You can read more about that in David Jablonski’s Flyers newsletter this afternoon, so this morning we’re going to focus on the other things going on in the local sports sphere:
Can Alter, Fort Loramie do it again?
Credit: Marcus Hartman
Credit: Marcus Hartman
The boys basketball team surprisingly fell short in its bid to repeat as state champions, but Maddie Moody and the Knights are carrying the school’s basketball banner into the girls state championship game in Division IV this afternoon.
In a flip of the script, five-time state champion Alter heads to UD Arena as the scrappy underdog that has been finding ways to win while their opponent, Bellevue out of Northwest Ohio, is 26-1 and making a trip it not just hoped for but expected when the Lady Red started practice last fall.
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Be sure to check DaytonDailyNews.com, our app and social media channels to follow along with the action late this afternoon and into the evening. Tip is scheduled for 4:15.
Fort Loramie is set to take the court 25 hours later with hopes of claiming a second state title in a row. The Redskins have won it all four times and rely on the duo of Avery Brandewie and Victoria Mescher this season. Their Division VII-title tilt with Waterford (Southeast Ohio) will be a rematch of last year’s Division IV championship game Fort Loramie won 42-29.
Ohio State basketball probably played itself off the bubble
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Well, the men’s team anyway.
And not in the good direction.
A 77-70 loss to Iowa to open the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday night left Jake Diebler’s Buckeyes 17-15 on the season, most likely on the outside looking in yet again when the NCAA Tournament field is announced Sunday.
They lost five of their last seven after being mostly an afterthought most of the season, squandering a chance to remind people they exist before the football team gets back at it next week.
The Ohio State women’s team, led by Centerville grad Cotie McMahon, will be in the Big Dance and could host the first and second rounds.
A lack of size might put a lid on how far Kevin McGuff’s team can go this month, but he continues to construct quality basketball teams, and McMahon is fun to watch operate with the ball in her hands.
Who will be in the First Four?
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
At least one familiar face is a candidate.
The Red Flash will be a 16 seed, but will it be one of the bottom four who get sent to the First Four at UD Arena? We’ll find out Sunday.
NFL free agency is up and running
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Some teams have been more active than others, and there seems to be plenty of fan angst over the Bengals being in the less category.
They have a lot to do this spring if they want to get back to the playoffs, but so far seem to be stuck in neutral.
Then again, this is one of those things that can turn on a dime, despair turning to excitement when they drop a big signing such as Orlando Brown Jr. two years go.
They have re-signed Mike Gesicki, an oversized receiver who is listed as a tight end for some reason, and defensive lineman B.J. Hill while bringing back Samaje Perine.
Their biggest (figuratively and literally) acquisition so far is TJ Slaton, a true nose tackle most recently of the Packers.
While Gesicki is primarily a third-down and red zone weapon, Shelton is supposed to prevent teams from getting into situations where they can use those.
We know how Joe Burrow likes to utilize Gesicki, so the big intrigue lies in how new defensive coordinator Al Golden will try to rebuild the team’s porous run defense around the 6-foot-5, 330-pound Slaton.
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