Sidney Daily News 2017 Basketball Preview. Point guard county. Inside: Preview articles Schedules

Friday, December 1, 2017 1 2017 Preview Point guard county Inside: Preview articles s

2 Thursday, November 30, 2017 Point guards lead Shelby County, area teams Coaches say point guards play variety of roles, do more than pass SIDNEY Sidney coach John Willoughby is an expert on point guards. Aside from 32 years as a head coach, he played as a point guard at Miami (Ohio) in the early 1980 s. He knew when he accepted the coaching job at Sidney early in 2016 that he d be coaching one of the best point guards to ever play on a court in Shelby County. Sidney junior Andre Gordon is one of dozens of area point guards who will play lead roles for their teams this winter. Though the roles may change from team to team and system to system, Willoughby said point guards are one of the most important parts of a team s offense. The point guard s got to be the leader of the team, Willoughby said. He s got to know every position, where everybody s supposed to be. He has to control the pace of the game, understand the game and have to be a willing passer. And when it comes to Gordon, Willoughby said he knows he has just what he s looking for. Andre is all those, Willoughby said. People don t think he s a point guard, but he s a point POINT GUARD SPOTLIGHT Three Shelby County point guards are spotlighted in this issue with there team previews: Sidney s Andre Gordon, Anna s Riley Huelskamp and Fort Loramie s Hattie Meyer. guard. He just has the ball in his hands a lot for us because we need him to have it a lot. Gordon was the definition of a do-it-all player for the Yellow Jackets last Gordon averaged a team-high 20.3 points, 5.6 assists and 2.4 steals per game and was fourth on the team with an average of 4.8 rebounds. He holds scholarship offers from Wright State, Akron, Toledo and Cleveland State for basketball and also has offers from Iowa State and Toledo for football. Gordon plays quarterback for the Yellow Jackets football team and said he hears the cliche about point guards being the quarterbacks of basketball teams often. It is similar, Gordon said. Being a leader for one, just keeping everything in hold and being accountable for a lot of things, including people who don t play as much. The role Gordon plays for Sidney is different than what he plays in the spring and summer for AAU teams. When surrounded by other college prospects, his role is more of that of a traditional point guard. That s more being a fundamental, sound basketball player, Gordon said of playing AAU. Get the shooters and the scorers the ball. I score the ball, still, obviously, but for (Sidney) I ve got to shoot the ball a little bit more. Willoughby said there s a reason he s asked to shoot more for Sidney. You can t have a player of his caliber and not have him get involved on offense, Willoughby said. And when he s shooting well it opens up things for other players, and he knows that. He s a willing passer and can see when someone else is open. Anna coach Nathan Barhorst said point guards also have to be the most knowledgeable players on the court. They ve got to be an extension of the coach, a guy that you can rely upon that s going to keep the team together, Barhorst said. It s a guy that s going to be the glue of the team and a guy that s going to push the tempo Bryant Billing Sidney junior guard Andre Gordon dribbles during a scrimmage on Nov. 16 at Sidney High School. Gordon, a three-year starter, has offers from four Ohio universities. Bryant Billing Anna sophomore Riley Huelskamp dribbles during a scrimmage at Sidney on Nov. 16. Huelskamp looks to start at point guard for Anna this Point guards, it really does start with them. Anna will have a new point guard this Sophomore Riley Huelskamp is expected to start at the position, and sophomore Bart Bixler should play point guard off the bench as well as other guard positions. While not every point guard possesses the shooting ability of Gordon, Barhorst said it s essential to have some scoring ability. They don t have to be the main scorer, but every so often they ve got to be a threat, Barhorst said. They ve got to be willing to hit the open shot if it s there or drive and finish. If they re not going to, defenses aren t going to be playing you honestly. As far as playing good defense, Willoughby said it s an expectation of a point guard. If (your point guard) can t defend well, you re probably not in a good situation, Willoughby said. 4818, or follow @SidneyOHSports ScoresBroadcast.com tips off hoops cover on Dec. 1 and 2 Webcasts open with SCAL games: Jackson Center vs. Russia girls and Anna vs. Fort Loramie boys What a way to get the ball rolling. The first webcast of girls basketball to help launch ScoresBroadcast. com s 12th year features two Shelby County schools coming off superb campaigns in 2016-17. On Saturday, Dec. 2, at 2:10 p.m., Jackson Center 23-5 and a state semifinalist the last two seasons battles Russia in a Shelby County Athletic League game. The Raiders were 21-6 and district champs a year ago. Announcers Jack Kramer and Chuck McBee will call the action online. Anna and Fort Loramie s boys, two SCAL favorites this year, open SCORES online webcasts on Friday, Dec. 1, at 7:40 p.m. In a big non-league girls clash, Minster hosts Fort Loramie on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at 7:10 p.m. Minster was the outright hoops Courtesy photo Olivia Clark, who returns for the Jackson Center girls this season, leads the celebration following the Tigers regional championship win over Fort Loramie in March of 2016. The scene repeated itself last March when the Tigers edged Minster. Jackson Center meets Russia on Dec. 2 and Minster meets Fort Loramie on Dec. 5 in SCORES first webcasts of girls contests this champion in the Midwest Athletic Conference last year for the 15th time. SCORES is the Shelby County Online Radio Entertainment System. It covers high school sports spanning Sidney, Lehman Catholic, and schools in the SCAL and MAC. It s your radio on the phone in west central Ohio, said Todd Van- Tasel, CEO and VP for Technology at Christian Netcast in Virginia, which performs the hosting and serving for the area s high school Internet sports coverage. Some 300 to 400 IP addresses join ScoresBroadcast every Shelby County Athletic League records fell last season From Nathan Lessing to Cassie Meyer, many team and SCAL records were set last season Last season was another record breaking season for Shelby County Athletic League basketball! In my 67 years following basketball top 25 all-time list of career scorers. Another player, Brady Wildermuth from Jackson Center, also came on the scene four years ago. He became the all-time leading scorer in Jackson Center s history and years, disclosed a secret about those teams. Meyer set a school record by making 25 consecutive free throws against Tri-Village in a regional semifinal tournament game at Vandalia s Student Activities Center. She entered the game with 13 straight, and then hit 14-of-16 free throws, most in the fourth quarter. But in Shelby played in 105 varsity the scorekeeper ran out Bob Wise County games, one short of his of space to record the Contributing from brother Gavin. Brady attempts in the quarter columnist Junior and Nathan faced each box. High to writing a record book in 1995, I ve seen many of those records broken. One record I thought would never be broken was most career points that Fort Loramie s Tom Brandewie set in 1989 with 1,834. Enter a smooth shooting, 6-foot-3 freshman from Fairlawn four years ago named Nathan Lessing. Lessing not only broke Brandewie s record but reached the 2,000 point plateau. His career total reached 2,223 points, which was good enough to make other a record 12 times during their careers (two league games plus tournament every year during their four-year careers). Another first in girls basketball occurred last year when Jeff Reese guided his Jackson Center girls team to Columbus. Fellow Jackson Center graduate Scott Doseck coached the girls to Columbus in 2016 then retired. This is an unusual situation where two different coaches guided a basketball team to the state Final Four in consecutive seasons. Cassie Meyer, who ScoresBroadcast.com archives came to the rescue. By playing back Jack Kramer s play-by-play, I determined she made the first 12 free throws, setting the new record. After the game Jack asked her about the excellent free-throw shooting of her teammates, she stated we have a secret formula which I can t divulge. It is working because four girls hit 70 to 72 percent for the season and another hit 69 percent. What is the secret? Could it be a Kangaroo Court type thing? the Ohio High School played under both See hoops 12 Athletic s Assocation s coaches the last two See records 13 game with big spikes in listenership for football playoff and basketball tourney contests. Given Jackson Center s recent outstanding success on the court and, as a result, SCORES regular coverage of the Tigers, the Habitat of the Cat is a good place for the first Saturday of webcast coverage, Kramer alluded. Jackson Center s boys and girls were featured in 46 SCORES basketball webcasts the last two seasons, including the girls two state semifinal games. 2606 Broadway St., Sidney, OH HOURS: Mon. thru Fri. 8am-5:30pm 937-492-5975 contactus@helmanbrothersbodyshop.com HAVE AN ACCIDENT? Just tell the insurance company, I m taking it to Helman Brothers. Remember: It s YOUR vehicle and always YOUR choice for repairs! OH-70015552

Thursday, November 30, 2017 3 Sidney boys hoping for another league title Yellow Jackets return four starters off of last season s 18-6 team SIDNEY Sidney looked like one of the state s best Division I teams at times last year but at other times looked like any other good-butnot-great Greater Western Ohio Conference team. At no time was that more apparent than a four-day stretch late last January. The Yellow Jackets beat Trotwood- Madison, which went on to advance to the state semifinals in Division II, by two points on Jan. 27. Four days later, Sidney lost by 11 points at GWOC American North rival Tippecanoe, which finished 11-13 and lost in the second round of the Div. II sectionals. It was just different styles of play, Sidney coach John Willoughby said. We struggled with some of that, so we ve got to get better at that. Consistency especially on defense and in rebounding is what the Yellow Jackets are striving for this year. The number 32 is prominent on the back of the team s warmup t-shirts to signify the amount of time in a game. We want a full 32 minutes, Willoughby said. We have to play hard and well through an entire game and not go on so many spurts where we let up. With as much as Sidney returns, Willoughby doesn t see why the team can t be more consistent and improve on last season s 18-6 record. The Yellow Jackets return four starters: junior guard Andre Gordon, senior forward Devan Rogers, junior forward Ratez Roberts and junior guard Josiah Hudgins. Gordon led the team in points (20.3), assists (5.6) and steals (2.4) per game last year in POINT GUARD SPOTLIGHT Andre Gordon, Sidney, junior Gordon is one of the top guard prospects in the state. He has offers from four Ohio universities and is drawing interest from other schools, such as Xavier. What makes Gordon so special? He can do everything, Sidney coach John Willoughby said. He can shoot the ball really well, he gets by anybody he wants to get by, he can jump, he s a great passer, and he s a willing passer, which is really neat. He s a five-skill player. addition to averaging 4.8 rebounds. Willoughby said he expects Gordon will be able to play at shooting guard at times this season due to a couple of newcomers who can play point guard. Gordon, who has four scholarship offers for basketball in addition to two for football, said he s improved his jump shot since the end of last I m just going to try to do better than I did last year, Gordon said. I ve improved on my shot and want to keep improving my IQ and be sound and fundamental. Roberts averaged 11.4 points per game and was second with an average of 6.5 rebounds. Rogers led the team with 7.3 rebounds per game and scored an average of 7.9 points, while Hudgins averaged 4.5 points. Josiah is a great defender, Willoughby said. He