 last year, and we'd like to improve on that. We'd like to continue
to improve defensively and make our mark on defense and rebounding while we work on improving offensively.”
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154 E. Main St. Batavia, OH 45103 • 513-732-6644
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TIP-OFF ‘16 - ‘17 Basketball Preview
Lady Tigers look for conference title BY GARTH SHANKLIN Sports Editor
The Bethel-Tate Lady Tigers made hardwood history at the school last season, winning a sectional and district title en route to the regional semifinals. The team is looking for even more history this season. Bethel-Tate head coach Dave Fallis called last season’s run through the playoffs a “wonderful journey,” adding the team’s never-say-die attitude is what allowed them to have that type of success. “Last season was a wonderful journey with a wonderful group of kids,” Fallis said. “It was a testament to what can happen if you just keep playing. We had some adversity last year with injuries in the middle of the year, but that didn’t keep them from their goal of making history for our school.” One of those injuries came midway through the season to Julia Jenike. Jenike, who now plays at Florida International in Division I, injured her ankle but fought through the recovery process to return to the court for the team’s postseason run. “She was injured during the middle of the year, she was out for four or five games,” Fallis said. “She worked hard to get back in the game so we could make a run and she could leave a legacy. It was pretty cool.” Jenike averaged 17.2 points per game last season while also grabbing nearly five rebounds and four steals per contest. Those numbers are hard to replace, and Fallis said the team believes it will take
more than one player to fill Jenike’s shoes. “When you lose someone like Julia, you lose a lot, obviously,” Fallis said. “We have never said to the team that we need someone to step up and be Julia Jenike. I think that’s the key. We’re going to replace her with a couple people. We’re going to play a different style. We’re going to be defensively oriented. Our offense is a little bit different from last year.” The team has four players returning who had key roles on last season’s team. Seniors Morgan Reinhart and Haylee Foster are joined by junior Allison Parks and sophomore Reagan Leonard as the team’s returning quartet. Fallis said those players have stepped up their performance from last season. “We’ve had some girls step up,” Fallis said. “We’ve had some girls realize that Julia’s no longer with us, and it’s their time to rise and help the team. That’s good motivation for both of our seniors, and for all four girls that played on the team last year.” Leadership will be key to the Lady Tigers’ success this season, as the squad welcomes nine freshman to the program, six of whom will see time at the varsity level. Fallis said it’s key for that group to adapt to the high school game as quickly as they can. “We’ve got a great group of incoming freshman this year, and they’re all learning,” Fallis said. “They’re all very coachable and that’s the key. We’ll have 11 girls on the varsity team, six of them are freshman. Two or three of them will be in the rotation. It’s very important we develop
2016-2017 Bethel-Tate Girls’ Basketball Schedule at Little Miami 2:30 Mon. 28 at Amelia 7:30 Thu. Dec. 1 Goshen * 7:30 Mon. 5 New Richmond * 7:30 Thu. 8 Georgetown * 7:30 Mon. 12 at Fayetteville 7:30 Thu. 15 Felicity * 7:30 Mon. 19 CNE* 7:30 Fri. 23 at Gamble Mont. 7:30 Thu. Jan. 5 at Blanchester * 7:30 Mon. 9 at Western Brown * 7:30 Thu. 12 at Williamsburg * 7:30 Sat. 14 at Seton 2:30 Thu. 19 at Georgetown * 7:30 Sat. 21 Ripley-Union 1:30 Mon. 23 Batavia * 7:30 Thu. 26 at Felicity * 7:30 Mon. 30 at Eastern 7:30 Thu. 2 at CNE * 7:30 Mon. 6 Blanchester * 7:30 Thu. 9 Williamsburg * 7:30 Sat. Nov. 26
PHOTO / GARTH SHANKLIN
Morgan Reinhart is one of four returning players for the Lady Tigers this season.
them as quickly as possible.” That large amount of underclassmen will rely on the team’s veteran players for leadership, and according to Fallis the returning players have rose to the occasion. “They really have to step up leadership-wise, and they have thus far,” Fallis said. “We have 16 girls in our program thus far, nine of them are freshman. They really have leadership roles. Parks is our captain for the whole program, but it’s really making sure we come to practice with as much energy as possible. It’s making sure we have all the girls focused on our daily process for success.” Fallis added that the freshman group itself has done an excellent job buying into what he’s telling
them so far. “You couldn’t ask for a better group of freshman in terms of being coachable, coming to practice every day with a purpose, and understanding their opportunity,” Fallis said. “When you have a freshman class that big that have all bought into the process, that bodes very well for our future. The freshman, they don’t want to wait for the future, they want to help make an impact this year.” They can turn to Leonard as an example of a freshman who made an impact right away. Last season, Leonard was fifth on the team in scoring, averaging just over four points per game. The sophomore has improved during the offseason, partly because of the addition of another varsity sport to her
schedule, Fallis feels. “She’s come along nicely,” he said. “She’s stronger, without question. She played soccer this year, she’s come back stronger than ever. She gained some confidence from her soccer play this past season. We expect her to be a threat offensively, and we expect her to be very versatile on the defensive end. She may have some defensive assignments that include covering centers or tall forwards from the other team.” The squad wants to write
their own chapter in the history books, and they know exactly which page they want to start on. “We want to win a league title,” Fallis said. “We haven’t had a league title in our program for 26 years, so our mantra this year is to update the banner with a league title. We updated the banner last year with the sectional and district, but we missed the opportunity at a league championship. That’s what we’re dialed in for this year. That’s what we come to practice for every day.”
Experienced Tigers aiming for postseason 2016-2017 Bethel-Tate Boys’ Basketball Schedule Fri. Dec. 2 Tue. 6 Fri. 9 Tue. 13 Fri. 16 Tue. 20 Fri. 23 Tue. Jan. 3 Fri. 6 at Tue. 10 Fri. 13 Tue. 17 Fri. 20 Fri. 27 Fri. Feb. 3 Tue. 7 Fri. 10 Sat. 11 Tue. 14 Fri. 17
at Amelia * 7:30 Goshen Georgetown * Whiteoak at Felicity * CNE * at Gamble Mont. West Union Blanchester * at Western Brown *
at Williamsburg *
at Batavia at Georgetown * Felicity * at CNE * at Fayetteville Blanchester * Ross at Ripley-Union Williamsburg *
7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 6:00 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30
GO TIGERS ! !
Excellence through student-centered focus! 513-734-6222 www.grantcareer.com 718 West Plane Street Bethel, Ohio 45106
PHOTO / GARTH SHANKLIN
Bethel-Tate head coach Tom Jutze enters the 2016-2017 season one win away from 200 career head coaching wins.
BY GARTH SHANKLIN Sports Editor
The Bethel-Tate Tigers got off to a strong start in the 2015-2016 campaign. The team sat at 7-2 entering play in January, only to open the month by losing their first four games and five of six overall. The team would finish the season 12-11 with a win over Blanchester in the sectional tournament. Head coach Tom Jutze called last season “successful” due to the amount of injuries the team overcame. “Last season I would say was a successful one,” Jutze said. “We were playing pretty well and unfor-
tunately one of our starters, [Tommy] Bingamon, went down with an ankle injury before the second half of league play. It kind of set us back a bit but we kept going and ended up with a winning season. For us, it was a good year and we look at it as a success.” Bingamon returns to the Tigers this season, but four players off of last year’s squad do not. Evan Iding’s 4.4 rebounds per contest were good for third on the team. Kody Curless was the team’s sixth-highest scorer, with Jacob Dahlheimer and Blake Combs also departing the team due to graduation.
