That could probably be contested. What isn’t in doubt is Versailles basketball has ascended to a rarefied level. The Tigers girls (24-3) will play unbeaten Cincinnati Summit Country Day (27-0) in a D-III regional final at 1 p.m. Saturday at Springfield. The Tigers boys (25-1) earned a spot in Wednesday’s D-III regional semifinals against Cincinnati Roger Bacon at Fairmont’s Trent Arena.
Versailles’ boys win was one of three D-III district finals at UD on Thursday. Unbeaten Cincinnati Summit Country Day overwhelmed Brookville 72-50 in the opener and Cincinnati Roger Bacon did the same to Bethel in the nightcap, 75-30.
Both Versailles programs draw large and vocal supporting crowds, especially this deep into the postseason. That’s why UD Arena’s lower seating level was flooded with Tigers orange and black.
“It’s a tight-knit community to begin with,” Versailles coach Travis Swank said as the Tigers ascended a ladder to cut the championship net. “We’re just happy to put our best foot forward and represent Versailles in the right way. We’ve got a lot of good kids and a lot of good parents. I’m just happy that we can do this for the community.”
Heralded 6-foot-6 junior Justin Ahrens led the Tigers with 24 points, nine rebounds and four assists. On Wednesday he was named the Southwest District D-III player of the year and should be in line for the coveted Mr. Basketball. Those are just two outstanding reasons he’s verbally committed to Ohio State.
Wendel added 11 points and Connor Custenborder and Austin Knapke 10 apiece for Versailles. NCH’s Lorenzo Sparks super-charged a second-half rally with 31 points and nine rebounds.
“We kind of lost our focus for a little bit but we brought it back and were able to hold on,” Wendel said. “That’s all that matters.”
Cin. Summit Country Day 72, Brookville 50: Unbeaten SCD overcame a broken down bus to put a stop to Brookville's breakout season. Last season Brookville was stuck in last place in the Southwestern Buckeye League Southwestern Division. But this season the Blue Devils were the last SWBL team remaining in the postseason.
“This senior group is special and they’ve paved the way to put us back on the map,” Brookville coach Jeff Davidson said. “More important at this stage is we’ve got fifth-grade managers and junior high kids coming and watching us. I couldn’t be more pleased in the way our community followed us.”
Cody Cox led Brookville with 13 points and Dalton Stewart added 10. Both were key seniors in a 21-4 season. SCD (25-0) was led by Tyrice Walker’s 19 points and 10 rebounds. SCD coaches and players lit up Twitter with requests for fans to pick their players up near the Monroe exit on Interstate 75. The start of the game was delayed 30 minutes because of SCD’s late – and staggered – arrival.
Brookville drew a large and vocal crowd that warmly saluted the Blue Devils afterward.
“I’m privileged to look across the gym and see so much support from the student body, and it hasn’t always been that way,” said Davidson, in his 11th season guiding the program. “It’s been a lot of fun.”
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