came on great shooting the ball at the end of the year last year. We ll need him to shoot the ball well this year. Sidney averaged 63.7 points per game last year, and Willoughby said he believes the team will score even more this I believe we ll be a better shooting perimeter team, and that should help us quite a bit, Willoughby said. We ve got some guys who can knock down open jumpers, and since there s so much concentration on Andre, there s a lot of players left open, and I hope we do a better job shooting wise. Sidney shot 27.6 percent from three-point range last year. Improved long-distance shooting could help the Yellow Jackets against the zone defenses and box-and-one schemes they frequently faced last year. A lot of teams slowed it down against us because they didn t want to give us that many possession opportunities with Andre and stuff, Willoughby said. We try to get the break early and if not, we try to set a lot of screens for Andre. There s a lot of opportunities for a lot of kids to score against that, so we re hoping for a better job at that. The lone starter from last season Sidney will be without is guard Isaiah Bowser, who is graduating early and enrolling at Northwestern for spring semester to start his collegiate football career. Willoughby said Bowser will be missed for his defense as much as he will be his 10.5 points per game. Willoughby said he s counting on newcomer Darren Taborn to help fill that gap on the defensive end. Taborn, a sophomore, moves up to varsity after starting on J.V. last year. Darren Taborn is a point guard, and he s one of the kids we re hoping will help handle the ball 12/5 at Xenia 12/8 at Tippecanoe 12/9 at Wapakoneta 12/12 Troy 12/15 at Piqua 12/19 Butler 12/22 at Greenville 12/29 at Urbana 12/30 Bellefontaine 1/5 West Carrollton 1/14 vs. Versailles at Trent Arena 1/16 Centerville 1/19 Fairborn 1/20 at Lehman Catholic 1/23 Stebbins 1/26 at Trotwood- Madison 1/30 Tippecanoe 2/2 at Troy 2/3 St. Mary s Memorial 2/9 Piqua 2/13 at Butler 2/16 Greenville handling responsibilities with Andre, Willoughby said. He ll be a really good defender. He ll take that role from Isaiah, who was our top defender last year. Willoughby said Roberts will be counted on for more rebounds this year in Bowser s absence. Bowser averaged 4.7 rebounds per game. I was trying to make him into more a wing player but we didn t get around to that, so he ll play the same role he did last year, Willoughby said of Roberts. Without Isaiah because of football stuff, he s going to have to have bigger numbers rebounding wise than he did last year. Even though he was our leading rebounder last year, he s going to have to improve. Junior guard Ryan Heins is expected to have increased playing time off the bench this Heins averaged two points per game last year. Willoughby said junior guard Keith Lee should also contribute. Gordon said the team s Sidney s Ratez Roberts shoots with pressure from an Urbana defender during a game last season at Sidney. Roberts averaged 11.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last year. Yellow Jackets at a Glance Coach: John Willoughby Years, career record: 32 Division: I Last Year: 18-6, 12-2 GWOC American North Returning Starters: Devan Rogers (6-2 Sr. F), Andre Gordon (6-2 Jr. G), Ratez Roberts (6-3 Jr. F), Josiah Hudgins (6-0 Jr. G). Other Key Returnees: Ryan Heins (6-0 Sr. G). Promising Newcomers: Keith Lee (5-11 Jr. G), Darren Taborn (6-0 So. G). goals are to repeat as GWOC North champions and advance to the districts, which hasn t happened since 1999. We ve proven that we can hang with the top people in the state, so I feel like if we can come out and play every game like it s our last, we ll do our thing, Gordon said. Aside from the GWOC North slate, the Yellow Jackets have tough crossover games against the likes of Trotwood and Centerville. Sidney opens the season on Dec. 5 at Xenia, which finished 17-8 last year and has one of the best guards in the state in Samari Curtis. Sidney s biggest nonconference game will come on Jan. 14 in the Flyin to the Hoop Invitational at Trent Arena in Kettering. The Yellow Jackets, which are in the invitational for the second consecutive year, will face Versailles. Gordon said he s looking forward to a matchup against Versailles Justin Ahrens, who has signed with Ohio State. That s going to be nice, especially playing against Justin, Gordon said. He s a pretty good dude. We text like we re friends, but when we re on the court, we re not friends and we compete. It s going to be fun. Sidney girls will begin new era without Taborn, Mummey Yellow Jackets lost alltime leading scorer, six-year head coach SIDNEY Sidney loses three starters and a couple of other key players off of last season s team and will have a new identity. After years of 6-foot-2 Celena Taborn being Sidney s go-to scoring option, the Yellow Jackets don t have a player over 5-9. With Taborn playing collegiality at Furman, Sidney will have a new look under firstyear coach Lauren Stefancin, who replaces Megan Mummey. The Yellow Jackets will try to utilize their speed and multiple options at guard to score. Yellow Jackets at a Glance Coach: Lauren Stefancin Years, career record: 1 Division: I Last Year: 14-9, 11-4 GWOC American North Returning Starters: Alina Kindle (5-4 Jr. G), Carrie Nuss (5-5 Sr. G). Other Key Returnees: Kyana Johnson (5-6 Jr. P), Carly Dean (5-5 So. G), Emma Wiford (5-8 Jr. P). Promising Newcomers: MaKayla Hurey (Fr. P), Samantha Reynolds (Fr. P). We are a young team this year, so we have a good opportunity to keep getting better and working on the fundamentals, Stefancin said. I have a great group of hard-working girls who are not afraid to try new things. Sidney has two starters back in junior guard Alina Kindle and senior guard Carrie Nuss. Kindle averaged 6.7 points per game last year, while Nuss averaged 5.5. Both averaged 2.1 assists per game. Junior post Kyana Johnson, sophomore guard Carly Dean and junior post Emma Wiford after seeing time off the bench last Stefancin, who graduated from Menton in 2013 and Capital University earlier this year, said freshman post players MaKayla Hurey and Samantha Reynolds could contribute on varsity this Leadership is going to be key in order to work successfully as a team, Stefancin said. Sidney s Alina Kindle drives by a Tecumseh defender during a game last Kindle is Sidney s leading returning scorer. She averaged 6.7 points and 2.1 assists per game last It is going be a great year, and I am excited to see how far we go. Stefancin said the team hopes to at least have a.500 record. Aside from Sidney s Greater Western Ohio Conference American North Division slate, tough nonconference games loom against Tecumseh and Fort Loramie. Among 11/24 at Russia 11/25 at Lehman Catholic 11/30 Centerville 12/6 Tippecanoe 12/9 at Troy 12/15 at Piqua High School 12/16 at Butler 12/20 Greenville 12/21 at St. Mary s Memorial 12/28 at Tecumseh 1/3 at West Carrollton 1/6 Xenia 1/8 Bellefontaine 1/17 at Fairborn 1/20 at Stebbins 1/24 Trotwood-Madison 1/27 at Tippecanoe 1/31 Troy 2/3 Piqua 2/6 Fort Loramie 2/7 Butler 2/10 at Greenville strong GWOC crossover opponents are Trotwood and Stebbins. C ontact Bryant Billing at (937) 538-4818, or follow @SidneyOHSports

4 Friday, December 1, 2017 Lehman boys hope experience leads to improvement Cavaliers return two starters and a have a host of promising newcomers By Rob Kiser rkiser@aimmediamidwest.com SIDNEY Tim Gleason returns as Lehman Catholic s boys basketball coach and is excited about the group he has, although the Cavaliers will again be getting a late start due to the football playoffs. We have great depth this year and have high expectations for the upcoming season, Gleason said. Lehman has not won a league championship in 35 years. The last time was in 1982 (when Lehman was undefeated and ranked first in the state, before being upset in the district finals). Lehman Catholic has a rich tradition of basketball success that many of today s kids don t know about. The Cavaliers are coming off a 10-13 season Gleason has high expectations for seniors and returning starters Kameron Lee and Preston Rodgers, who are both coming off injuries. Lee, a 6-foot-3 forward who can jump out of the gym, averaged a near double-double last year with 16.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per game with 2.3 steals per game. Rodgers, a 5-11 guard, averaged 7.3 points a year ago. Kam (Lee) suffered a dislocated shoulder in his last football game and hopefully, he will be ready to go against Jackson Center, Gleason said. Preston Rodgers had offseason surgery and looks healthy and ready to go. Both Kam and Preston have been starting or playing major roles since they were sophomores. I believe they are both going to have excellent seasons. Elliott Gilardi, a 5-11 junior guard, was a starter at times last Elliott (who is the quarterback in football) is a little banged up right now, Gleason said. I don t think it is anything long term and look for him to start practicing soon. Gleason sees a lot of potential in 5-6 junior guard John Cianciolo and 5-10 sophomore Brendan O Leary. They have tremendous shooting skills, Gleason said. Both of those guys have played for me previously and understand my expectations. Both are very skilled basketball players. Two more players with varsity experience are Logan Richard and Bryce Kennedy. Richard is a 5-11 senior and Kennedy is a 6-1 junior. They are returning varsity players who bring extremely high basketball IQ s, along with differing skills to the team, Gleason said. Bryce (Kennedy) is a tremendous shooter and rebounder, while Logan (Richard) is an excellent passer and always seems to be in the right place. Battling for the starting center position are 6-1 senior Ryan Schmidt and 6-3 junior Conor O Leary. Ryan (Schmidt) was the equivalent of an MVP for the JV last year, Gleason said. He has worked very hard in the off- He is bigger, stronger and has worked on his offensive skills in the off- Conor (O Leary) missed all of last season with a foot injury and is completely healthy. He would have played substantial minutes last year if he was healthy. Conor is a very skilled offensive and defensive player. Rounding out the roster are 6-0 junior Michael Denning, 6-2 junior Alex Gleason and 5-10 junior Titan Corner. All three of these guys have played many years for me and have a great understanding of the game and my expectations. They all play great defense. Offensively, Michael (Denning) has solid shooting range and ball handling skills. Alex (Gleason) is solid out to 12-15 feet and an excellent passer. Titan (Corner) has really improved his game and is very tough defensively. The Cavaliers will run a motion offense and play a lot of matchup zone and 12/1 Jackson Center 12/2 Newton 12/15 at Marion Elgin 12/16 at Lima Central Catholic 12/20 at Minster 12/22 Waynesfield- Goshen 12/28 at Buckeye Insurance Group Classic, Piqua 12/29 at Buckeye Insurance Group Classic, Piqua 1/5 Riverside 1/6 at Parkway 1/12 at Upper Scioto Valley 1/13 Mississinawa Valley 1/19 Hardin Northern 1/20 Sidney 1/23 at Houston 1/26 at Ridgemont 2/2 at Anna 2/3 Bradford 2/9 Lima Perry 2/10 Miami East 2/16 at Lima Temple Christian 2/17 at Fairlawn man defense. Gleason likes the out of conference schedule, highlighted by the Sidney game. We really enjoy the game with Sidney because it brings out so much excitement, he said. I fully expect the game will sell out again because the students and fans love the rivalry. Hopefully, tough games like this will prepare us for the tournament. They also get on the sectional tournament floor ahead of time twice, when they play in the B.I.G. (Buckeye Insurance Lehman s Kameron Lee, left, grabs a rebound during a game last Lee averaged 16.