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Jutze said the players were good leaders in the locker room and helped the team fight through adversity. “They brought some experience,” Jutze said. “They brought leadership in terms of playing hard. They brought leadership as far as locker room preparedness and camaraderie and keeping the team together when adversity was hitting. They were a fine group of seniors.” One player who will return this season is Trenton Weeks, who led the Tigers in scoring at 16.7 points per game this past season. Weeks could be an allaround player as long as he continues to work on his defense, according to Jutze. “He’s a fine player,” Jutze said. “His dad was an outstanding high school and college player and Trenton has kind of taken that role from his father.
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He does a lot of great things on the court as far as passing dribbling shooting and he’s really working on his defensive play.” Weeks is one of several seniors the Tigers have on the court this season. “We have six seniors, so we’re experience heavy,” Jutze said. “That core of seniors will lead this team this year.” The seniors will look to leave behind a winning record as part of their legacy, though that’s not the team’s only goal for the season. “We always want to have a winning season,” Jutze said. “We always want to win a league championship and we want to advance in the tournament as far as we can go.” Jutze, whose next win will be his 200th career victory, added the players’ work ethic and ability to work together as a team are both key components in any success the team will have this season. “The team has set the bar high. They’re a great group of kids who work very hard. They come in and compete, they have great camaraderie among each other. They’re great student-athletes.”
TIP-OFF ‘16 - ‘17 Basketball Preview •
Page 5
CNE Rockets shooting for quick start 2016-2017 Clermont Northeastern Boys’ Basketball Schedule
PHOTO / GARTH SHANKLIN
The Clermont Northeastern Rockets boysʼ basketball team is a senior-laden squad, featuring nine seniors on the varsity roster this season.
BY GARTH SHANKLIN Sports Editor
The Clermont Northeastern Rockets’ boys’ basketball team didn’t have the best start to the 2015-2016 season, but as the old saying goes, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. “We finished strong down the stretch, we made a good run at the second half in the league,” head coach Jim Jones said. “We finished 5-1 in the second half of league play, so we came off the mat and almost made a run at the league title, finished one game behind in making it a three-way tie.” The Rockets will look different this year on the court. Gone is leading
scorer Nick Ernst, but that doesn’t mean the Rockets will struggle on offense this season. “We’re losing 20+ points per game and that’s going to be hard to replace,” Jones said. “[Ernst] carried us down the stretch I thought. That being said, we have Chris Coleman coming back, a first-team all-league player and he played well down the stretch. Grant Fishback kept getting better and better at the end of his sophomore year. It’s going to be hard to replace [Ernst] but we have players who can step up.” Most of the players on the Rocket roster are seniors. The team has nine listed, but not all of them have as much varsity experience as some might
expect. “The thing is, yes we have nine seniors and four of them have a lot of varsity experience, but some of the others are just now trying to figure it out,” Jones said. “They played mostly junior varsity last year and they’re trying to figure out what it takes to play at the varsity level. They’re getting better at it. The leadership will be out of Chris and Jimmy [Camacho] and Grant has taken a bigger role in that also. The thing is those seniors have to get varsity experience quick.” Several players caught Jones’ eye for their performance in the team’s scrimmages this season. “Camacho, a point guard, has been playing well in the scrimmages,
and so has Dylan Jones” Jim Jones said. “He’s improved his quickness, he’s shooting the ball very well right now and he’s seeing the floor. They’ve been stepping up. Jake Collier has improved dramatically since last year, and Ryan Martin is also looking to improve.” One highlight on the CNE schedule is the school’s holiday tournament, which will be held in late December at the high school. Jones said the ability for the team to have some games during what is usually a “down period” is helpful. “It’s good to play during the down period, that’s been the main thing,” Jones said. “It seems like we come off the first half of league
Lady Rockets seeking wins
Fri. Dec. 2 Fri. 9 Fri. 16 Tue. 20 Wed. 21 Fri. 23 Thu. 29 Fri. Jan. 6 Tue. 10 Wed. 11 Fri. 13 Tue. 17 Fri. 20 Fri. 27 Sat. 28 Fri. Feb. 3 Tue. 7 Fri. 10 Sat. 11 Fri. 17
at Norwood * 7:30 Williamsburg * 7:30 Blanchester * 7:30 at Bethel-Tate * 7:30 Mariemont 7:30 at Clark Mont. 7:30 Whiteoak 7:30 Georgetown * 7:30 at Amelia 7:30 Fairfield Local 7:30 Felicity * 7:30 New Richmond * 7:30 at Williamsburg * 7:30 at Blanchester * 7:30 at Peebles 7:30 Bethel-Tate * 7:30 Batavia * 7:30 at Georgetown * 7:30 at Taylor 7:30 at Felicity * 7:30
play and we’re trying to see where we stand at that point. It’s hard to get ourselves back in focus sometimes. That’s not an excuse. Last year it took us so long to find ourselves and what we’re about. We finally did toward the end of the year. This year I’ve been emphasizing coming out right out of the chute.”
The team is going to have to do just that if it wants to avoid a slow start to their conference season. After a non-conference bout against Norwood, the team faces conference foes in three straight games beginning with Williamsburg, then Bethel-Tate and ending with Blanchester.
2016-2017 Clermont Northeastern Girls’ Basketball Schedule Sat. Nov. 26 Taylor
PHOTO / GARTH SHANKLIN
The Clermont Northeastern Lady Rockets are seeking consistency and improvement after posting just two wins in the 2015-2016 regular season.
BY GARTH SHANKLIN Sports Editor
The Clermont Northeastern Lady Rockets’ basketball team has had trouble finding stability at the top. New head coach Bill Goldfuss hopes that is no longer the case. Goldfuss and his staff looked to change the culture of the Lady Rockets when they took the team over earlier this year, he said. “We came in and we’re trying to come up with a new culture. Change things around, do some things different. A new beginning, all-new coaching staff. We’re going to have some accountability, we’’re going to have fun but we’re going to work hard every day,” Goldfuss said. Players on the team can look toward senior point
guard Andrea Johnson as a beacon to help guide them through the transition. Johnson was named to the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference National Division second-team allleague squad for her performance last season for a CNE team that finished the year with just two wins on the season. Johnson finished last season second on the team in scoring and she led the team with three assists per game. It’s not just her teammates that are relying upon her leadership, however. Goldfuss said having a senior point guard is extremely important for a new head coach. “It definitely helps having a senior point guard,” Goldfuss said. “It’s huge. She knows what to expect,
she can get all the players in the right positions. It’s huge, especially for a first year coach. You don’t have to worry about finding someone to be a leader for the team.” The team could have a few other players from last season’s team contribute to this year’s squad. Hanna Hoerth took exactly one shot for the varsity squad in 20152016. She, along with fellow senior Lynzee Sullivan, could play important roles on an offense that lacks height. Goldfuss said the team will still look to attack the basket, but they’ll do so with guards at times instead of force-feeding the ball to post players. “Any given night, our goal is to slash to the basket,” Goldfuss said. “We’re not very big. We have three or four that
we’re counting on to attack the basket, and we’re hoping our two post players can attack the basket, get some rebounds and put-backs for us.” Another key player who could see the court this season is Kayla Diekman. The senior injured her knee, however, and her status for the season is in doubt. She averaged nearly five points and five rebounds per game last season for the Lady Rockets. In terms of goals for this season, Goldfuss said the team just wants to get the year off on the right foot and make sure the team has a shot to win every game they play. “Our biggest goal is to be 1-0,” Goldfuss said. “We want to be competitive each night and give our kids a chance in the fourth quarter.”
