Joining Tipp as GWOC divisional girls basketball champions are Trotwood Madison (17-5, 12-2) in the GWOC American South, Wayne (17-4, 12-0) in the GWOC National East and Springboro (17-5, 9-2) in the GWOC National West.
It’s the fourth straight divisional title for Springboro. The Panthers had a 39-game conference win streak snapped by Wayne on Jan. 18, falling 54-50. It’s also the second straight divisional title for Wayne, which is 22-0 in conference play over the last two seasons. Wayne also has mounted the greatest turnaround, going 42-6 the last two seasons. In the previous four seasons Wayne won a total of 32 combined games.
This also is the first season of the 20-team realigned GWOC following the addition of Tipp and Stebbins from the CBC. Crossover games within the same conference – American or National – also count in divisional play.
Most area girls teams have completed the regular season. The sectional tournament begins on Wednesday with top-seeded Alter and Bellbrook playing in Division II openers at Lebanon. The final Associated Press girls state polls will be released next week.
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• Josh Wooten has accepted the challenge to reboot Greenon’s football program. The former Fairmont and Centerville assistant has been named the Knights’ head coach. He’s a familiar presence in Enon, having been a teacher or student in the Greenon Local School District for 19 years.
Last season he was an associate head coach at Fayetteville-Perry. He also previously was Greenon’s defensive coordinator for three seasons.
Wooten succeeds Kevin Ferguson, who was 0-30 in three seasons. Greenon has won just two games since 2012 and takes a 31-game losing streak into its Ohio Heritage Conference season debut this fall after jumping from the CBC following the end of this school year.
That’s the second CBC football coaching change. Previously longtime Bellefontaine assistant Carleton Cotner was named the head coach at Urbana, succeeding Jon Daniels who resigned after two seasons.
• North Carolina High Point University sophomore guard Emma Bockrath (Alter, 2015) was the Big South women’s basketball player of the week for Feb. 6. She averaged 19.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in two games. Bockrath leads the Panthers (9-13) in scoring (12.6) and rebounding (6.1).
Bockrath’s cousin, Dayton redshirt senior Kelley Austria (Carroll, 2012), averages 12.0 points and leads the Flyers with 43 steals. UD (17-8) had an 11-game win streak snapped at George Washington on Sunday, 52-39.
Basketball isn’t the only thing the cousins have in common. Both also have overcome double ACL tears during their careers.
• The Northridge athletic hall of fame inducted three new members last Friday: Lisa Daniels-Gilbert (1977 graduate, field hockey, basketball and softball); Glen Horner (’71, basketball, cross country and track); and David Neely (’68, football, basketball and track).
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