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per game for the Cavaliers last Cavaliers at a Glance Coach: Tim Gleason Years, career record: 3, 14-30 Last Year: 10-13, 4-3 NWCC Returning Starters: Kameron Lee (6-3 Sr. F), Preston Rodgers (5-11 Sr. G). Other Key Returnees: Elliott Gilardi (5-11 Jr. G), Bryce Kennedy (6-1 Jr. F), Logan Richard (5-11 Sr. F).. Promising Newcomers: Conor O Leary (6-3 Jr. C), Ryan Schmidt (6-2 Sr. C), John Cianciolo (5-6 Jr G), Alex Gleason (6-2 Jr. F), Michael Denning (6-1 Jr. F), Brendan O Leary (5-9 So. G). Group) Classic at Piqua s Garbry Gymnasium. Lehman will open with Piqua in the tournament, with Troy Christian and Covington also competing in the tournament. But, the focus is on the NWCC. We have a lot of goals, Gleason said. But, our number one goal is to win a league championship. Rob Kiser is the sports editor of the Piqua Daily Call. Kiser can be reached at (937) 451-3334. Lehman girls hope to utilize speed, athleticism Though the Cavaliers lack height, coach Craig Hall says the team is quick and athletic By Rob Kiser rkiser@aimmediamidwest.com SIDNEY Though Lehman s girls basketball team finished 9-12 overall and 3-3 in the Northwest Central Conference last season, sixth-year coach Craig Hall said he s really excited for the upcoming I can t wait to see what we can do, Hall said. For good reason. Lehman returns four starters from last year s squad, and Hall says the fast, athletic group should be able to improve on last season s record. Alanna O Leary, a 5-foot-8 senior guard, averaged 8.3 points and 2.2 assists last year, while 6-0 junior forward Carly Edwards averaged 6.2 rebounds. Grace Monnin, a 5-8 junior guard, averaged 2.7 steals. Brogan McIver, a 5-7 senior, is another solid returner to the starting lineup. I feel really good about this group, Hall said. We have a lot of experience. Adding to the returning starters is 5-7 senior forward Maddy McFaland, who missed last season with a knee injury. It is great to have her back, Hall said. She has really good ball skills. The talent doesn t end there either. Other key players included 6-foot junior forward Emily Fogt, 5-8 sophomore guard Rylie McIver and 5-7 sophomore guard Lauren McFarland. Rounding out the roster are junior Allison Bornhorst and sophomores Hope Anthony and Heidi Schutt. We have great depth, Hall said. I think at any time, any of the 11 girls could play. Hall said there are two key differences with this group from a year ago. We can score, he said. In the past, nobody wanted to take the shot. A lot of teams played zone, because we wouldn t take the shot from the perimeter. This year, they are not afraid to take the shot. Last year, the goal was to hold teams to 40, but a lot of times, we didn t get to 40. That is is not going to happen this year. I think we are better, just because we are more experienced. We have raised the bar for these girls this year. With not a lot of size, the Cavaliers are going to look to take advantage of their athletic ability. For sure, Hall said. We are going to have to play that way. We don t have much size. We are going to look to push the ball and take advantage of our quickness and athletic ability. This team is very athletic. 11/25 Sidney High School 11/28 Legacy Christian Academy 11/30 Catholic Central 12/14 Marion Elgin 12/18 at Fairlawn 12/21 at Waynesfield-Goshen 12/28 Houston 1/6 New Knoxville 1/11 Upper Scioto Valley 1/18 at Hardin Northern 1/25 Ridgemont Jr./Sr. High School 1/30 at Troy Christian 2/1 at Anna 2/3 Arcanum 2/6 Bradford 2/8 at Lima Perry 2/10 Indian Lake Hall knows the non-conference schedule will test his team. We play Sidney right out of the gate, he said. So, right off, we are playing against a Division I school. Hall hopes to be right in there in the NWCC. It will be interesting, he said. Marion Elgin is new to the conference. They are a D-III school and that is going to be a challenge. Ridgemont has completely flipped their program. That used to be a win, but not anymore. Waynesfield- Goshen is always strong. And Hall can t wait to get started and see where his team fits in that picture. Rob Kiser is the sports editor of the Piqua Daily Call. He can be reached at (937) 451-3334. Cavaliers at a Glance Coach: Craig Hall Years, career record: 6 Last Year: 9-12, 4-3 NWCC Returning Starters: Brogan McIver (5-7 Sr. G), Alanna O Leary (5-8 Sr. G), Carly Edwards (6-0 Jr. F), Grace Monnin (5-8 Jr. G/F). Promising Newcomers: Lauren McFarland (5-8 So. G), Maddy McFarland (5-9 Sr. F), Rylie McIver (5-7 So. G), Emily Fogt (6-0 Jr. F). Lehman s Alanna O Leary passes the ball under pressure from Bradford defenders during a nonconference game last O Leary is one of four returning starters for the Cavaliers and led the team with an average of 8.3 points per game last

Friday, December 1, 2017 5 Fort Loramie boys seek league title, tourney run Redskins return four starters and three other letterwinners from last season s district championship squad FORT LORAMIE After losing a district final game in overtime in 2015, Fort Loramie blasted Lockland last March to capture a Division IV district crown. The Redskins lost to Lima Perry by two points in a regional semifinal and finished 21-6 overall. With four returning starters back from last year s team and plenty of depth, the Redskins are looking for another successful regular season and deep tournament run. We are cautiously optimistic about our chance to be a very competitive basketball team this season, seventh-year coach Corey Britton said. As Redskins at a Glance Coach: Corey Britton Years, career record: 7, 64-59 Last Year: 21-6, 8-4 SCAL Returning Starters: Evan Berning (6-1 G), Dillon Braun (6-1 G), Tyler Siegel (6-7 F), Austin Siegel (6-2 F). Other Key Returnees: Nick Brandewie (6-0 So. G), Eli Rosengarten (5-10 Jr. G), Nathan Raterman (6-3 Jr. G). Promising Newcomers: Cody Barhorst (5-11 Sr. G/F), Mitchell Berning (6-3 Jr. F), Mark Seger (6-2 So. G), Carter Mescher (5-10 Jr. G), Mason Kemper (6-2 Jr. F). always, expectations are very high and we are going to embrace those expectations by having a great work ethic in practice. Evan Berning, Dillon Braun, Tyler Siegel and Austin Siegel are back after starting last Braun, a senior guard, averaged 14.6 points and 1.3 steals per game last Tyler Siegel, a 6-7 senior forward, averaged 10.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Berning, a senior point guard, averaged 9.3 points and 4.1 assists per game. Those three have been three-year starters for See Loramie 9 12/1 at Anna 12/2 New Knoxville 12/8 Botkins 12/12 Franklin Monroe 12/15 at Fairlawn 12/16 New Bremen 12/22 Houston 12/23 at St. Henry 12/29 at Jackson Center 12/30 at Bethel 1/5 Russia 1/9 at Versailles 1/12 Anna 1/15 vs. Thurgood Marshall at Trent Arena 1/19 at Botkins 1/20 Minster 1/26 Fairlawn 1/27 at Fort Recovery 2/2 at Houston 2/3 Marion Local 2/9 Jackson Center 2/16 at Russia Bryant Billing Fort Loramie forward Tyler Siegel shoots during a district final game against Lockland last March. Siegel, who averaged nearly 11 points per game last year, is one of four returning starters for the Redskins. Fort Loramie girls healthy, want improvement Injuries hurt the Redskins early last season, but they still finished 16-9 FORT LORAMIE Two injuries hurt Fort Loramie s prospects early last And though the injuries hurt the team s depth, the Redskins still finished 16-9 overall and 8-4 in the Shelby County Athletic League. Now with a healthy roster, veteran coach Carla Siegel is looking forward to seeing how Fort Loramie can play. We have a very young lineup, but they area also extremely talented, Siegel said. I am sure we will experience some growing pains in the beginning of the season, but we hope to hit or stride come January. Our expectations are to be competitive in each game we play and to work hard each time we re on the floor. Three starters return for the Redskins in senior point guard Hattie Meyer, sophomore guard Taylor Ratermann and senior forward Abby Holthaus. Raterman averaged 7.1 points and 2.5 assists per game last season, while Holthaus averaged 5.3 rebounds. Meyer averaged two assists and 2.2 steals per game. Sophomore forward Marissa Meiring started the first six games last season but tore an ACL and missed the rest of the She averaged 11.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.5 steals before her injury. She is the only freshmen in my career to have started the first game of the season, Siegel said of Meiring. Her stats are Redskins at a Glance Coach: Carla Siegel Years, career record: 19, 363-109 Last Year: 16-9, 8-4 SCAL Returning Starters: Hattie Meyer (5-3 Sr. PG), Taylor Ratermann (5-3 So. G), Abby Holthaus (5-10 Sr. F). Other Key Returnees: Marissa Meiring (5-8 So. F), Kennedy Gephart (5-4 So. G). Promising Newcomers: Heather Eilerman (5-6 Sr. G), Grave Ruhenkamp (5-4 Sr. G), Kenzie Hoelscher (5-11 Fr. F), Macy Imwalle (5-6 So. G), Alyssa Wrasman (5-9 So. F). POINT GUARD SPOTLIGHT Hattie Meyer, Fort Loramie, senior Coach Carla Siegel said she has heard the saying You want your best players to be your hardest workers, many times over the years. Siegel said Meyer, who was second on the team with 48 assists last year, exemplifies just that. Hattie may not be one of my most talented players, but she is one of the hardest workers I have on this team, Siegel said. And with her being our point guard and leader, that is a great mix for us. The younger girls see what she exhibits and try to emulate it. I have always said that the success of your season is based on the leadership of your seniors (or sometimes captains), and with Hattie steering our ship, I feel like we are in good hands. unbelievable, but she s still reacclimating. She did not play at all this summer because of rehabbing her knee. Holthaus missed half the season due to a meniscus tear, and Siegel said she s also working to reacclimate. Sophomore guard Kennedy Gephart is another key returnee for the Redskins. Siegel said she expects senior guards Heather Eilerman and Grace Ruhenkamp to contribute to varsity this Key newcomers include freshman forward Kenzie Hoelscher, sophomore guard Macy Imwalle and sophomore forward Alyssa Wrasman. Aside from SCAL play, the Redskins have tough nonconference games against Tippecanoe and Versailles among others. 11/25 West Liberty- Salem 11/28 at Anna 12/2 Botkins 12/5 at Minster 12/9 at Fairlawn 12/11 Tippecanoe 12/19 at New Bremen 12/21 Houston 12/23 at Versailles 12/28 at New Knoxville 12/30 at St. Henry 1/4 at Jackson Center 1/6 Russia 1/11 Anna 1/18 at Botkins 1/20 Fairlawn 1/27 Miami East 2/1 at Houston 2/3 Jackson Center 2/6 at Sidney 2/8 at Russia 2/13 Marion Local Fort Loramie s Abby Holthaus shoots during a game at Jackson Center last Holthaus averaged 6.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last Russia boys hope new offense equals same success Raiders have won the SCAL title the last four seasons RUSSIA The Shelby County Athletic League title has run through Russia with regularity. The Raiders, which have won the SCAL title the last two years under coach Spencer Cordonnier, will try to stay in the league race after losing three starters off of last year s squad 18-6 squad. Several new players won t be the only thing that looks different for Russia on the court this Cordonnier, who returns for his third season at the helm of the boys program, has installed a new motion offense. Everyone is working very hard and trying to learn a new offense, Cordonnier said. It s going to take some time to adjust to. We feel this will put a very competitive lineup out on the floor. We will just have to find the right combinations to go with. Russia returns two starters in Jack Dapore and Daniel Kearns. Dapore, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, averaged 10 points per game last year in addition to two assists and two steals a game. Kearns, a 6-5 junior power forward, led the team with six rebounds per game. We are going to be looking for a lot of leadership from Jack to lead this inexperienced group, Cordonnier said. We will look to Jack as well as Daniel on the offensive end of the floor with their experience. We want balanced scoring across the board and will have to find some other guys that can score. We will get there, but it s just going to take some time. Hunter Cohee, a 6-4 senior center, returns this season after coming off the bench last year. Seniors Dion Puthoff (6-0 guard) and Carter Stueve (6-3 senior center) are also program returnees after playing junior varsity last Raiders at a Glance See russia 9 Coach: Spencer Cordonnier Years, career record: 3, 39-10 Last Year: 18-6, 11-1 SCAL Returning Starters: Jack Dapore (6-3 Sr. G), Daniel Kearns (6-5 Jr. F). Other Key Returnees: Hunter Cohee (6-4 Sr. C), Dian Putoff (6-0 Sr. G), Carter Stueve (6-3 Sr. C). Promising Newcomers: Evan Monnier (5-9 Jr. PG), Jordan York (6-2 Jr. G), Carter Francis (6-1 Jr. G), Mason Dapore (5-10 So. G).

