1. Springfield (22-3) avoided a major upset by dodging inspired Xenia 73-72 in OT during last Friday’s Division I boys sectional final at Centerville. Nothing is easy at this point and it sure wasn’t for the top-seeded Wildcats. Greenon fans should remember veteran Xenia coach Kent Anderson. He was the boys freshman coach during the Knights’ heyday of coaches Steve Keller and Lyle Falknor in the 1980’s.
Springfield must wait until 9 p.m. Saturday to play Oak Hills (22-3) of the Great Miami Conference. That’s the last of Saturday’s four D-I district finals at UD Arena.
2. Urbana (D-II) and Southeastern (D-IV) also will play in boys district finals. Urbana (15-9) faces a monumental task in Trotwood-Madison at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. That’s one of three D-II district finals at UD Arena.
Southeastern (24-1) is paired against Cincinnati Christian (20-5), although the school is located in Fairfield. They’ll meet at 9:30 p.m. in the last of a Friday tripleheader at UD.
All the boys district final winners advance to next week’s regional semifinals.
3. Is there any chance Graham won’t win another D-II state wrestling championship? The Falcons are a sure thing to capture their 17th consecutive title. The event runs from Thursday through Saturday at Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center in Columbus. The only question is how quickly Graham will have clinched the title, on Friday.
Mechanicsburg senior Kaleb Romero (48-0; 170 pounds) also will be a heavy favorite to become a four-time state individual champion. There have been 28 others do that in Ohio history. Romero hasn’t lost since his sophomore season and is a combined 198-3 in his Indians career. No wonder Ohio State signed him.
4. Springfield High School has emerged as a major player in hosting girls basketball district and regional games. The girls D-II regional semifinals are Tuesday. No surprise in this field, which features Carroll (22-4) vs. Independence (19-6) at 6:15 p.m. and Alter (24-2) vs. Tippecanoe (23-3) at 8 p.m. Carroll, Alter and Tipp are regulars this deep into the playoffs. The winners return at 7:30 p.m. for Friday’s regional final.
5. Springfield High School also will host the girls D-III regional. Wednesday’s semifinals are Versailles (23-3) vs. Badin (19-7) at 6:15 p.m. and Cincinnati Summit Country Day (26-0) vs. Baltimore Liberty Union at 8 p.m. Those winners return for Saturday’s 1:30 p.m. regional final.
Badin knocked out the last remaining area girls team, beating West Liberty-Salem 48-39 in last Saturday’s D-III district final at Springfield. The Tigers finished 24-2. All regional champions advance to next week’s state final fours in Columbus.
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