Belmont, the only Division I team, is 8-7 overall and in first place at 5-2 with two losses to Dunbar. The Wolverines (9-5) have climbed to 4-3 in league play with two straight league wins. Ponitz (4-10, 4-3) has a win over Dunbar. Thurgood Marshall and Meadowdale are 3-4 and Stivers is 2-5.
Dunbar has had to adjust to the loss of last year’s top three scorers when the Wolverines shared the league title with Meadowdale, won 20 games and a Division II district title. This year they are led by senior guard Eric Brewer at 19.3 points a game. He is coming off a 33-point performance at Flyin’ To The Hoop.
Dunbar is currently the No. 9 seed in the Division II sectional RPI ratings. Alter (10-3) is the top-rated team. Dunbar lost to Alter 73-62 on Dec. 10 for its first loss.
“I really feel like we can surprise people,” Dixon said. “Yes, we’re way different than last year. We started out 4-0, hit a mental block, which I kind of expected that early on. I didn’t expect 4-0 right out of the gate, but I was happy with that. I think they will overlook us, and we’re just going to come and compete.”
Trotwood-Madison: Senior Timothy Carpenter had a big week in basketball and football, First, he scored his 1,000th point Saturday when he scored 29 in an 88-61 victory at home against Belmont.
Carpenter cemented his college path as a quarterback when he committed to Tulsa. Carpenter, a three-star prospect, originally committed to Indiana but dropped that commitment when head coach Tom Allen was fired.
Preble Shawnee boys: Senior guard Mason Shrout scored his 2,000th point on Jan. 12 in a 79-39 home victory over Bradford. Shrout, who signed to play at Division I Purdue-Fort Wayne in the Horizon League, is the first player in Preble County history to eclipse 2,000.
“I wasn’t really worried about 2,000 – I knew it would come,” Shrout said Monday at Flyin’ To The Hoop. “I’m very blessed that it happened.”
The Arrows (12-1, 6-0 Western Ohio Athletic Conference) lost their first game Monday, 66-48 to Lloyd Memorial of Erlanger, Kentucky. The Arrows shot 32% from the field and Shrout scored 22 points.
“We need to regroup and get back in the gym,” said Shrout, who is averaging 24.4 points a game. “We need to hit some more shots. We shot 30-something percent tonight. We need to get that back up to about 45 where we’ve been.”
Springboro girls: Junior guard Bryn Martin scored her 1,000th point on Jan. 10 in a 49-40 win over Fairmont. Martin scored 15 points and followed that effort with 29 in a 40-35 win over Niagra Prep of Canada to win MVP at the Classic In The City this past weekend at Pickerington Central.
Martin has college offers from Dayton, Ohio State, Iowa, Xavier, Butler, UCF, BYU, Washington, West Virginia, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Illinois and Harvard.
Wayne football: Defensive end Javon Hammonds changed his commitment from Marshall to Miami. Hammonds, a three-star prospect, is the Redhawks’ second-highest rated recruit in the class of 2024. Hammonds rates as the No. 31 overall player in Ohio in the 24/7 Sports composite ratings. Hammonds, 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, led Wayne with 83 tackles, 6.5 sacks and 25 tackles for loss.
Tippecanoe cross country: Head boys and girls coach Byron Kimmel was named the state cross country coach of the year by the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches. Tipp’s boys team placed 17th in the Division I state meet led by sophomore Landon Kimmel’s third-place finish.
About the Author