1:30 Mon. 28 at Norwood * 7:30 Thu. Dec. 1 CHCA 7:30 Wed. 7 Fayetteville 7:30 Thu. 8 Williamsburg * 7:30 Thu. 15 at Blanchester * 7:30 Mon. 19 at Bethel-Tate * 7:30 Fri. 23 at Clark Mont. 6:00 Thu. 29 Whiteoak 7:30 Fri. 30 Northwest 7:30 Wed. Jan 4 at Peebles 7:30 Thu. 5 Georgetown * 7:30 Mon. 9 at Amelia * 7:30 Thu. 12 Felicity * 7:30 Wed. 18 Fairfield Local 7:30 Thu. 19 at Williamsburg * 7:30 Mon. 23 New Richmond * 7:30 Thu. 26 Blanchester * 7:30 Thu. Feb. 2 Bethel-Tate * 7:30 Mon. 6 at Georgetown * 7:30 Thu. 9 at Felicity * 7:30
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TIP-OFF ‘16 - ‘17 Basketball Preview
Cardinals under new management in ‘16 2016-2017 Felicity-Franklin Boys’ Basketball Schedule
PHOTO / GARTH SHANKLIN
The Felicity-Franklin Cardinals have a new coach for the 2016-2017 campaign, but several players return from last seasonʼs team, including Dominic Ruwe.
BY GARTH SHANKLIN Sports Editor
The Felicity-Franklin Cardinals boys' basketball team enters the 2016-2017 season under their third head coach in the last four seasons. Brett Harris takes over the team this season, and he's quickly learning how much is involved with coaching at the varsity level. “It's crazy,” Harris said. “I always knew the varsity coach was busy but realizing everything going on...I
don't know how my other coaches have done it as well as they have.” Harris was a late hire, giving him very little time to acclimate himself to the roster. “I was hired right at the end of September, beginning of October,” Harris said. “I knew what they had last year, they were very competitive in games. They lost a few, probably five or six, that were within one or two possessions.” Luckily for Harris, the Cardinals have proven
themselves extremely coachable, which is helpful since the timing of Harris' hire prompted numerous challenges for the coach. “The biggest challenge is not having my 10 coaching days for myself, trying to teach everything new to my kids and create scrimmages and gather information on other teams in the league,” Harris said. “Luckily, the kids are great. They're very competitive and they want to learn. They're gym rats, which helps us get up to
speed. They're eager to understand what my philosophy is.” Harris said he does not have set philosophies in terms of offense and defense. He prefers to adapt his gameplan to the strengths of his players. “[I figure] out what works for them and is also part of what I want to do,” Harris said. “I don't have a set philosophy as far as we're always going to do this. Each team has different challenges and does things better than other teams I've coached, so just
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Thu. Dec. 1 Fri. 2 Tue. 6 Fri. 9 Fri. 16 Tue. 20 Fri. 23 Wed. 28 Thu. 29 Fri. 30 Fri. Jan. 6 Tue. 10 Fri. 13 Sat. 14 Tue. 17 Fri. 20 Fri. 27 Fri. Feb. 3 Fri. 10 Fri. 17
Gamble Mont. Whiteoak Norwood * Blanchester * Bethel-Tate * at Georgetown * at Eastern at Battle of the Bridge at Battle of the Bridge at Battle of the Bridge
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St. Bernard at Blanchester * at Bethel-Tate * Georgetown * at Williamsburg * CNE *
trying to figure out what works for them.” One of the Cardinals' top returning players from last season is Dominic Ruwe, who led the team in scoring. Harris said he will be a crucial part to an offense that doesn't have a true big man in the post. “[He] is such a good player, not just fundamentally but with his anticipation and understanding the game,” Harris said. “It's like I have another coach on the floor when he's out there. We're trying to spread the ball, be more of a danger from behind the arc. With no dominant big man, we have to be able to stretch defenses.” Several players return from last season's team in addition to Ruwe, some-
7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 TBA TBA TBA 7:30 7:30 7:30 4:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30
thing Harris is happy about. “I really like the fact that I basically return every starter from last year, which helps,” Harris said. “The kids got a lot of playing time last year, which is nice.” That experience will be helpful for a team that is hoping to make some waves in the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference's National Division this season. “I met with the seniors the first week I was hired,” Harris said. “They want to be competitive. They want to challenge for the league. They want to win a tournament game. In every year I coach I want to have realistic goals with the kids so we can try to meet them.”
Lady Cardinals seeking new leadership 2016-2017 Felicity-Franklin Girls’ Basketball Schedule
PHOTO / GARTH SHANKLIN
The Felicity-Franklin Lady Cardinals will be without leading scoerer Ashley Moore, who graduated last year. The team will have to find a way to replace her 24 point per game average.
BY GARTH SHANKLIN Sports Editor
The Felicity-Franklin Lady Cardinals will be without one of the best players in school history when the team tips off the 2016-2017 regular season. Ashley Moore finished second in the tri-state area in scoring last season, totaling 528 points while averaging 24 points per game. She shot 33.4 percent from the field, 30.8 percent from behind the three-point line. Defensively, Moore averaged nearly six rebounds per
game while leading the city with seven steals per contest. Replacing those statistics will not be easy, and Felicity-Franklin head coach Kerry Stamper said the defensive ability in particular will be tough to replace. “She was a large factor during all four of her seasons here at Felicity,” Stamper said. “She is an offensive powerhouse, but her defense will be missed the most.” The Cardinals posted nine wins last season,
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though Stamper said the team could have won as many as 15 games. If they want to improve on that this season, they'll need to replace Moore on the court, something that Stamper said will take a team effort to do. “All five girls on the floor will have to step up defensively to fill the void,” Stamper said. “Offensively this years’ team will have to go out of their comfort zone just to shoot more and have the confidence to keep doing it.” Junior Kylie Sponcil
was the team's secondleading scorer last season, tallying 189 total points and averaging 8.6 points per game. Another returing player, Lauren Mitchell, averaged 6.6 points per game but shot 43.5 percent from behind the three-point line on the season (20 of 43). Junior Kortnie Bradburn is expected to help patrol the paint in the middle for the Lady Cardinals this season. Those three players will have to improve their level of play if the team
Sat. Nov. 26 Thu. Dec. 1 Thu. 8 Sat. 10 Mon. 12 Thu. 15 Mon. 19 Wed. 21 Wed. 4 Thu. Jan. 5 Mon. 9 Thu. 12 Mon. 16 Thu. 19 Mon. 23 Wed. 25 Thu. 26 Mon. 30 Thu. Feb. 2 Mon. 6 Thu. 9
at Peebles Norwood * Blanchester * Ripley-Union at Amelia at Bethel-Tate * at Georgetown * Batavia * at CCD Williamsburg *
7:30 7:30 7:30 1:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 at New Richmond * 7:30 at CNE * 7:30 West Union 7:30 at Blanchester * 7:30 Manchester 7:30 at Fayetteville 7:30 Bethel-Tate * 7:30 at Lockland 6:00 Georgetown * 7:30 at Williamsburg * 7:30 CNE * 7:30
wants to reach their goals for the season. “[We want to] be more aggressive on defense, more confident on of-
fense, to better our final record and go farther in the tournament,” Stamper said.