6 Friday, December 1, 2017 Russia girls looking to compete for SCAL title Houston boys young, hoping for better showing Wildcats have only two seniors and third coach in three years Russia s Laurissa Poling shoots during a tournament game at Sidney last February. Poling averaged 10.5 points and eight rebounds per game last Raiders lose SCAL player of the year but return three starters RUSSIA Russia s girls basketball team won a Division IV district title last season and lost in a regional semifinal against Minster. The Raiders will try for a longer tournament run this season with several key returning players. We hope to continue to get better throughout the year so we are playing our best late in the season and into the tournament, third-year coach Andy Timmerman said. Though the Raiders are without guard Maria Herron, who was named the Shelby County Athletic League player of the year last year, they return three starters. Laurissa Poling headlines the group of returning starters. Poling, a 6-0 junior forward, averaged 10.5 points, eight rebounds and two blocks per game last Seniors Whitney Pleiman and Cameo Wilson also return. Pleiman, a 5-4 guard, averaged two assists and two steals per game a year ago. Other key returnees include junior guards Jenna Cordonnier and Shea Borchers. They are experienced, and we ll look for them for OH-70016056 Raiders at a Glance RELAX, We ll take it from here! CERTIFIED We offer the finest in collision repair and Customer Service, and we have a genuine interest in you and your vehicle! Tom Martin, Owner 11/24 Sidney 11/28 Houston 12/2 at Jackson Center 12/4 at Newton 12/9 at Marion Local 12/12 New Knoxville 12/16 Anna 12/21 at Botkins 12/23 Minster 12/30 Versailles 1/4 Fairlawn 1/6 at Fort Loramie 1/9 at St. Marys 1/11 at Houston 1/16 Covington 1/18 Jackson Center 1/22 Tri-Village 1/25 at Anna 2/1 Botkins 2/3 at Fairlawn 2/6 at Arcanum 2/8 Fort Loramie leadership, Timmerman said of the returnees. Among the key newcomers are 5-9 sophomore forward Jessica York and 5-7 freshman guard Ashley Scott. We have a solid core of players coming back from last year, and we expect some others to compete and find their new roles on varsity, Timmerman said. The Raiders, who were 21-6 overall and finished second in the SCAL with a 9-3 record, have a strong nonconference schedule that includes Versailles, Tri- Village and Minster. Coach: Andy Timmerman Years, career record: 2, 21-6 Last Year: 21-6, 9-3 SCAL Returning Starters: Whitney Pleiman (5-4 Sr. G), Cameo Wilson (5-11 Sr. F), Laurissa Poling (6-0 Jr. F). Other Key Returnees: Jenna Cordonnier (5-8 Jr. G), Shea Borchers (5-8 Jr. G). Promising Newcomers: Jessica York (5-9 So. F), Ashley Scott (5-7 Fr. G). HOUSTON Mark Platfoot enters his first year as Houston s boys basketball coach and is hoping to lead an improved group this Platfoot, who graduated from Jackson Center in 2002, has many newcomers to work with. The Wildcats return four players from last season s varsity roster, including two starters. Houston finished 3-20 overall and 1-11 in the Shelby County Athletic League last We have only two seniors and not a ton of experience, but the guys have been very coachable, Platfoot said. Houston s two seniors both are returning varsity players. Caleb Sluss, a 6-foot-2 senior forward, is a returning starter. James DiLullo, a 6-1 senior forward, is a key returnee who came off the bench last The Wildcats also return junior Howie Ludwig. Ludwig, a 6-0 junior guard/forward, averaged 9.3 points and four rebounds per game last GOOD LUCK AREA TEAMS! 175 Stolle Avenue Sidney, OH 45365 (937) 492-4783 www.sidneybodycarstar.com 12/1 at Russia 12/8 Anna 12/9 Franklin Monroe 12/15 at Botkins 12/16 Ansonia 12/19 Fairlawn 12/22 at Fort Loramie 12/23 at Troy Christian 12/29 at Minster 1/5 Jackson Center 1/12 Russia 1/13 at Newton 1/19 at Anna 1/20 at Covington 1/23 Lehman Catholic 1/26 Botkins 1/30 at Fairlawn 2/2 Fort Loramie 2/3 Riverside 2/10 at Mississinawa Valley 2/13 at Bradford 2/16 at Jackson Center Junior forward John Leist is another key returnee. Key newcomers for Houston this season include Brennan Arnold (6-1 sophomore guard), Jarion Douglas (6-1 sophomore post), Tristin Freistuhler (5-8 junior guard) and Wyatt Mohler (5-10 junior forward). We are working every day to get better with ATIONS! 15 N. Kings Chapel Drive Troy, Ohio 45373 (937) 339-3391 www.troycarstar.com Houston s Caleb Sluss looks to pass while covered by Botkins defenders during a game at Houston last Sluss is one of two returning starters for the Wildcats this Wildcats at a Glance Coach: Mark Platfoot Years, career record: 1 Last Year: 3-20, 1-11 SCAL Returning Starters: Howie Ludwig (6-0 Jr. G/F), Caleb Sluss (6-2 Sr. F). Other Key Returnees: John Leist (6-2 Jr. F), James DiLullo (6-1 Sr. F). Promising Newcomers: Brennan Arnold (6-1 So. G), Jairon Douglas (6-2 So. P), Tristin Freisthuler (5-8 Jr. G), Wyatt Mohler (5-10 Jr. F). each practice, Platfoot said. The players have been working really hard. Our expectation as a team is to compete each and every night. The Wildcats SCAL slate is strong out of the gate. Houston travels to Russia to open the season and hosts Anna on Dec. 8. The league is going to be very good again, Drive In Estimating Highly Skilled Technicians Limited Nationwide Warranty State of the Art Equipment and we are going to have to out-work teams if we are going to be successful, Platfoot said. Houston also has several nonconference opponents expected to be strong, including Troy Christian and Lehman Catholic. Contact Bryant Billing at (937) 538-4818, or follow @ SidneyOHSports Houston girls hoping experience turns into wins Wildcats return nearly all of varsity roster from last season s 8-15 squad HOUSTON Houston s girls basketball team returns nearly all of its varsity roster from last season and is looking for improvement after an 8-15 overall finish and a 3-9 finish in Shelby County Athletic League play last year. Brad Allen, who s entering his third season as the Wildcats coach, is optimistic about the team s prospects heading into the Allen said the team doesn t lack for experience and or leadership but needs to be more consistent and to avoid injuries as the season progresses. I m really excited about the players we have in the program this year, Allen said. We have four seniors returning that will provide outstanding leadership and experience. In addition, we have five juniors on our varsity roster, Out of our nine players, six of them recorded quality minutes last year. Three of the seniors are returning starters: Sarah Monnier, Rebekah New, and Morgan Ely. Monnier, a 5-foot-10 post player, led the team with 6.5 rebounds per game last Sarah was SCAL honorable mention last year and is a versatile player who can play both the post and the wing, Allen said. I am looking for Sarah to contribute. She has the potential to lead our team in scoring, rebounding and defending stats. New is a 5-9 wing guard, and Ely is a 5-5 point guard. Rebekah is also a versatile player in that she ll be called upon to play some post on occasion, Allen said. She is aggressive and has an offensive mindset about her. Morgan is very quick and has very good defensive skills, and her offense continues to be consistent and improving. See Houston 10 Wildcats at a Glance Coach: Brad Allen Years, career record: 3, 19-29 Last Year: 8-15, 3-9 SCAL Returning Starters: Sarah Monnier (5-10 Sr. P), Rebekah New (5-9 Sr. G), Morgan Ely (5-5 Sr. G), Jess Monnier (6-0 Jr. P), Hayden Riesenbeck (5-8 Jr. G). Other Key Returnees: Hollie Voisard (5-4 Jr. G), Addie White (5-5 Jr. G). Promising Newcomers: Chare Jeffries (5-8 Sr. P), Katelynn Garber (5-8 Jr. P). Houston s Sarah Monnier shoots with pressure from a Bradford defender during a game last Monnier is one of five returning starters and has played on varsity all four years of high school. 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Friday, December 1, 2017 7 Anna boys looking to keep hot finish going Rockets won nine of last 12 games in last season s 15-10 campaign ANNA After a strong finish last season, Anna is looking to compete for the Shelby County Athletic League title and make a tournament run in Division III. The Rockets were 6-7 in mid-january last season but won nine of their last 12 games to finish 15-10 overall. Though Anna returns just two starters from last season, plenty of other players with varsity experience are back, and two sophomores look to be promising additions to the team. Senior wing guard Wyatt Bensman returns after leading the Rockets with 14.1 points per game last Bensman also averaged two assists and one steal per game. He will be counted on to do a number of things this year from leading the break, scoring and rebounding and being a defensive stopper, Anna coach Nate Barhorst said of Bensman. He loves to compete and his leadership for this squad will be the biggest attribute. Four other seniors return for the Rockets: Rockets at a Glance Coach: Nate Barhorst Years, career record: 6, 84-63 Division: III Last Year: 15-10, 6-6 SCAL Returning Starters: Wyatt Bensman (6-2 Sr. G), Griffin Doseck (6-4 Jr. F). Other Key Returnees: Austin Fogt (6-3 Sr. F), Mason Platfoot (6-0 Sr. G), Joel Cathcart (6-3 Sr. G), Drew Brodman (6-4 Sr. F/G), Carter Elliott (6-3 Jr. G). Promising Newcomers: Riley Huelskamp (5-10 So. PG), Bart Bixler (5-11 So. PG). forward Austin Fogt, wing Mason Platfoot, wing Joel Cathcart, and forward/center Drew Brodman. Fogt averaged 4.9 points per game last Austin Fogt will take on the challenge of guarding a lot of physical big men down low, Barhorst said. He is athletic, explosive, runs the floor well and rebounds very strongly. Drew Brodman is coming off of a shoulder surgery over the summer, and he has taken another step to improving his play by getting stronger this past off He will be looked upon for scoring and strong defensive post play. Platfoot averaged 6.9 points and shot 33 percent from three-point range. Mason Platfoot will be an asset offensively, being one of the best shooters we have from the outside, Barhorst said. He always seems to be around the ball with his helpside defense. Joel Cathcart will be another wingman we ll use in terms of driving and scoring. He s good in the open court in transition and has a knack for the ball. Junior forward Griffin Doesck is the team s other returning starter. Doseck, who averaged 8.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, has gotten stronger in the offseason according to Barhorst and should be one of the team s leading rebounders this year. Anna has another junior in wing guard Carter Elliott, who Barhorst said is another outside 12/1 Fort Loramie 12/5 at New Bremen 12/8 at Houston 12/9 New Knoxville 12/15 Jackson Center 12/16 at Covington 12/19 at Russia 12/22 Minster 12/27 Versailles 12/29 Botkins 1/5 at Fairlawn 1/6 at Marion Local 1/12 at Fort Loramie 1/13 St. Henry 1/19 Houston 1/20 at Miami East 1/26 at Jackson Center 1/30 Russia 2/2 Lehman Catholic 2/3 at Greeneview 2/9 at Botkins 2/16 Fairlawn shooting threat for the Rockets. Sophomore guards Riley Huelskamp and Bart Bixler look to lead the team as point guards after playing sparingly off the bench last Riley will be bringing the ball up the court and trying to help push the tempo for us, Barhorst said. He, along with Bart, will be asked to guard the opposition s best guards. Bart is another player that Anna s Mason Platfoot drives around New Bremen s Nolan Bornhorst during a nonconference game last Platfoot averaged 6.9 points per game last season for the Rockets. POINT GUARD SPOTLIGHT Riley Huelskamp, Anna, sophomore Huelskamp averaged 1.9 points per game in limited action off the bench last season and looks to take over at point guard this season for the Rockets. Anna plays with a fast tempo under coach Nate Barhorst, who said the point guard is the glue of the team. He said he s confident Huelskamp will do well in his first He pushes the ball up the court better than anyone else I can think of, Barhorst said. He loves that tempo, and he can get that ball right back and finish. He s definitely a weapon. brings energy on both defense and offense in the open court and also will have opportunities to bring the ball up. Barhorst said the emphasis for improvement this season is defense and rebounding. There were times last season where we struggled putting bodies on players and securing the rebound, Barhorst said. A large part of getting beat on the boards was due to getting beat off the dribble defensively. We will be concentrating on keeping opponents out of the paint, which hopefully leads for better opportunities to rebound. Aside from SCAL play, Anna has big nonconference games against the likes of Versailles and Marion Local. Anna girls return every starter and several others Anna returns most of varsity team in after 11-13 season last year ANNA Jeff Maurer couldn t ask for a better corps of returning players in his first season as a head coach. Maurer, who graduated from Anna in 1996, will guide the Rockets this Anna finished 11-13 overall last year, but with every starter and several other key returnees back, Maurer thinks the team can be improved. We have really been stressing the importance of fundamentals and defense this year, Maurer said. The girls have been extremely coachable and I am very pleased with the effort so far during the pre Anna averaged 44 points per game last season and shot 32 percent from the field. The Rockets will look for offensive improvement with a host of experienced players. Among Anna s returning starters is senior forward Macey Huelskamp, who averaged 10.