Boys tournament games take the stage

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XENIA — Boys basketball tournament play began to ramp up on Friday, but Greene County will see its initial uptick of games starting Saturday as six schools get their postseasons underway.

Greeneview’s first game will be Tuesday, Yellow Springs is awaiting its opponent for Thursday, while Fairborn has already bowed out after its loss against Centerville.

No. 10 Carroll vs No. 13 Northridge

The Patriots begin the Division II tournament red hot at the right time as winners in eight of their last 10. It’ll be a battle of two strong scorers at Springfield High School in an 11 a.m. game.

Northridge finished 8-10 overall in the newly formed Three Rivers Conference and struggled against the league’s top teams.

Antoine Jacobs is one of the top bucket getters in the area at 19.2 points per game and had a 43-point game this season for the Polar Bears.

Sean McKitrick can drain threes for Carroll and is a steady scorer at 18.9 points.

No. 8 Bellbrook vs No. 15 Kenton Ridge

The Golden Eagles remained in the thick of a tough SWBL East Division race until the final game, finishing the regular season 14-8 overall and 10-3 in the league.

Bellbrook faces Kenton Ridge (9-13) in Kettering Fairmont’s Trent Arena at 1 p.m. in its opening game of the D-II tournament. The Cougars are led by Aiden Hannon’s 10.7 points per game. Brady King shoots at a 41 percent clip from three, and James Blackburn leads the team in assists.

Kenton Ridge has solid size across the board, but no player who may be able to match Gabe Pavlak for Bellbrook.

No. 16 Xenia vs No. 2 Fairmont

The Bucs played well down the stretch but will face a tall task in its D-I opener.

Fairmont (18-3) is ranked ninth in the final state AP poll of the season with two of its three losses coming against top-ranked Centerville.

Boasting the top defensive scoring average in the GWOC, Xenia may need to rely on Damien Weaver and Ayden Rose heavily to make shots.

Tip time is slated for 3:45 p.m. at Centerville.

No. 3 Cedarville vs No. 11 Miami Valley

One of the Miami Valley’s toughest teams to score against will present Miami Valley problems in this D-IV game.

Cedarville averages 44.5 points against, while MV (2-15) hasn’t even reached 20 points in two of its last three. The Indians have also won 14 of 15 and were receiving votes and a first-place vote in the final state poll.

If there is no answer for Hayden Hanson, Miami Valley could be in for a long afternoon. The game tips at 4 p.m. at Troy.

No. 6 Legacy Christian vs No. 10 Tri-County North

The Knights played against the top of the MBC well in nearly securing a three-way tie for the league title.

The game should be another good opportunity for Parker Burke to gain his footing as he recently return from injury.

TCN (4-18) gave up the second most points in the WOAC and scored the fewest. Logan Flory is the team’s top scoring option.

Troy will host the D-IV matchup with it slated to begin at 7 p.m.

No. 4 Beavercreek vs No. 15 Troy

The Trojans wrapped the season 10-11 overall but may have the size to provide a challenge to Beavercreek.

Two options as scorers in Noah Davis and Isaac Phillips will keep the Beavers defense busy, and Zach King won’t give an easy night for Beavercreek’s Gabe Phillips.

The senior duo of Phillips and Adam Duvall have feasted against opponents outside of the GWOC.

The game will be in Centerville at 7:15 p.m.

The Xenia boys basketball team will open the Division I tournament against Fairmont in the Centerville sectional at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday.
https://www.fairborndailyherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2022/02/web1_CMYKDSC_0149.jpgThe Xenia boys basketball team will open the Division I tournament against Fairmont in the Centerville sectional at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday. Steven Wright | Greene County News
Six Greene County schools begin play Saturday

By Steven Wright

[email protected]

Contact Steven Wright at 937-502-4498 and follow on Twitter @Steven_Wright_.

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