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TIP-OFF ‘16 - ‘17 Basketball Preview •
Page 7
Lady Trojans look for postseason success 2016-2017 Glen Este Girls’ Basketball Schedule
PHOTO / GARTH SHANKLIN
The Glen Este Lady Trojans welcome freshman Kayla Nutter to a team that won 21 games last season and put up a perfect 14-0 mark in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference.
BY GARTH SHANKLIN Sports Editor
The Glen Este Lady Trojans had quite the season on the hardwood last year. School records fell, the team finished the regular season undefeated in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference, and the team improved upon their performance from the year before. Head coach Jeff Click said last season’s only downside came in the team’s final game. “Last season was great,” Click said. “We were real happy with what we did. We set school records for wins in a season with 21 games, we were able to go undefeated in the league, finish in the top four. The hardest thing was losing in the last seconds to Lakota East in the tournament, but hopefully we use that
to push us forward this year and take the next step.” Taking the next step has been the norm for the Lady Trojans. According to Click, the players have improved their performance each season. “It’s been a gradual progression with this group,” Click said. “When the juniors were freshman, we finished second in the league. We were top ten, then the next year we were top four.” If the Lady Trojans are to continue improving this season, they’ll need junior Jasmine Hale to step up and replace some of what the team lost from last year’s roster. “More than scoring, she’s going to have to do a lot of different other things,” Click said. “We lost some of our senior leadership, so I think she’s
going to have to set the tone and be the leader out there on the floor. Our players are going to look to her for stability, rebounding. We lost one of our leading rebounders, she has the ability to do that even though she’s a guard. She’s athletic, she’s long. She should get eight to 10 rebounds per game, that’s what we’re challenging her with.” Kaylin Burdick was fifth on the team in scoring at 5.7 points per game. Click says he believes she can improve her game this season. “She’s a two-year varsity player,” Click said. “She has a lot of varsity ability. She’s not just a post-player, she can step out on the perimeter, she can do a lot of different things.” In addition to the returning players, the Lady Tro-
jans have a few new faces on the court this season. Click said the team will have to get those players up to the varsity level quickly. “We have some young players, but they’re young, they’re inexperienced,” Click said. “They’re going to have to learn what it takes to play at the varsity level quickly.” The team’s schedule will not be easy. The Trojans face several schools from various parts of the state at two different events this season: the Classic in the Country and the Journey to the Tourney at Lakota East. “We try to schedule based on the type of team that we have,” Click said. “We want to be challenged, we want to go play against good competition. You can’t be afraid to lose a game, you want that
Sun. Nov. 27
at Hathaway Brown
10:30 a.m.
Mon. 28 Wed. 30 Sat. Dec. 3 Wed. 7 Sat. 10 Wed. 14 Sat. 17 Wed. 28 Thu. 29 Wed. Jan. 4 Sat. 7 Mon. 9 Wed. 11 Sat. 14 Sun. 15 Wed. 18 Sat. 21 Sat. 28 Sat. Feb. 4 Wed. 8 Sat. 11
St. Ursula at Seton Walnut Hills * Turpin * at Milford * Kings * Withrow * at Bellbrook at Toledo Start at Anderson * at Loveland * McAuley at Walnut Hills *
7:30 7:30 7:00 7:30 7:00 7:30 2:00 2:45 4:15 7:30 2:00 7:30 7:30 1:20 1:40 7:30 7:00 2:00 2:00 7:30 7:00
at North Canton Hoover
at Whitmer at Turpin * Milford * at Kings * at Withrow * Anderson * Loveland *
challenge. A lot of them are really cool events. The biggest one is Classic in the Country, we have two games there this year. Other than probably playing in the state final four, I don’t think there’s a better atmosphere. Our kids loved it last year.” The team’s goals for the season haven’t changed all that much for the Lady Trojans or for Click, who enters the season 16 wins
shy of his 300th career victory. “Obviously we’d like to compete for the league championship,” Click said. “We think that we can be a top-10 team again. We have the ability to advance in the tournament, but Division I in southwest Ohio is a meat grinder. When you look at the teams, there are a lot of really good teams. It’s a challenge.”
Trojans seeking consistency in final quest 2016-2017 Glen Este Boys’ Basketball Schedule
PHOTO / GARTH SHANKLIN
Glen Este senior Jake Long looks to drive past junior Dallas Padgitt in an intra-squad scrimmage on Nov. 25, 2016.
BY GARTH SHANKLIN Sports Editor
The Glen Este Trojans enter their final season before merging with Amelia looking to build on a year in which the team only won three games. Craig Reick enters his second season with the Trojans, and he said last season’s team had trouble finishing the games they played in. “We competed in every game, we were in the lead at halftime of almost 70 percent of the games,” Reick said. “We just struggled finishing games. We wanted to get wins, the wins didn’t come.” Part of the reason the team didn’t win as many games as they would have preferred as the difficulty of their league. “Our league is very challenging,” Reick said. “There are a lot of good basketball teams in our league, but the good thing
was we closed the gap and competed in every game.” The team hopes to close the gap even more this year. Reick had the ability to control the team’s workout over the summer, and he did several things to help the team prepare for the season. “We had a great summer,” Reick said. “We implemented a weight lifting program all summer. We had individual skill training all summer. I had five kids go to a Jason Otter ball handling camp and we’ve been doing that since June. Our kids have been working very hard on their individual skill as well as getting bigger and stronger.” The team lost a few players off of last season’s squad, according to Reick. “We lost Collin Fryman,” Reick said. “Tyler Pilcher was our quarterback and came back out last year and really helped us physically. Jordan Funk really helped us as a team leader. I’m really replacing those three.”
Two players who return to the team this season are Elijah Johnson and Bradley Gardner, who were the team’s leading scorers last season, with Gardner averaging 10.1 points and Johnson chipping in 8.2 points per game. Those two, along with junior Alex Puckett, have taken a leadership role with the team, according to Reick. “Johnson and Gardner are really stepping up and I have a junior, Puckett, who led us all summer long,” Reick said. “That’s awesome, because as a point guard he leads us in every single thing we do.” Two sophomores, John Aicholtz and Braden Steele, will see time at the varsity level. Reick said he has high hopes for the duo. “I’m really excited about those two,” Reick said. “They’ve grown and they’re getting bigger, stronger. They’re very athletic. The nice thing about this group is I only have two football
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players. They’re really into basketball, they play all summer, which is helpful.” With this being the final season at Glen Este before the merger, the Trojans have set lofty goals for the year. “We’ve tagged our year Glen Este: the final quest,” Reick said. “We haven’t won a league championship since 1967. We definitely have that as one of our goals, and we believe we can come close to that. We beat Kings last year, who were our league champs. That was our only league win. Putting some consistency together.” Consistency can only take a team so far if the players don’t buy in to what the coach is preaching to them. Reick said the Trojan players have bought into it. “Everything’s a final to us,” Reick said. “This is our final home game, this is our final league game. The kids have really embraced that, being the final basketball team at Glen Este.”