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game last Junior point guard Taylor Kauffman, who averaged two assists and 1.7 steals per game, is also a returning starters. See Anna 8 Rockets at a Glance Coach: Jeff Maurer Years, career record: 1 Division: III Last Year: 11-13, 4-8 SCAL Returning Starters: Taylor Kauffman (5-6 Jr. PG), Breah Kuck (5-6 Jr. G), Mackenzie Scully (5-6 Sr. G), Macey Huelskamp (5-10 Sr. F), Jada Rowland (6-1 Sr. P). Other Key Returnees: Emily Aufderhaar (5-9 Sr. P), Emma Freytag (5-4 Sr. G), Abby Gaydosh (5-7 Sr. PG). Promising Newcomers: Kiplyn Rowland (5-10 So. F), Taylor Noll (5-6 So. G). 11/24 at New Bremen 11/28 Fort Loramie 11/30 at Bellefontaine 12/2 at Houston 12/9 Jackson Center 12/14 West Liberty- Salem 12/16 at Russia 12/21 at New Knoxville 12/28 Versailles 12/30 at Miami East 1/14 Botkins 1/6 at Fairlawn 1/11 at Fort Loramie 1/16 at Marion Local 1/18 Houston 1/20 at Jackson Center 1/25 Russia 1/27 Middletown Madison 2/1 Lehman Catholic 2/3 at Botkins 2/8 Fairlawn 2/10 Minster Jason Alig Anna s Macey Huelskamp calls a timeout while Russia players try to strip the ball during a Shelby County Athletic League game last Huelskamp averaged 10.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game a year ago. Jackson Center girls squad has many new players Tigers return two starters from last season s 23-4 regional champ squad JACKSON CENTER Jackson Center has been the most successful area girls basketball program the last two years, with back-to-back Division IV state semifinal berths. But the Tigers lost many of the key members of those teams to graduation, including first team all-shelby County League selection Cassie Meyer. Though most of Jackson Center s players lack varsity experience, second-year coach Jeff Reese said the expectations are still high. These nine girls know what it takes to win and work extremely hard, Reese said. Each game they will play hard, fight, and let the chips fall where they may. Two key members of the state teams are back in senior post Olivia Clark and senior guard Kennadie Reese. Reese was second team all-scal last year, and Clark was honorable mention. Clark averaged 6.75 points and 3.3 rebounds last season, while Reese averaged 5.1 points. Other varsity returnees are guards Katie Sosby and Kylie Hartle. Promising newcomers include senior guards Bre Davis and Madilynn Platfoot, junior guard Caroline Frieders and junior forwards Chloe Reese and Dailyn Shaffer. 4818, or follow @ SidneyOHSports Preview 11/25 at Minster 12/2 Russia 12/5 Waynesfield-Goshen 12/9 at Anna 12/12 Riverside 12/16 Botkins 12/18 Indian Lake 12/21 at Fairlawn 12/28 at New Bremen 12/30 New Knoxville 1/4 Fort Loramie 1/6 at Houston 1/9 at Fort Recovery Jackson Center s Kennadie Reese guards an Anna player during a Shelby County Athletic League game at Jackson Center last Reese is one of two returning varsity players for the Tigers this Tigers at a Glance Coach: Jeff Reese Years, career record: 7, 112-34 Last Year: 23-4, 11-1 SCAL Returning Starters: Kennadie Reese (5-5 Sr. G), Olivia Clark (6-2 Sr. P). Other Key Returnees: Katie Sosby (5-4 Jr. G), Kylie Hartle (5-5 So. G). Promising Newcomers: Bre Davis (5-5 Sr. G), Caroline Frieders (5-2 Jr. G), Madilynn Platfoot (5-3 Sr. G), Chloe Reese (5-4 Jr. F), Dailyn Shaffer (5-9 Sr. F). 1/13 Lehman Catholic 1/18 at Russia 1/20 Anna 1/25 at Botkins 1/27 at Covington 2/1 Fairlawn 2/3 at Fort Loramie 2/8 Houston 2/10 at Versailles

8 Friday, December 1, 2017 Jackson Center boys look to compete for SCAL title Though Brady Wildermuth is gone, three other starters return for Tigers JACKSON CENTER Brady Wildermuth may be gone, but there s no reason to think Jackson Center won t be among the best Shelby County Athletic League teams again this Wildermuth, the school s all-time leading scorer, graduated last spring. But the Tigers return three starters off of last season s 18-7 squad and have two other key returnees, including a promising sophomore. Senior guard Bryce Sosby, junior guard Trent Platfoot and sophomore post Calvin Winner are the team s returning starters. Sosby averaged 8.4 points and 2.4 assists per game and shot a team-high 72 percent from the free-throw line. Platfoot averaged 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, while Winner averaged 2.4 points. Among key returnees are senior forward Braden Heitkamp and sophomore guard Christopher Elchert. Elchert hit several big 3-pointers in Jackson Center s district final loss to Tri-Village last Sophomore forward Jarron Reese and freshman forward Aidan Reichert should make contributions on varsity this season according to Jackson Center s Trent Platfoot goes up for a shot during a sectional tournament game at Piqua last February. Platfoot averaged 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds per game last season for the Tigers. coach Scott Elchert, who is in his 23rd We are a somewhat youthful group, Elchert said. But I like the chemistry and the make-up of this team. I look for them to show a lot of growth and to be a very competitive team. Aside from SCAL play, Jackson Center s nonconference schedule features the likes of Indian Lake and Marion Local. Tigers at a Glance Coach: Scott Elchert Years, career record: 23, 312-203 Last Year: 18-7, 6-6 SCAL Returning Starters: Bryce Sosby (5-10 Sr. G), Trent Platfoot (5-11 Jr. G), Calvin Winner (6-4 So. P). Other Key Returnees: Braden Heitkamp (6-2 Sr. F), Christopher Elchert (5-7 So. G). Promising Newcomers: Jarron Reese (6-2 So. F), Aidan Reichert (6-3 Fr. F). 12/1 at Lehman Catholic 12/2 Columbus Grove 12/8 Russia 12/15 at Anna 12/16 at Indian Lake 12/19 Botkins 12/22 at Fairlawn 12/29 Fort Loramie 1/5 at Houston 1/6 Waynesfield-Goshen 1/13 at New Knoxville 1/19 at Russia 1/20 at Marion Local 1/26 Anna 1/27 New Bremen 1/30 at Botkins 2/2 Fairlawn 2/3 Minster 2/9 at Fort Loramie 2/10 Lima Temple Christian 2/16 Houston 2/17 at Riverside Anna From page 7 The rest of the Rockets returning starters are junior guard Breah Kuck, senior guard Mackenzie Scully, and senior post Jada Rowland. Kuck was second on the team with an average of 6.8 points per game last year. Other key returnees for Anna are senior post player Emily Aufderhaar, senior guard Emma Freytag and senior point guard Abby Gaydosh. Gaydosh missed all of last season with an ACL injury. Our senior leadership and returning experience should be a strength for our team this season, Maurer said. Each girl is working hard to understand their role within the team so that they can have a positive impact on our program. The Rockets have tough nonconference games against West Liberty-Salem and Minster among others. 4818, or follow @SidneyOHSports Fairlawn girls players committed to improving Every Fairlawn starter is back after a winless season a year ago SIDNEY Fairlawn was winless last season and lost most games by lopsided margins. But that hasn t stopped every starter from coming back out this Gavin Cathcart, who is entering his second season at the helm of the Jets, said the players are determined to play better this Our girls, I feel, have bought in and all of them came back after a winless season, Cathcart said. That shows dedication to the program and to the school. Sophomore MaCalla Huelskamp leads the group of returning starters. Huelskamp, a sophomore point guard, led the team with seven points and three assists per game last year. Jets at a Glance Coach: Gavin Cathcart Years, career record: 2, 0-23 Last Year: 0-23, 0-12 SCAL Returning Starters: MaCalla Huelskamp (5-8 So. PG), Lauren Dudgeon (6-0 Jr. C), Madison Pierce (5-5 Jr. G), Kennedy Spicer (5-7 Jr. G), Jessica Batton (5-9 So. F). Other Key Returnees: Brittany Strunk (5-6 So. G). Promising Newcomers: Lexi Graves (5-7 Fr. F). Also back are junior center Lauren Dudgeon, junior guard Madison Pierce, junior guard Kennedy Spicer and sophomore forward Jessica Batton. Sophomore guard Brittany Strunk also returns. Newcomer Lexi Graves, a freshman forward, could make an impact on varsity this Cathcart said the team put in a lot of work in the summer to improve. Fairlawn s Lauren Dudgeon, right, fights for the ball with a Lehman player during a game in 2015. Dudgeon is one of five returning starters for the Jets this We are expecting our girls to be much improved this year, Cathcart said. They have been working extremely hard to hopefully get that first win. I think a few of the janitors see some of the girls more than the girls families, as they are coming in and getting shots at all times. Hopefully all of the hard work translates into some wins. 11/24 Piqua 11/25 at Covington 11/28 at Botkins 11/30 Indian Lake 12/4 at Mississinawa Valley 12/9 Fort Loramie 12/16 at Houston 12/19 Lehman Catholic 12/21 Jackson Center 12/28 at Newton 12/30 Ansonia 1/4 at Russia 1/6 Anna 1/8 Botkins 1/9 Bradford 1/20 at Fort Loramie 1/23 Riverside 1/25 Houston 2/1 at Jackson Center 2/3 Russia 2/8 at Anna 2/13 at Ridgemont 4818, or follow @SidneyOHSports Est. 1945 Heating, Cooling & Plumbing Lochard Inc. installed the first complete heating & cooling system in Sidney, allow us to install yours next. Lochard-inc.com 41013116 OH-70015543 OH-70015555 ndustrial An Industrial Compressor Compressor Sales Sales and and Service Service Company Company Good luck to all area teams! Good luck to all area teams! Sidney, OH 937-492-5331 Cincinnati, OH 513-248-1840 Fairlawn boys to begin post-lessing era Jets return two starters from last season s 21-4 campaign SIDNEY After an exciting four years and one of the most successful seasons in school history, Fairlawn will begin the post-nathan Lessing era this Lessing, who is at the University of Northwestern Ohio, set a bunch of records with the Jets the last four years. He is one of three starters and to graduate after last season s 21-4 campaign. But the Jets won t be starting from scratch. Three key players are back from last season s team, and a host of newcomers should make an immediate impact on varsity. We are looking forward to an exciting season of SCAL basketball, which it seems that every season is an exciting year, coach Justin Tidwell said. I look forward to watching this team grow and work together as one unit. Seniors Drew Brautigam and Luke Hickman are returning starters, and senior Stephen Blanford returns after coming off the bench last Key newcomers include seniors Tyler Kelch and DJ Graves, juniors Lane Greiwe, Nick Huelskamp and Hokman Rosales and freshman Ashton and Skyler Piper. Tidwell said Huelskamp and Rosales should see time in the post, while Greiwe should play at guard. He also said Skyler Piper could see minutes at guard and Ashton Piper 12/1 at Botkins 12/2 Bradford 12/9 at Triad 12/15 Fort Loramie 12/19 at Houston 12/22 Jackson Center 12/23 at West Liberty- Salem 12/29 at Russia Jets at a Glance could see minutes either at guard or in the post. Among tough nonconference opponents that await Fairlawn this year 12/30 Riverside 1/5 Anna 1/6 Indian Lake 1/12 Botkins 1/19 at Covington 1/20 Newton 1/26 at Fort Loramie 1/27 Miami East 1/30 Houston 2/2 at Jackson Center 2/3 at Waynesfield- Goshen 2/9 Russia 2/16 at Anna 2/17 Lehman Catholic Coach: Justin Tidwell Years, career record: 6, 70-49 Last Year: 16-7, 7-5 SCAL Returning Starters: Drew Brautigam (6-2 Sr.), Luke Hickman (6-2 Sr.). Other Key Returnees: Stephen Blanford (6-0 Sr.). Promising Newcomers: Tyler Kelch (6-2 Sr.), DJ Graves (5-11 Sr.), Aston Piper (6-1 Fr.), Skyler Piper (6-1 Fr.), Nick Huelskamp (6-0 Jr.), Holman Rosales (6-2 Jr.). are West Liberty-Salem and Miami East.