Fri. Dec. 2 Tue. 6 Tue. 13 Fri. 16 Sat. 17 7:30 Tue. 20 Tue. Jan. 3 Fri. 6 Tue. 10 Wed. 11 Fri. 13 Tue. 17 Fri. 20 Tue. 24 Fri. 27 Sat. 28 Tue. 31 Fri. Feb. 3 Mon. 6 Fri. 10 Tue. 14 Fri. 17
Little Miami at Fenwick at Turpin * at Milford * CHCA at Walnut Hills * at Kings * Withrow * Anderson * at Indian Hill at Loveland * at Ross Walnut Hills * Turpin * Milford * Western Brown at Hughes Kings * Shroder at Withrow * at Anderson * Loveland *
7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:00 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30
Page 8 •
TIP-OFF ‘16 - ‘17 Basketball Preview
Goshen girls shooting for repeat titles 2016-2017 Goshen Girls’ Basketball Schedule at Ross 2:30 Mon. 28 Williamsburg 7:30 Thu. Dec.1 at Bethel-Tate 7:30 Thu. 8 Western Brown * 7:30 Mon. 12 at Greenview 7:30 Thu. 15 at Batavia * 7:30 Mon. 19 Amelia * 7:30 Thu. 22 Madeira 7:30 Wed. 28 Little Miami 7:30 Tue. Jan. 3 Indian Hill 7:30 Thu. 5 Norwood * 7:30 Mon. 9 Georgetown * 7:30 Thu. 12 at New Richmond * 7:30 Thu. 19 at Western Brown * 7:30 Mon. 23 at Talawanda 7:30 Thu. 26 at Batavia * 7:30 Sat. 28 at Hillsboro 5:00 Mon. 30 Loveland 7:30 Thu. Feb. 2 at Amelia * 7:30 Mon. 6 at Norwood * 7:30 Thu. 9 New Richmond * 7:30 Sat. Nov. 26
PHOTO / GARTH SHANKLIN
The Goshen Lady Warriors finished the 2015-2016 campaign as undefeated champions in their conference, the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference American Division.
BY GARTH SHANKLIN Sports Editor
The Goshen Warriors girls’ basketball team posted a solid regular season in 2015-2016, winning 19 games and finishing a perfect 10-0 in the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference. Head coach Brandon Baker feels the team did very well last year, and noted the team exceeded his expectations. “Last season was definitely a success,” Baker said. “I knew early in the preseason that we had some talent, but I also knew that everyone, coaches and players, were taking on a new role from the previous year. The way the girls came together was a great thing to watch and going 19-3 in the regular season and undefeated in our league definitely exceeded my expectations.” The team was led in scoring by Paige Garr, who averaged 12.7 points per game while also grabbing five rebounds. Olivia Taulbee
chipped in an average of 11.1 points per game for the Lady Warriors. Both of those players return this season, and Baker’s expectations for them are the same as the rest of the team. “My expectations for each of them, and everyone in our program, is to grow from last year,” Baker said. “I believe that the best players, coaches and people are always trying to get better. If we can have a program full of players and coaches that are working hard to improve then the rest will sort itself out.” This year’s team will be senior laden, with six players entering their final high school season. Baker said he expects the team’s leadership to be a strength this year. “When a team has this many seniors, it means a lot in terms of the on-floor leadership,” Baker said. “Last year we only had one senior and she did a great job of buying into our vision for the program and setting an example for senior classes to come. Having
six seniors this year, three of whom are returning starters, that all understand what we are trying to do will be a huge factor in the success of our season.” Of the remaining seven players on the roster, six are sophomores. Baker said he expects all six of them to have an impact at the varsity level in some way. “The six sophomores will have many different important roles for us this year,” Baker said. “Of those six, four dressed varsity last year and two of them are returning starters. I look for those players to be a massive part of our team both offensively and defensively. Two more sophomores spent last year playing JV and have made huge strides to become players that can impact the varsity game regularly.” The two starting sophomores, Whitney Turner and Garr, are both expected to improve on their play from last season, along with the Lady Warriors’ other three starters. “I see so many of our
players taking big steps in their skill development and production this year,” Baker said. “Our five returning starters will all look to take big steps forward this year. Turner is more explosive both physically and offensively this year. Senior Olivia Taulbee is looking to expand her game offensively and take on a new role as a team leader on and off the floor. Garr has come into this season as a much more physical player, both at the rim offensively and on defense. Senior Anna Dowd is working to become a more complete offensive player which includes extending her range beyond the three point line. Senior Shawna Shinkle is taking on an even larger leadership role with the team this year along with adding tools to her game on both sides of the ball.” The Lady Warriors have a bit of a schedule quirk to deal with this season. Pending weather, the team plays just one home game from Jan. 12, 2017 to Feb. 8, 2017. Baker said those eight
games will not be easy. “That will be a difficult stretch for us,” Baker said. “We have been lucky to get great fan support at our home games and the girls really enjoy playing in front of the home crowd, so any time we have to go on the road we know it can be tough. The girls understand that it takes extra focus and intensity to play your best on the road and last year they proved they can do that.” The team will need to play well at home and on
the road if they want to accomplish their goals for the season, which according to Baker includes a league title. “Our number one goal this year is to improve,” Baker said. “That is both individually and as a team. Beyond that we know that it all starts with winning our league. It meant a lot to the girls to be able to put their team on the banner of conference champs in our gym and I know they are hungry for the chance to do the same this year.”
Warriors hoping to improve in SBAAC BY GARTH S HANKLIN Sports Editor
The Goshen Warriors boys’ basketball team posted a solid regular season mark in 2015-2016, but head coach Scott Wake’s team didn’t have the best finish in the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference American Division. Goshen placed fifth in the six-team division with a record of 4-6. The Warriors were just two games out of second place, as Norwood’s 6-4 record in the American Division was good for second place behind Amelia. The Warriors were led by a senior class that, according to Wake, helped the team stay calm under pressure. “Last year’s seniors gave us good leadership and effort both on and off the court,” Wake said. “Logan Brand gave us our composure under stressful situations.” In terms of this year’s roster, the Warriors return a bunch of experienced players, according to Wake. “We have nine of our top 10 players back along with a couple of kids that had very good summers and have moved to varsity,” Wake said. “This should be a very balanced scoring group with [junior] Tony Moore again being one of our top perimeter threats as well as one of our top scorers.” In addition to Moore, who earned first-team all-
conference awards for his play last season, the Warriors will be led by senior Ryan Wake, who picked up second team accolades for his play. “Ryan Wake will be a three-year starter at the point and he will also be one of our top shooters and scorers,” Scott Wake said. “Senior Brandon Cox was our top rebounder from last year and he should continue to be our best back to the basket post player.” A few other players could take steps forward for the Warriors this season, according to Coach Wake. “Senior Jake Meader came on strong at the end of the season both on offense and defense,” Wake said. “He was one of the top shot blockers in the city a year ago. Alex Koopmans brings back his athleticism as a third year varsity player. Kyle Proffitt has come off the fall season as our starting quarterback and he should give us a big boost on both offense and defense. Deonte Bailey is our most explosive returning varsity player. His improved shooting should make him more versatile in our offense.” The improved offense will be key for the Warriors, who struggled at times during league play to put points on the board, according to Wake. “We seemed to go two, three or four minutes without scoring each night and that always seemed to be the differ-
2016-2017 Goshen Boys’ Basketball Schedule
PHOTO / FILE PHOTO
The Goshen Warriors return nine of their top 10 players, including Ryan Wake, as they look to improve their finish in the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference.
ence,” Wake said. “Hopefully with the experience coming back we will be able to limit the dry spells.” Wake said the team wants to get better every time they take the court, be it for a practice or a game.
“[We want to] take each practice and each game as an opportunity to improve ourselves,” Wake said. “Hopefully at the end of the year we can find ourselves towards the top of our league as well as one of the better teams in the city.”
Go Lady Warriors!
Fri. Dec. 2 Sat. 3 Tue. 6 Fri. 9 Tue. 13 Fri. 16 Tue. 20 Thu. 29 Fri. 30 Fri. Jan. 6 Sat. 7 Tue. 10 Fri. 13 Fri. 20 Fri. 27 Sat. 28 Fri. 3 Sat. 4 Fri. 10 Tue. 14 Fri. 17
Williamsburg at Taylor at Bethel-Tate Western Brown * Madeira at Batavia * Amelia * Little Miami TBD Norwood * Indian Hill Georgetown at New Richmond * at Western Brown *
Batavia * at Hillsboro at Amelia * Mariemont at Norwood * at Ross New Richmond *
7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 6:00 TBA 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 TBA 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30
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TIP-OFF ‘16 - ‘17 Basketball Preview •
Page 9
Eagles reloading after roster turnover BY GARTH SHANKLIN Sports Editor
Nine seniors hit the hardwood for the Milford Eagles boys’ basketball team in 2015-2016, including first-team allEastern Cincinnati Conference performers Brad Hall and Jack Engelman. Those two players combined to average more than 21 points per game for the Eagles, who finished last season with a 14-9 overall record, 9-5 in the ECC. Head coach Joe Cambron said the team’s performance last season, outside of the sectional tournament, was roughly where they were expected to perform. “I think we probably got close to reaching our potential,” Cambron said. “With nine seniors last year, I think we were probably the third-best team in the league and we finished third. We were a little disappointed with the first round loss in the tournament, but I would describe it as a success.” The large senior class contributed greatly to that success, especially in terms of their comprehension of the coaching strategy, according to Cambron. “When you have that many seniors, you have guys that have an understanding of what your program is trying to accomplish on and off the court,” Cambron said. “They knew exactly what we were trying to do and
2016-2017 Milford Boys’ Basketball Schedule
PHOTO / GARTH SHANKLIN
The Milford Eagles lost nine seniors from last seasonʼs team that finished with 14 wins in the regular season and nine in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference. Wes Reid, on left, returns for the team in 2016-2017.
they knew the things that were important and they did that.” However, there are downsides to having classes that large: they tend to leave very little experience behind when they leave. Milford has three players with varsity experience and a fourth who played sparingly at the varsity level last year. Two of the returning players, Matt Kirk and Wes Reid, will likely be expected to increase their scoring for the team this season. Kirk averaged 6.1 points per game last sea-
son with Reid chipping in 3.9 points per contest. Both players shot more than 40 percent, but neither took more than 98 shots on the season. As such, several new faces will be on the court for the Eagles this season “We’ve got junior Nathan Gallimore who is starting and will be seeing a lot of action,” Cambron said. “Hunter Pollitt, another junior who was on junior varsity last year who should help us quite a bit. Two sophomores, Caleb Farrell and Jake Ayler, are going to be
counted on quite a bit. “ With all the roster reshuffling, Cambron said it may be difficult for people to recognize the players on the court at times, but the way the team plays will not change. “It’s a very different team,” Cambron said. “There are a lot of new faces and new people that the average fan or some coaches around the league won’t recognize, but the atmosphere, the chemistry and the goals are exactly the same. Our goal is to win the ECC and we’ve obviously got different
Fri. Dec. 2 Sycamore 7:30 Tue. 6 at Princeton 7:30 Fri. 9 Anderson * 7:30 Tue. 13 Loveland * 7:30 Fri. 16 Glen Este * 7:30 Wed. 21 at McNicholas 7:30 Tue. 27 Fairfield 7:30 Fri. 30 at Taft 7:30 Tue. Jan. 3 Turpin * 7:30 Fri. 6 at Walnut Hills * 7:30 Tue. 10 at Kings * 7:30 Fri. 13 Withrow * 7:30 Tue. 17 Lebanon 7:30 Fri. 20 at Anderson * 7:30 Tue. 24 at Loveland * 7:30 Fri. 27 at Glen Este * 7:30 Tue. 31 CHCA 7:30 Fri. Feb. 3 at Turpin * 7:30 Tue. 7 at Northwest 7:30 Fri. 10 Walnut Hills * 7:30 Tue. 14 Kings * 7:30 Fri. 17 at Withrow * 7:30 people that are trying to accomplish that but the way we’ll go about doing it is exactly the same.” With no proven offensive threat, Cambron said the team may have more of a balanced scoring attack than normal, but the
team’s defense and intensity will carry over from last season. “Every night could be a different leading scorer, but the constant will be we will play defense and we’ll play hard,” Cambron said.
Lady Eagles reloading for playoff run BY GARTH SHANKLIN Sports Editor
The Milford Lady Eagles came within one win of a sectional tournament title in 2015-2016, defeating Middletown and Turpin before falling to McAuley by eight points. Head coach Kristi McKenney said the team is using that success as motivation to be even better this season. “Last season set the bar extremely high by having the most successful season in almost 20 years,” McKenney said. “Our expectations are high so we have to work that much harder and use last season as a model for what we want to accomplish.” The team lost quite a few players from last year’s team. Senior Tori Gilman is the team’s leading returning scorer, averaging 6.4 points per game in 2015-2016. She and fellow senior Hayden White join senior Katelyn Rheude as key returning players for the Lady Eagles. McKenney
said the seniors know what they have to do from a leadership standpoint as well as their play on the court. “There is always a sense of urgency with seniors and they know how hard you have to play to be successful and their leadership falls into place,” McKenney said. As the team’s leading scorer left over from last season, Gilman in particular will be relied upon to carry an important role for the team heading forward. McKenney said she has done a good job showing the younger players the proper work ethic. “Gilman is a natural born leader and has developed into a very good basketball player physically, mentally and spiritually, plus she is an example to follow because of her serious work ethic,” McKenney said. “She will be one of the top players in the league this year.” The team has a pair of underclassmen on the roster this season. Freshman Abby Thierauf and sopho-
2016-2017 Milford Girls’ Basketball Schedule Mon. 28 Wed. 30 Sat. Dec. 3 Wed. 7 Sat. 10 Wed. 14 Sat. 17 Wed. 21 Thu. 29 Wed. Jan. 4 Sat. 7 Mon. 9 Wed. 11 Sat. 14 Wed. 18 Sat. 21 Mon. 23 Wed. 25 Wed. Feb. 1 Sat. 4 Wed. 8 Sat. 11
Princeton at Winton Woods at Anderson * at Loveland * Glen Este * at Turpin * Walnut Hills * at Seton at Northwest Kings * at Withrow * Madeira at Mercy Anderson * Loveland * at Glen Este * McNicholas Turpin * Hughes at Walnut Hills * at Kings * Withrow *
7:30 7:30 2:00 7:30 7:00 7:30 2:00 7:30 7:30 7:30 2:00 7:30 7:30 2:00 7:30 7:00 7:30 7:30 7:30 2:00 7:30 7:00
PHOTO / GARTH SHANKLIN
The Milford Lady Eagles lost several key pieces from their 2015-2016 squad that fell to McAuley in the sectional tournament championship, but senior Tori Gillman returns to the squad this season.
more Ali Kirk are both expected to have some time at the varsity level this season. “Our underclassmen will have to grow up fast because they will have significant roles and have to learn to use some versatility to fill in whatever gap needs filled,” McKenney said. The team’s schedule is difficult, requiring the younger players learn quickly. The team also doesn’t get a break in league play, as the Eastern Cincinnati Conference is just as tough. “Not only is the league tough but our non-confer-
ence schedule is just as difficult,” McKenney said. “We have to strive to improve with each game, keep the turnovers down and make the shots we are supposed to make.” The team doesn’t have specific win/loss goals for the season, instead McKenney said they are looking to improve every time they take the court. “Our goal this year starts with winning one possession at a time, one quarter at a time, which sums up to one game at a time and hopefully out work our opponents to create some victories,” McKenney said.