Friday, December 1, 2017 9 Botkins boys hoping to overcome injuries heading into season Trojans will be without a returning starter due to an ACL tear BOTKINS Botkins will have a new identity on offense this year after losing its leading scorer. Luke Bergman, who averaged 23 points per game, graduated off of the Trojans 8-15 campaign. And though they ve tried to find a new identity in preseason, injuries have made the quest difficult. Senior Bryce Metz tore his ACL and will miss the season, while Spencer Heuker has missed time with a knee injury. Junior Josh Madden missed several days of practice under concussion protocol. Our starting point guard has had knee issues, so we ve been playing a lot of young guys, and really a lot of Trojans at a Glance Coach: Brett Meyer Years: 15 Last Year: 8-15, 1-11 SCAL Returning Starters: Spencer Hueker (6-2 Jr. PG), Ethan Butcher (5-10 Sr. P). Other Key Returnees: Elliott Goubeaux (So. G) Promising Newcomers: Josh Madden (6-3 Jr. P), Zane Paul (Fr. PG). 12/1 Fairlawn 12/2 Parkway 12/8 at Fort Loramie 12/9 at Minster 12/15 Houston 12/19 at Jackson Center 12/22 Russia 12/23 Allen East 12/29 at Anna freshman, Meyer said. We ve been able to compete, and we ve been rebounding pretty well, and that s good. We ve got some of the basics down to be able to compete this year. The Trojans are looking for improvement with a couple of key returnees. Aside from Heuker, senior post Ethan Butcher is also a returning starter. Sophomore guard Elliott Goubeaux also saw time off the bench last Madden is a key newcomer, as is freshman point guard Znae Paul. Right now our team goals are to get better every day, Meyer said. We haven t set any team goals as far as wins or those types of things, but outworking our opponents is one. Getting more turnovers than them, getting to the freethrow line, little things like that shows that you re hustling. We want to play solid defense and 12/30 at Ridgemont 1/6 at Newton 1/9 Riverside 1/12 at Fairlawn 1/19 Fort Loramie 1/26 at Houston 1/30 Jackson Center 2/2 at Russia 2/3 New Bremen 2/6 at New Knoxville 2/9 Anna 2/10 at Waynesfield- Goshen 2/17 Lima Perry just cause havoc on other teams. Botkins Bryce Metz, left, shoots with pressure from a Minster defender during a game at Botkins last Botkins girls want to keep up progress Trojans were 16-7 last season and return three starters BOTKINS Botkins finished 16-7 last season and is looking to keep the improvement rolling this With six returnees off of last season s team, that goal looks within reach. We want to build on the success of last season and take the next step for the girls basketball program at Botkins, coach Mike Maurer said. Three starters are back from last season: senior guard Paige Lane, senior forward Sarah Bergman and junior forward Grace Homan. Bergman led the team with 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds last season, while Paige Lane averaged 10.9 points. Other key returnees are junior guard Taira Greve, junior guard Aliya Jones and junior forward Janell Greve. Newcomers in senior Hannah Bailey and sophomore Courtney Sutton could contribute this We are looking to increase our speed of play and push the ball down the floor, Maurer said. The team is looking to compliment the scoring of Bergman and Lane. We need players to step up and score the basketball. Ultimately, we will pride ourselves on the defensive end. The girls are extremely focused and working very hard every day to meet our goals. Botkins finished 7-5 Botkins Aliya Jones shoots with pressure from a Houston defender during a Shelby County Athletic League game last Jones is one of six key returnees from last Trojans at a Glance Coach: Mike Maurer Years, career record: 4, 31-40 Last Year: 16-7, 7-5 SCAL Returning Starters: Paige Lane (5-8 Sr. G), Sarah Bergman (6-2 Sr. F), Grace Homan (5-8 Jr. F). Other Key Returnees: Taira Greve (5-5 Jr. G), Aliya Jones (5-4 Jr. G), Janell Greve (5-7 Jr. F). Promising Newcomers: Hannah Bailey (5-6 Sr. G), Courtney Sutton (5-6 So. G). 11/25 at Parkway 11/28 Fairlawn 12/2 at Fort Loramie 12/7 at Waynesfield- Goshen 12/9 Houston 12/12 Ridgemont 12/16 at Jackson Center 12/18 at Riverside in the Shelby County Athletic League last year and will try to finish higher this year. Aside from league play, the Trojans have key nonconference games 12/21 Russia 12/28 at Mechanicsburg 1/4 at Anna 1/8 at Fairlawn 1/18 Fort Loramie 1/20 at Houston 1/22 at Indian Lake 1/25 Jackson Center 1/29 New Knoxville 2/1 at Russia 2/3 Anna 2/5 at Lima Perry 2/10 Allen East 2/13 New Bremen against Indian Lake and Lima Perry among others. Russia From page 5 Loramie From page 5 us and have put in a lot of time working on their game, Britton said. Senior forward Austin Siegel is back as well. Siegel, who missed his entire sophomore season with a knee injury, averaged 4.6 points per game last Fort Loramie has three other letterwinners back in sophomore guard Nick Brandewie, junior guard Eli Rosengarten and junior guard Nathan Raterman. Both Rosengarten and Raterman have played on varsity since they were sophomores, and Brandewie has played since his freshman year. Senior guard Cody Barhorst, junior forward Mitchell Berning, sophomore guard Mark Seger and junior guard Carter Mescher are also expected to earn playing time. We believe our depth will allow us to play a lot more up-tempo than we have in the past, Britton said. The Redskins have a strong nonconference schedule, which includes 12/1 Houston 12/2 at St Henry 12/5 Newton 12/8 at Jackson Center 12/9 at Arcanum 12/16 at Riverside 12/19 Anna 12/22 at Botkins 12/27 Minster 12/29 Fairlawn 1/5 at Fort Loramie 1/12 at Houston 1/19 Jackson Center 1/27 Versailles 1/30 at Anna 2/2 Botkins 2/3 at Ansonia 2/9 at Fairlawn 2/10 Delphos Jefferson 2/16 Fort Loramie 2/17 at Marion Local The Raiders have a host of new players that Cordonnier said could make an impact on varsity: Evan Monnier (5-9 junior point guard), Jordan York (6-2 junior guard), Carter Francis (6-1 junior guard) and Mason Dapore (5-10 sophomore guard). Cordonnier, who coached the girls team for four years before taking over the boys squad, said the team s defensive intensity should remain despite new players and a new offensive scheme. The Raiders man-toman defense has been tough for opponents to score on, which has helped in their SCAL title campaigns the last two years. Opponents managed to score more than 50 points against Russia twice in 12 con- Luke Gronneberg Sidney Daily News Russia s Daniel Kearns shoots with pressure from Jackson Center s Brady Wildermuth during a Shelby County Athletic League game last Kearns averaged six rebounds per game last year for the Raiders. ference games last year. We have defended very well in the past, and I don t look for that to change at all, Cordonnier said. If we compete at both ends of the floor, we will be fine. Aside from the Raiders tough conference slate, they have big nonleague matchups against Versailles, Marion Local and St. Henry on the schedule. Contact Bryant Billing at (937) 538-4818, or follow @ SidneyOHSports a road trip to Bethel and a matchup with Dayton Thurgood Marshall in the Flyin to the Hoop invitational on Jan. 15. Though the Redskins have knocked off Shelby County Athletic League champion Russia in sectional finals each of the last two years, they haven t beaten the Raiders in regular season either year. Fort Loramie finished third in the SCAL last year with an 8-4 record. I think the league will be very strong and deep and I think Russia, Anna and Jackson Center will all be very good this year, Britton said. We will have to play well night-in and night-out. Our consistency in the SCAL was not very good the last two years, and it is an area we have to improve on. We need to make sure we focus on getting better every day, blocking everything else out and play for one another. Our motto won t change this year. We need to improve day-in and day-out and play our best basketball in late February and early March. 4818, or follow @ SidneyOHSports

10 Friday, December 1, 2017 Versailles boys aim to defend MAC title By Kyle Shaner kshaner@aimmediamidwest.com VERSAILLES Three starters return for the Versailles boys basketball team this season as the Tigers look to defend their Midwest Athletic Conference championship. Versailles has some big offensive weapons as its three returning starters were the Tigers leading scorers last year. Justin Ahrens led the team with 23.4 points per game, his twin brother AJ Ahrens was second with 10.1 points per game, and Keaton McEldowney was third on the team with 8.4 points per game. Those three are now seniors as is Versailles fourth returning varsity letterman, Kyle Jones. While Versailles has some strong players returning, it also has some big holes to fill. The Tigers lost Sam Barga, Connor Custenborder, Austin Knapke and Alex Wendel to graduation and lost Cole Niekamp as he gave up basketball this year to focus on baseball and his future collegiate baseball career. To replace those players, Jones is projected to move into a starting guard spot alongside McEldowney and junior Evan Hiestand is projected to move into a starting forward spot alongside AJ Ahrens. Justin Ahrens, an Ohio State commit, can play a number of positions including guard or forward. Senior guard/forward Noah Richard and junior forward Carter May also could work their way into the starting lineup for Versailles or play key roles off the bench. Junior guard Andrew DeMange and sophomore guard Michael Stammen also will be key contributors coming off the bench for Versailles. 2017-18 Versailles Boys 12/2 Celina 12/8 Delphos St. John s 12/9 at Covington 12/12 at Chaminade Julienne 12/15 at New Bremen 12/23 Tippecanoe 12/27 at Anna 12/29 Miami East 1/5 Parkway 1/6 at Franklin Monroe 1/9 Fort Loramie 1/12 at Marion Local 1/14 vs. Sidney at Trent Arena 1/16 at Lima Central Catholic 1/19 Fort Recovery 1/26 at Minster 1/27 at Russia 2/2 New Knoxville 2/6 Vandalia Butler 2/9 at St. Henry 2/16 at Coldwater 2/17 Greenville Rounding out the varsity roster, Versailles has sophomore Ryan Martin, sophomore Dakoda Naftzger and sophomore Austin Toner. With several new players to incorporate this season, Versailles is working to get players up to speed on learning the offense and offensive sets along with improving its team chemistry. Swank sees ball movement, team speed and team defense as strengths of this year s team. Last year Versailles went undefeated in the MAC then reached the regional semifinals of the Ohio High School Athletic Association tournament, losing to eventual state runner-up Roger Bacon to finish the season with a 25-2 record. The Tigers expect to have another strong season this year and will garner statewide attention as a contender for the Division Dale Barger AIM Media Midwest Versailles senior forward Justin Ahrens comes down with a rebound during a game against Roger Bacon in the Flyin to the Hoop invitational tournament last year. Ahrens, an Ohio State commit, averaged 23.4 points per game last year. Tigers at a Glance Coach: Travis Swank Years, career record: 1, 25-2 Division: III Last Year: 25-2, 9-0 MAC Returning Starters: Justin Ahrens (6-6 Sr. G/F), AJ Ahrens (6-3 Sr. F), Keaton McEldowney (5-11 Sr. G). Other Key Returnees: Kyle Jones (5-10 Sr. G), Noah Richard (6-3 Sr. F), Evan Hiestand (6-3 Jr. F). Promising Newcomers: Carter May (6-7, Jr. F). III championship. Our goal is to compete for a MAC title and make a long run in the tournament, Swank said. Kyle Shaner is the sports editor of the Greenville Daily Advocate. Shaner can be reached at 937-569-4316 or on Twitter @ KShanerAdvocate. Houston From page 6 Senior post player Chare Jeffries started on JV last year, and Allen said he expects she ll play a lot off the bench. Our seniors have come with tremendous positive attitudes, Allen said. There is no complacency with these seniors as they all have shown this preseason that they want to improve from last year in all aspects of their game. Junior post Jess Monnier and junior guard Hayden Riesenbeck round out the team s starting lineup. Monnier led the team with eight points per game last season, while Jess Monnier led the team in steals (1.6) and blocks (one) per game. Jess was SCAL honorable mention last year and can defend, rebound and score and should compete in a lot of offensive and defensive categories, Allen said. Hayden adds a lot of athleticism to our team and is one of our better passers and defenders. Other key returnees off of last season s varsity squad are 5-4 junior guard Hollie Voisard and 5-5 junior wing Addie White. Hollie is very quick, tenacious and very scrappy. She ll also run point for us, Allen 11/24 Covington 11/28 at Russia 11/30 at New Bremen 12/2 Anna 12/5 at New Knoxville 12/9 at Botkins 12/11 Tri-Village 12/16 Fairlawn 12/21 at Fort Loramie 12/28 at Lehman Catholic 1/6 Jackson Center 1/8 at Franklin Monroe 1/11 Russia 1/13 Bradford 1/16 Riverside 1/18 at Anna 1/20 Botkins 1/25 at Fairlawn 1/29 at Newton 2/1 Fort Loramie 2/5 Mississinawa Valley 2/8 at Jackson Center said. Addie is progressing offensively, and she hustles and is a very good defender. Junior post Katelynn Garber is a key newcomer according to Allen, and he said she brings a positive attitude to practice every day. Allen said the program has eight freshman who will start the season on junior varsity, and some could contribute on varsity by the end of the Contact Bryant Billing at (937) 538-4818, or follow @ SidneyOHSports Versailles girls looking for another state berth Tigers return four starters from last season s state runner-up squad By Kyle Shaner kshaner@aimmediamidwest.com VERSAILLES Four starters from last year s state runner-up squad will return to the lineup this season for the Versailles girls basketball team. The Tigers fell just short of the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division III state championship in March, losing 56-54 to Gilmour Academy. The Tigers lost six players to graduation from that team Brynna Blakeley, Bailey Huffman, Emily Langenkamp, Kami Ording, Clair Schmitmeyer and Camille Watren but they return a lot of talent. Kami McEldowney, a four-year starter at point guard, returns for her senior season with the Tigers. Last year she led the team with 13.6 points per game and also added 3.3 assists and 2.6 rebounds a game. Senior Ellen Peters, who also was a starting guard for Versailles a year ago, also returns for the Tigers. She averaged 3.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists last year. Junior Elizabeth Ording is back after starting at forward last season when she averaged 7.8 points and 3.9 rebounds a game. Danielle Winner, another four-year varsity player for Versailles, returns to man the other forward position. Last season she led Versailles with 5.0 rebounds per game and also contributed 8.7 points per contest. The lone starter Versailles has to replace this year is Camille Watren, who averaged 5.5 points per game as a guard last season before shining in the state tournament with 11 points in the 2017 state championship game. Versailles will look to senior Hailey McEldowney plus sophomores Danielle Kunk and Caitlin McEldowney to fill the void at guard this At forward, the Tigers have senior Mallory Marshal and sophomore Lindsey Winner providing depth again this year after seeing varsity action last Marshal averaged 2.9 points and 1.2 rebounds a game last year while Lindsey Winner contributed 4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds a game. With her team, Versailles head coach Jacki Stonebraker likes the balance of guards and forwards. She s also encouraged by her team s senior leadership. (They) have been playing together for a long time, Stonebraker said. The biggest hurdle Versailles will face, at least early in the season, is a lack of practice time because of the school s state championship run in volleyball. Many of the Lady Tiger basketball players including all four returning starters were part of the volleyball team that won the OHSAA Division III state championship less than two weeks ago. Late start to the season with the long volleyball tournament run so chemistry will be a 11/24 vs. Greenon at Tri- Village Bill Burkett Tourney 11/25 vs. TBA at Tri- Village Bill Burkett Tourney 11/30 Coldwater 12/2 Covington 12/5 at Arcanum 12/7 at Delphos St. John s 12/9 at Miami East 12/14 New Bremen 12/16 at Lima Bath 12/23 Fort Loramie 12/28 at Anna 12/30 at Russia 1/4 at Parkway 1/6 Tippecanoe 1/11 Marion Local 1/18 at Fort Recovery 1/20 Celina 1/25 Minster 1/30 West Liberty-Salem 2/1 at New Knoxville 2/8 St. Henry 2/10 Jackson Center Mike Ullery AIM Media Midwest Versailles Kami McEldowney shoots with pressure from Gilmour Academy defenders during the Division III state title game last McEldowney, a four-year starter, averaged 13.6 points per game last Tigers at a Glance Coach: Jacki Stonebraker Years, career record: 14, 270-92 Division: III Last Year: 26-4, 8-1 MAC Returning Starters: Kami McEldowney (5-7 Sr. G), Danielle Winner (6-2 Sr. F), Ellen Peters (5-8 Sr. G), Liz Ording (5-11 Jr. F). Other Key Returnees: Lindsey Winner (6-1 So. F), Mallory Marshal (5-9 Sr. G). Promising Newcomers: Caitlin McEldowney (5-1 So. G), Danielle Kunk (5-9 So. G), Hailey McEldowney (5-9 Sr. G), Kelsey Custenborder (5-10, Jr. F). struggle early on, Stonebraker said. But as Versailles gains experience, the Tigers will be one of the state s most closely watched teams as they seek their fourth state final four appearance in the past five years having won the Division III state title in 2015 and finishing as the state runner-up in 2014 and 2017. To get ready for another long tournament run, Versailles will be tested in the always tough Midwest Athletic Conference. (I m) excited for the season to start, Stonebraker said. It s going to be another tough year in the MAC, which hopefully will make us strong for post Kyle Shaner is the sports editor of the Greenville Daily Advocate. Shaner can be reached at 937-569-4316 or on Twitter @ KShanerAdvocate.