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Lady Lions looking to build on 2015-2016 BY GARTH SHANKLIN Sports Editor
The New Richmond Lions girls’ basketball team had a solid season in 20152016. The team won 14 games, five of which came in the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference’s American Division. Two runs helped the team post that record. The squad won five of six games, starting with a Dec. 3, 2015 win over Amelia and ending with a four-point victory over Blanchester on Dec. 16. The team also won six of seven games from Dec. 21, 2015 to Jan. 21, 2016. Those victories helped the team set up their postseason run with a win over Norwood in the sectional tournament opener. However, their season would come to an end one game later at the hands of Wyoming. Head coach Thomas Wessner said last year, his first with the team, was a decent way to begin building the program. “Last year was a good starting point,” Wessner said. “[We had ] a good group of seniors that had to
learn from a new coach in a very short amount of time.” One of those seniors was Maren Hance, a first-team all-conference selection who averaged 16.6 points per game for the Lions. The team also loses a pair of second-team all-conference players, Jade Kunz and Lindsey Williams. Wessner said replacing those players will take a team effort. “This season it will be by committee,” Wessner said. “We will have to expand the roles that we had from last year.” Luckily for the Lady Lions, they do have a few returning players. Anna Hamilton earned first-team all-SBAAC honors along with Hance. Hamilton returns for her senior year after averaging 6.5 points on just 92 shots last season for the Lions. She and the rest of the New Richmond team have a tough task ahead in the SBAAC’s American Division. “The league is very competitive and does not allow for the girls to take time off,” Wessner said. “Nothing is easy.” Playing in a league that difficult forces the teams to
2016-2017 New Richmond Girls’ Basketball Schedule at Blanchester * 7:30 Thu. Dec. 1at Georgetown * 7:30 Mon. 5 at Bethel-Tate 7:30 Thu. 8 at Batavia * 7:30 Mon. 12 Reading 7:30 Thu. 15 Amelia * 7:30 Sat. 17 Ripley-Union 4:30 Mon. 19 Norwood * 7:30 Tue. 20 at Clinton Massie 7:00 Thu. Jan. 5 at Western Brown * 7:30 Mon. 9 Felicity * 7:30 Thu. 12 Goshen * 7:30 Mon. 16 at Williamsburg 7:30 Thu. 19 Batavia * 7:30 Mon. 23 at CNE * 7:30 Wed. 25 Roger Bacon 7:30 Thu. 26 at Amelia * 7:30 Mon. 30 Taylor 7:30 Thu. 2 at Norwood * 7:30 Mon. 6 Western Brown * 7:30 Thu. 9 at Goshen * 7:30 Mon. Nov. 28
PHOTO / GARTH SHANKLIN
New Richmondʼs Anna Hamilton is one of the teamʼs leading returning scorers from last yearʼs squad that won 14 games.
play the best game they possibly can every night, and Wessner said the Lady Lions have applied that mindset to their practices as
well. “We are really focused on us and bringing our best to the court to practice and the games,” Wessner said.
Lions shooting for conference success BY GARTH SHANKLIN Sports Editor
The New Richmond Lions boys’ basketball team started last season with six losses in their first nine games. However, the team rebounded for seven wins in their last 14 games to finish the year at 10-13. Head coach Brian McMonigle said the team had
higher hopes for the season but they couldn’t catch the breaks they needed. “We had a decent season,” McMonigle said. “We were hoping to finish over .500 but a couple things didn’t go our way.” The team lost a few players off of last season’s team, including leading scorer Frankie Taulbee. Taulbee brought several
2016-2017 New Richmond Boys’ Basketball Schedule Fri. Dec. 2 Sat. 3 Tue. 6 Fri. 9 Fri. 16 Sat. 17 Tue. 20 Tue. 27 Wed. 28 Thu. 29 Fri. 6 Tue. 10 Fri. 13 Sat. 14 Tue. 17 Fri. 20 Fri. 27 Fri. 3 Tue. 7 Fri. 10 Fri. 17
at Lynchburg at Mariemont at Georgetown at Batavia * Amelia * Ripley-Union Norwood * at Pigeon Forge at Tournament at Tournament
5:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 6:00 7:30 8:00 TBA TBA at Western Brown * 7:30 Felicity * 7:30 Goshen * 7:30 Seven Hills 4:00 at CNE * 7:30 Batavia * 7:30 at Amelia * 7:30 at Norwood * 7:30 CCD 7:30 Western Brown * 7:30 at Goshen * 7:30
different things to the team last year. “He was a strong, physical guard that could play inside and out,” McMongile said. “He did a really nice job for us last season.” The Lions are looking for players to step up in the scoring column this season to help mitigate the loss of Taulbee’s 18.3 points per game. “We’re trying to find guys who can score this year,” McMonigle said. “We have a lot of kids who can shoot the ball, so we’re trying to fill those positions.” The team’s secondhighest scorer from last season is back this season, though he’s not quite ready for on-court action. Gage Kramer averaged more than 13 points and nearly nine rebounds per game for the Lions last year, but an injury suffered during the Lions’ football playoff run is keeping him off the court. “We’re expecting big things from him this year,” McMonigle said. “He dislocated his knee in practice for the football team but he’ll be back in about two weeks. We’ll have to get him into shape a bit and back into the routine, but he had a great summer and he’s worked really hard the last few years.” Until he returns, the Lions are going to have to have other players step up. One such player McMonigle believes can make an impact is Ethan Gundler. “[He] did a nice job for us defensively last year,” McMonigle said. “We’re
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expecting him to step it up this year and add a little more offense.” Other players could make an impact this season for the Lions, according to McMonigle. “We have a good sophomore class and we’re expecting junior Lane Flamm to step into a role,” McMonigle said. “He came off the bench and did a nice job; this year he’s done a nice job in the preseason for us.” The Lions’ had several scrimmages during the preseason for McMonigle to see what the team had to offer this season. He feels those practices have PHOTO / GARTH SHANKLIN helped prepared his team The New Richmond Lions enter the 2016-2017 season for a tough schedule. without Gage Kramer due to an injury. Kramer was the “I think our scrimmages Lionsʼ leading returning scorer from last season. have been tough and we’ve had good competi- eral goals the team has for Christmas tournament,” tion,” McMonigle said. the season, according to McMonigle said. “Our “We feel like we’re going McMonigle. guys are playing hard to be ready. We started a “We would like to com- right now and when you bit behind, we only had pete in the conference, play hard good things hapabout 14 guys for the first we’d like to do well in the pen.” week and a half of practice. We’ve done a good job making sure our last week of practice was intense.” The Lions made a change to their schedule this season. Traditionally, the team has stuck around the Cincinnati area for Excellence through student-centered focus! their end-of-December 513-734-6222 tournament. This season, however, the team will www.grantcareer.com travel to Pigeon Forge 718 West Plane Street Bethel, Ohio 45106 High School for a tournament in Tennessee on Dec. 28-29. “We were looking for something different,” McMonigle said. “The past four or five years we played in tournaments around here and we decided to expand who we play. Alter goes down there and I was able to talk to their coach and he said 315 Plane Street 200 Western Avenue 177 West Main Street they run it really well.” Bethel, OH 45106 New Richmond, OH 45157 Amelia, OH 45102 Having success in that 513-734-2228 513-553-4132 513-753-6130 tournament is one of sevwww.ecnurre.com
GO LIONS ! !
TIP-OFF ‘16 - ‘17 Basketball Preview •
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Lady Wildcats coming together as family BY GARTH SHANKLIN
2016-2017 Williamsburg Girls’ Basketball Schedule
Sports Editor
In 1979, the Pittsburgh Pirates rolled to a World Series title with the Sister Sledge hit “We Are Family” as their anthem. The 2016 Williamsburg Lady Wildcats are hoping their family-first mindset leads them to postseason success as well. Last year’s Lady Wildcat squad placed fourth overall in the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference’s National Division with a 4-6 conference record and a 12-10 mark overall. The team has undergone a few changes since last season, starting at the top. Mike Madsen is the team’s new head coach, and he says the transition has been made smooth by the girls’ ability to play as a team. “It’s easy to coach when you have five girls that care for one another,” Madsen said. “When the game’s on, the girls are congratulating one another. That’s one thing the staff has been stressing, if we come together as a team, we have the talent. This team can do some great things.” The Lady Wildcats did not have a senior on the roster last season, but not every player returned to the court this year. Carly Wagers averaged nearly eight points and six rebounds per game last season. Lexi Stephens chipped in 7.5 points and
Sat. Nov. 26 at RULH
PHOTO / GARTH SHANKLIN
The Williamsburg Lady Wildcatsʼ bench erupts after a made three-pointer against Western Brown.
4.2 rebounds per contest. Neither of those players are on the team this year. However, Alexis Chase, who led the squad in scoring at 12.5 points per game last season, did return. Chase suffered an injury last season, and Madsen said she’s being eased back into action. “We’re limiting the amount of minutes that she’s getting,” Madsen said. “She’s coming back, and when her physical condition comes around, she could be a dominant player.” Peyton Fisher has also returned to the team this season. Fisher was second behind Chase last season with 9.7 points per game. Kacey Connor was third, and this season Connor is
one of several sisters who find themselves teammates on the Lady Wildcats. Emily and Calie Brown, Libby and Kasey Connor, and Alexis and Jessica Chase are three pairs of sisters that make up half the Lady Wildcats’ varsity roster. Madsen said that type of familial connection helps drive the team go the extra mile for a teammate. “When you have three sets of sisters, there’s a whole lot of girls that care about one another there,” Madsen said. “It’s a family atmosphere, it’s girls that are coming together and playing hard for one another. If they do that, what more could a coach ask for?” Madsen also credited the players’ former coaches at
lower levels of play for helping prepare the players for varsity action. “Anytime as a coach you have the talent that you have and the girls are playing as hard as they’re playing, that’s a testament not just to themselves but the coaches that had them when they were young,” Madsen said. “They’ve been taught how to play.” The Lady Wildcats have a simple goal for the 20162017 campaign: win a conference title. The team has made strides of late. Senior Hope Schaljo earned all-conference honors for her play as a freshman on a Williamsburg team that did not win a game. Three years later, she and the Lady Wildcats have a shot to accomplish
Mon. 28 Thu. Dec.1 Mon. 5 Thu. 8 Thu. 15 Mon. 19 Wed. 21 Wed. 28 Tue. Jan. 3 Thu. 5 Sat. 7 Thu. 12 Mon. 16 Thu. 19 Mon. 23 Thu. 26 Mon. 30
at Goshen Western Brown Batavia at CNE * at Georgetown * Blanchester * at Lynchburg Reading Seven Hills at Felicity * Summit CD Bethel-Tate * New Richmond CNE * at Amelia Georgetown * Fayetteville
Thu. Feb. 2 at Blanchester *
Mon. 6 Thu. 9
Felicity * at Bethel-Tate *
something no Williamsburg girls’ basketball team has ever done. “If you look at our girls’ banner, we’ve never won a league title here,” Madsen said. “That’s our goal, be the first. We want to push the other teams in our league. There are great
1:30 7:30 7:30 6:00 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 2:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:00 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30
teams. Bethel’s a great team. Georgetown’s a great team. Blanchester’s a phenomenal team. The girls have told me we’ve struggled against those teams in the past. If they play together, good things can happen. That’s our goal.”
Williamsburg boys’ team looking for repeat 2016-2017 Williamsburg Boys’ Basketball Schedule
PHOTO / GARTH SHANKLIN
Junior Nate Bogan attempts to block the shot of Fayettevilleʼs Nic Ball in a game between the two teams last season. Bogan and the Wildcats are looking to repeat as SBAAC National Division champs in 2016-2017.
BY GARTH SHANKLIN Sports Editor
The Williamsburg Wildcats boys’ basketball team endured quite the roller coaster ride last season. The team started the season 4-2 before dropping seven of eight games to fall all the way to 5-9. Despite the hardship, the team won back-to-back games in Blanchester at the end of January. The team won just two contests during the month of February in 2016, but those two wins propelled the squad to a 7-3 record in the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference’s National Division, helping the team clinch a share of the title. Head coach Dan McK-
ibben said the team’s nonleague schedule was difficult, which resulted the team’s loses. “We won a share of the league title, but we had a lot of very close losses in our non-conference schedule,” McKibben said. The team was led last year by six seniors, two of whom saw considerable time on the court. Injuries derailed the seasons of other Wildcat seniors. What this year’s team may lack in leadership from a senior it makes up for in experience. The injuries to last year’s team have made this year’s squad all the more important. “It helps, it definitely helps,” McKibben said. “Having kids that have
GO WILDCATS ! !
played together for a number of years, especially with not having any seniors this year we’re going to have to count on them for leadership.” Nate Bogan returns to the team this year after averaging 11.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game last year. Teammate Jacob Wells nearly averaged a doubledouble last season for Williamsburg. The Wildcats have four freshman and two sophomores this year. Those younger players will need to show what they have learned from the older team. Another key returner is senior Jacob Wells. Wells is listed as 6 feet 8 inches tall, and last year he used that frame to lead the team in re-
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bounding by over a 2:1 margin. Wells snagged 11.8 boards per game in 20152016, the next-closest Wildcat was Drew McKibben at 5.5. Dan McKibben said he hopes Wells will find a little on to improve this year. “We’d like to see his field goal percentage go up a bit,” McKibben said. “He’s got good size and he’s got good ball skills. We’d like to see him step up this year, definitely.” The team also wants to contend for a league title after tying Blanchester for first place last season. “We’d like to win another league title,” McKibben said. “It’s been since the early 1960s since Williamsburg won back-to-back
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at Goshen 7:30 Western Brown * 7:30 at CNE * 7:30 at Eastern 7:30 Georgetown * 7:30 Blanchester * 7:30 at Fayetteville 7:30 at Reading 7:30 at Madeira 7:30 at Felicity * 7:30 Bethel-Tate * 7:30 Amelia 7:30 CNE* 7:30 Deer Park 7:30 at Batavia * 7:30 at Georgetown* 7:30 St. Bernard 7:30 at Blanchester * 7:30 Felicity * 7:30 at Bethel-Tate * 7:30
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TIP-OFF ‘16 - ‘17 Basketball Preview