Friday, December 1, 2017 11 Minster girls return much from regional runner-up squad Wildcats return five varsity players and have a lot who were on 20-1 JV team MINSTER Minster advanced to the regional finals last year before losing to Jackson Center and has high expectations for another long run and successful The Wildcats, who finished 24-3, return several key players and have a host of newcomers who could make an impact on varsity this Back from last year s team is senior guard Alli Fischer, senior post Taylor Kogge, senior forward Kendra Thien, junior forward Courtney Prenger and junior guard Demaris Wolf. Pregner was first team all-midwest Athletic Conference last season and averaged 11 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, while Kogge averaged seven points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Fischer lead the team with 5.4 assists per game. Key newcomers include Wildcats at a Glance Coach: Mike Wiss Years, career record: 2, 24-3 Last Year: 24-3, 9-0 MAC Returning Starters: Alli Fischer (5-7 Sr. G), Taylor Kogge (6-1 Sr. P), Courtney Prenger (6-2 Jr. F). Other Key Returnees: Kendra Thien (5-10 Sr. F), Demaris Wolf (5-8 Jr. G). Promising Newcomers: Jessica Falk (5-8 Jr. F), Karly Richard (5-8 Jr. G), Danielle Barhorst (5-9 Jr. G), Courtney Ernst (5-7 Jr. G), Lilly Pelletier (5-11 Jr. F), Averi Wolf (5-9 So. F), Mara Schmiesing (5-5 So. G), Ivy Wolf (5-7 Fr. G). junior forward Jessica Falk, junior guard Karly Richard, junior guard Danielle Barhorst, junior guard Courtney Ernst, junior forward Lilly Pelletier, sophomore forward Averi Wolf, sophomore guard Mara Schmiesing and freshman guard Ivy Wolf. All expect for Wolf were members of the program s 20-1 junior varsity team last year. We return a group of young ladies that have been very successful in their basketball careers, coach Mike Wiss said. They get along well, love what they do, and enjoy doing it together. Our depth will be a big asset to us to start the year. Outside of a tough MAC slate, Minster s nonconference schedule is loaded with the likes of Fort Loramie, St. Marys and Lima Bath. They also will face Sheridan in the Classic in the Country in Berlin on Jan. 13. Wiss said the schedule should help prepare the team for another long tournament run. I expect big things out of the MAC this year, Minster s Taylor Kogge, left, shoots with pressure from a Fort Recovery defender on Thursday. Kogge averaged seven points and 4.5 rebounds per game last season for the Wildcats, who advanced to a Division IV regional final. Wiss said. There are some very good basketball teams. Our experiences from the tournament run last year must prove important. 11/24 at Kalida 11/25 Jackson Center 11/30 at Celina 12/5 Fort Loramie 12/7 Parkway 12/14 at Coldwater 12/16 at Van Wert 12/23 at Russia 12/29 at Lima Bath Holiday Tournament 12/30 at Lima Bath Holiday Tournament 1/4 Delphos St. John s 1/11 at St. Henry 1/13 vs. Sheridan at Berlin Hiland Classic in the Country 1/18 New Bremen 1/20 Ottoville 1/25 at Versailles 1/27 at Anna 2/1 Marion Local 2/8 New Knoxville 2/10 St. Marys Memorial 2/13 at Wapakoneta 2/15 at Fort Recovery Minster boys will have late start after long football run Wildcats return three starters off of 13-10 sectional champ team Minster s Jared Huelsman, center, shoots over a group of St. Mary s defenders during a game last Huelsman is one of three returning starters for the Wildcats. Wildcats at a Glance Coach: Michael McClurg Years, career record: 2, 13-10 Last Year: 13-10, 5-4 MAC Returning Starters: Mike Ketner (6-0 Jr. PG), Jared Schulze (6-9 Jr. F), Jared Huelsman (6-4 Sr. G) Other Key Returnees: Isaac Schmiesing (5-9 Sr. G), Cody Frericks (6-6 Jr. F). Promising Newcomers: Alex Lehmkuhl (6-0 Sr. G), Jack Heitbrink (6-3 Jr. G/F), Max Prenger (6-6 Sr. F), Adam Knapke (6-0 Sr. G). MINSTER Minster will have a late start due to another deep playoff run in football, but that didn t hurt things last year. The Wildcats won their first three games in a 13-10 campaign and advanced to a district final, where they lost to eventual regional champion Lima Perry. Minster returns three starters from last year s team in junior point guard Mike Ketner, junior forward Jarod Schulze and senior guard Jared Huelsman. Ketner averaged nine points per game last year and 2.5 assists per game, while Schulze averaged six rebounds and 2.6 blocks. Also returning for Minster is senior guard Isaac Schmiesing and junior forward Cody Frericks. Huelsman, Schmiesing and Frericks play football. I m excited to compete with these guys this year, coach Michael McClurg said. This is a special group of seniors on this team. Key newcomers include senior guard Alex Lehmkuhl, junior guard Jack Neitbrink, senior forward Max Prenger, and senior guard Adam Knapke. I was happy with our progression of our offseason, McClurg said. We still have room for improvement, but we re headed in the right direction in terms of how we work. Aside from a tough Midwest Athletic Conference slate, the Wildcats have nonconference games against most of the top Shelby County Athletic League 12/2 at Spencerville 12/8 at Van Wert 12/9 Botkins 12/15 Coldwater 12/16 at Wapakoneta 12/20 Lehman Catholic 12/22 at Anna 12/27 at Russia 12/29 Houston 1/5 at Delphos St. John s s 1/6 Ottoville 1/12 St. Henry 1/15 vs. Franklin Monroe at Trent Arena 1/19 at New Bremen 1/20 at Fort Loramie 1/26 Versailles 2/2 at Marion Local 2/3 at Jackson Center 2/9 at New Knoxville 2/10 St. Marys Memorial 2/16 Fort Recovery 2/23 at Parkway teams. They ll also be in the Flyin to the Hoop invitational on Jan. 15 against Franklin Monroe. Contact Bryant Billing at (937) 538-4818, or follow @ SidneyOHSports New Bremen boys return five starters, eight letterwinners Cardinals hoping experience leads to more wins after 2-22 season NEW BREMEN New Bremen has hopes for improvement after a 2-22 record last year. Every starter and eight total letterwinners are back, and coach Adam Dougherty said the team has looked better in pre Our team does a nice job of moving and sharing the basketball, Dougherty said. We should be able to run the floor and get out in transition much better this year. Our ability to guard the ball and use length at multiple positions should be a plus this Senior guard Avery Powers and sophomore guard Nolan Bornhorst are back after leading the team in scoring last year. Bornhorst averaged 12.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, while Powers averaged 8.1 points. Nolan is a physical guard with a good skill set, Dougherty said. He has made nice progress from his freshmen year and should have a solid season for us. Avery is a super athletic guard that has improved a good deal since last year. He shoots it well and has a nice ability to attack off the dribble. Senior forward Luke Vonderhaar, junior forward Brandon Heitkamp and senior guard Koby Paul round out the returning starters. Vonderhaar averaged 6.1 points and six rebounds per game a year ago. Dougherty said Paul is the player most likely to surprise people this year Koby is our returning Cardinals at a Glance Coach: Adam Dougherty Years, career record: 7, 61-80 Last Year: 2-22, 1-8 MAC Returning Starters: Koby Paul (5-11 Sr. G), Avery Powers (6-0 Sr. G), Nolan Bornhorst (6-0 So. G), Luke Vonderharr (6-3 Sr. F), Brandon Heitkamp (6-3 Jr. F). Other Key Returnees: Andrew Bowers (6-1 Jr. G), Levi Clem (5-9 Sr. G), Caleb Alig (5-11 Sr. G). Promising Newcomers: Nick Wells (5-10 Jr. G), Bryce Blickle (6-1 Jr. G), Grant Hoehne (6-2 Sr. F), Ben Kuck (6-2 Sr. F), Jacob Rindler (6-3 Jr. F). lead guard and started most of the second half of last season, Dougherty said. He has made good improvements with his skill set since last year. Added strength and confidence should help us this year. Other key returnees include seniors Levi Clem and Caleb Alig and junior Andrew Bowers. One key addition is senior Grant Hoehne, who transferred from Anna. The rest of the varsity squad is made up of junior varsity players from last season in juniors Nick Wells, Bruce Blickle, Ben Kuck and Jacob Rindler. Our goals and expectations for this season are to work extremely hard every day to get better and play our best basketball in March, Dougherty said. This group is much more talented and mature but has a lot of room to grow and improve. We have guys that have put in a ton of time getting better during the off We have a lot of guys that are capable of contributing. Getting consistency from our bench and doing a good job of handling the ball will help us reach our goals. Dougherty said Versailles and Marion Local 2017-18 Scheduke 12/1 at Kalida 12/2 Troy Christian 12/5 Anna 12/9 at St. Marys Memorial 12/12 at Mississinawa Valley 12/15 Versailles 12/16 at Fort Loramie 12/22 Arcanum 12/29 Indian Lake 1/5 Marion Local High School 1/6 at Celina 1/12 at Fort Recovery 1/13 Covington 1/19 Minster 1/26 at New Knoxville 1/27 at Jackson Center 2/2 Coldwater 2/3 at Botkins 2/9 Parkway 2/10 Fort Jennings 2/16 at Delphos St. John s 2/23 at St. Henry are the favorites in the Midwest Athletic Conference. The Cardinals nonconference schedule also features a few tough opponents, including Jackson Center and Fort Loramie. Contact Bryant Billing at (937) 538-4818, or follow @ SidneyOHSports

12 Friday, December 1, 2017 New Bremen girls hoping to continue improvement Cardinals return four starters and several other key players NEW BREMEN New Bremen has been improved the last few seasons, including a 13-12 finish last year. With four returning starters back from last year s team, the Cardinals will try to keep the upward trend going. Sophomore guard Macy Puthoff, junior forward Hannah Tenkman, junior forward Kayla Bergman and senior forward Jane Homan are returning starters. Homan averaged 5.7 rebounds per game, while Bergman averaged 5.2 Other key returnees include junior guard Kelly Naylor, senior guard Paige Jones, junior guard Abbi Thieman and junior forward Molly Smith. We return depth and experience and look to compete in the MAC this year, eighth-year coach Chris Burden said. We look to build upon the success of the last few seasons. New Knoxville girls have no seniors Rangers coach says it will be rebuilding season New Knoxville s Brianna Jurosic shoots with pressure from a Parkway defender during a game last NEW KNOXVILLE New Knoxville coach Tim Hegemier, who is entering his 13th at the helm, said he expects a rebuilding year for the Rangers with no seniors on the roster. The Rangers, who finished 10-14 last year, have several key players back. Junior guard Erin Scott, sophomore forward Megan Jurosic and junior forward Tayler Doty are returning starters, while junior forward Tasia Lauth and sophomore guard Samanta Trego came off the bench last Freshman guard Morgan Leffel is a promising newcomer. Rangers at a Glance Coach: Tim Hegemier Years, career record: 13, 190-93 Last Year: 10-14, 3-6 MAC Returning Starters: Erin Scott (5-5 Jr. G), Megan Jurosic (5-8 So. F), Tayler Doty (5-6 Jr. F). Other Key Returnees: Tasia Lauth (5-7 Jr. F), Samanta Trego (5-3 So. G). Promising Newcomers: Morgan Leffel (5-7 Fr. G). 11/24 at Lima Bath Tipoff Classic 11/25 at Lima Bath Tipoff Classic 11/30 St. Marys Memorial 12/5 Houston 12/7 Fort Recovery 12/12 at Russia 12/14 at Parkway 12/18 Spencerville 12/21 Anna 12/28 Fort Loramie 12/30 at Jackson Ceneter 1/4 Coldwater 1/6 at Lehman Catholic 1/9 Waynesfield 1/11 at Delphos St. John s 1/18 St. Henry 1/23 at Wapakoneta 1/25 at New Bremen 1/29 at Botkins 2/1 Versailles 2/8 at Minster 2/15 at Marion Local Cardinals at a Glance Coach: Chris Burden Years, career record: 8, 81-80 Last Year: 13-12, 3-6 MAC Returning Starters: Macy Puthoff (5-10 So. G), Hannah Tenkman (5-8 Jr. F), Kayla Bergman (5-10 Jr. F), Jane Homan (5-10 Sr. F). Other Key Returnees: Kelly Naylor (5-8 Jr. G), Paige Jones (6-1 Sr. G), Abbi Thieman (5-8 Jr. G), Molly Smith (5-8 Jr. F). 11/24 Anna 11/30 Houston 12/2 at Celina 12/7 St. Henry 12/11 at Lincolnview 12/14 at Versailles 12/16 Delphos Jefferson 12/19 Fort Loramie 12/21 at Upper Scioto Valley 12/28 Jackson Center 12/30 Lehman Catholic 1/4 at Marion Local 1/11 Fort Recovery 1/16 at St. Marys 1/18 at Minster 1/25 New Knoxville 1/27 at Waynesfield- Goshen 2/1 at Coldwater 2/6 at Spencerville 2/8 at Parkway 2/13 at Botkins 2/15 Delphos St. John s New Knoxville boys looking for improvement Rangers return three starters from 5-18 campaign NEW KNOXVILLE After struggling down the stretch last season, New Knoxville will be looking for improvement this year. The Rangers, who lost 14 of their last 15 games, return three starters and have several other key returnees. Senior guard Jonah Lageman, senior forward Nathan Tinnerman and Rangers at a Glance Coach: Josh Lisi Years, career record: 3, 15-32 Last Year: 5-18, 1-8 MAC Returning Starters: Jonah Lageman (6-0 Sr. G), Nathan Tinnerman (6-1 Sr. F), Ben Lammers (5-10 Sr. G). Other Key Returnees: Andre Poope (6-3 So. C), Jack Bartholomew (5-9 Sr. G), Jared OSborne (6-1 Jr. F). Promising Newcomers: Sam Anspach (6-2 Fr. F/C), Matthew Starr (5-10 Jr. G). senior guard Ben Lammers started last year, while sophomore center Andrew Poppe, senior guard Jack Bartholomew and junior forward Jared Osborne came off the bench. Tinnerman led the team with 12.1 points per game, while Lageman averaged nearly three assists per game. Key newcomers include freshman forward/center Sam Anspach and junior guard Matthew Starr. 12/2 at Fort Loramie 12/8 Waynesfield 12/9 at Anna 12/15 at Parkway 12/16 Lima Shawnee 12/22 Temple Christian 12/29 St. Marys Memorial 1/5 at Coldwater 1/6 at Ada 1/12 Delphos St. John s 1/13 Jackson Center 1/16 at Wapakoneta 1/19 at St. Henry 1/26 New Bremen 1/27 at Fort Jennings 2/2 at Versailles 2/3 at Spencerville 2/6 Botkins 2/9 Minster 2/16 Marion Local 2/17 Convoy Crestview 2/23 at Fort Recovery Hoops From page 2 That pair of contests on weekday afternoons produced more than 2,000 listeners, VanTasel said. The Jackson Center boys reached the state semifinal in March of OH-70015396 2016 and attracted close to one thousand online users, he also pointed out. During the Tigers terrific runs to two-straight state volleyball titles, the state semifinal victories also soared listenership counts when no television coverage was available. Hoarse for hours and TO ALL TEAMS! BARKER INSURANCE AGENCY, INC. AUTO-FARM-BUSINESS HOME-UMBRELLA WHERE EXPERIENCE COUNTS Deron Barker Dan Barker Zack Yinger 937-492-1857 www.barkerinsagency.com 9040 Co. Rd. 25-A North, Sidney fax 937-492-1465 email: office@barkerinsurance.biz hours, Kramer recalled, describing how he felt after calling the Tigers long streaks of tourney wins from 2015 to 2017. For me, there s nothing more exciting and entertaining than covering high school sports in the upper Miami Valley. In additional December SCORES coverage, second year Sidney head coach John Willoughby leads his team s attempt to avenge a loss at Tippecanoe last year. The Yellow Jackets travel to Tipp City on Dec. 8. When Willoughby coached Houston to the state tourney in 2011, McBee came on board as SCORES color announcer. My first year was fantastic. What a great introduction to closely following Shelby County sports teams, McBee remembered. The Wildcats knocked off three rivals in the tourney that beat them in the In a competitive rivalry started several seasons ago, the Fort Loramie girls host Tipp in a SCORES webcast on Monday, Dec. 11. The month s coverage begins to wind down with the Russia girls and boys playing at Botkins on Dec. 21 and 22, respectively. Kramer and McBee will enjoy a new webcast perch in the first row of the mezzanine above the team benches and the Botkins gymnasium floor. Fort Loramie s girls are at Vesailles on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 23; Versailles boys are at Anna on Dec. 27. During the four upcoming months, ScoresBroadcast.com will likely cover more than 80 basketball contests, including 40 tournament games. Team records, league standings, sponsorship location, and game listenership results impact SCORES contest choices. The unique service is available free of charge to high school sports fans. Webcasts are supported only by area business and industry. Courtesy photo Olivia Clark of Jackson Center defends Taylor Kogge of Minster in the Division IV regional final last March at Vandalia-Butler. The Tigers nipped the Wildcats to advance to the state tournament in Columbus. Both players return for the 2017-18 Jackson Center meets Russia on Dec. 2 and Minster meets Fort Loramie on Dec. 5 in SCORES first webcasts of girls contests this

Friday, December 1, 2017 13 Riverside boys hope good finish goes into this season Patriots have four letterwinners back and several promising newcomers DEGRAFF Riverside had a tough start last season but won five of their last nine games and will try to keep that finish going into this The Patriots have four returning letterwinners and a host of key newcomers that will try to lead an improved Right now, our main goal is just to get better every day in practice, coach Seth Bodenmiller said. We believe that if we are able to do that throughout the year, we will be able to compete with any of our opponents. Senior guard Trey Lane, senior forward Josh Ritzma, junior forward Kyle Knight and junior forward Lane Willoby are returning letterwinners, while junior guards Wyatt Auflick, Jaxon Heath and Kameron Schlumbohm, junior center Alonzo Stotler and freshman guard John Zumberger are the newcomers. Right now, I think we are on the right path to success, Bodenmiller said. We still have a pretty inexperienced group of players, in terms of varsity minutes, but we have guys that have played together for quite a while. We have a pretty talented junior class that are going to have to grow up a lot this year. I think that if we can have certain guys step up into leadership roles, we will be in a good place down the road. Outside of the Northwest Central Conference schedule, the Patriots have many of the Shelby County Athletic League s top teams as nonconference opponents, in addition to perennial powers Miami East and Southeastern. Contact Bryant Billing at (937) 538-4818, or follow @ SidneyOHSports Patriots at a Glance 12/1 at Triad 12/5 at Bradford 12/8 at Hardin Northern 12/15 Ridgemont 12/16 Russia 12/23 Greenon 12/30 at Fairlawn 1/5 at Lehman Catholic 1/6 at Miami East 1/9 at Botkins 1/12 Lima Perry 1/19 at Lima Temple Christian 1/20 Indian Lake 1/26 Waynesfield- Goshen 1/27 at Southeastern 1/30 Mechanicsburg 2/2 at Marion Elgin 2/3 at Houston 2/10 Ansonia 2/16 Upper Scioto Valley 2/17 Jackson Center Coach: Seth Bodenmiller Years, career record: 1, 7-15 Last Year: 7-16, 4-3 NWCC Key Returnees: Trey Lane (6-0 Sr. G), Josh Ritzma (6-0 Sr. F), Kyle Knight (6-1 Jr. F), Lane Willoby (6-1 Jr. F). Promising Newcomers: Wyatt Auflick (6-1 Jr. G), Jaxon Heath (5-11 Jr. G), Kameron Schlumbohm (5-6 Jr. G), Alonzo Stotler (6-10 Jr. C), John Zumberger (5-8 Fr. G). Riverside girls hoping for better record Patriots won three out of last six and have five returning letterwinners 11/28 Bellefontaine 11/30 at Upper Scioto Valley 12/4 at Triad 12/7 Hardin Northern 12/12 at Jackson Center 12/14 at Ridgemont 12/18 Botkins 12/28 at Benjamin Logan 1/4 Lehman Catholic Patriots at a Glance DEGRAFF Riverside won three out of its last six games a year ago and will try to keep up that type of performance this With five returnees that have two years of varsity experience each, the Patriots could improve on last season s 5-18 overall record. Junior guard Shelby Giles, senior post Marissa Davis, junior post Kalin Kreglow, junior guard Dana Jones and junior guard Courtnie Smith return from last year s team. Davis led the group with 8.5 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Leah Kelsey, senior guard Ashley Plank, freshman guard Lauryn Sanford and senior post Mikenna Schneider are key newcomers. We are very athletic, even through our posts, and are looking to improve upon our record and compete for a league title, fourthyear coach Danielle King said. We had some injuries and a number of issues last season and are hoping 1/6 Troy Christian 1/11 at Lima Perry 1/13 at Southeastern 1/16 at Houston 1/20 Ansonia 1/23 at Fairlawn 1/25 at Waynesfield- Goshen 1/29 Urbana 2/1 Marion Elgin 2/5 at Indian Lake 2/8 Northeastern 2/12 at Mechanicsburg 2/15 at Bradford HS Coach: Danielle King Years, career record: 2, 5-18 Last Year: 5-18, 0-6 NWCC Key Returnees: Shelby Giles (Jr. G), Marissa Davis (Sr. P), Kalin Kreglow (Jr. P), Dana Jones (Jr. G), Courtnie Smith (Jr. G). Promising Newcomers: Leah Kelsey (So. PG), Ashley Plank (Sr. G), Lauryn Sanford (Fr. PG), Mikenna Schneider (Sr. P). to bounce back from that. Contact Bryant Billing at (937) 538-4818, or follow @ SidneyOHSports Records From page 2 Russia s Maria Herron became SCAL s 48th girl to score 1,000 points. She also broke three school records: 167 career three-point goals (county record), 78 percent career free-throw success rate and eight three-point field goals in a game. Herron hit a triplicate, 49 three-point feild goals every year for three years, plus 20 her freshman year. Tiffany Hatcher played in 100 games, a Russia record, and also hit 21 consecutive free throws, also a Russia record. The Raiders set a school record by making 71 percent of the team s free throws under first-year coach Andy Timmerman. Russia won 21 games (most for Russia since 1994) and a district crown. Botkins girls basketball made a big comeback last year which started with the team winning their first eight games. They finished fourth in the SCAL and won 16 games, the most since 2000. Two seniors in Sarah Bergman and Paige Lane, along with some younger players, will give fourth-year coach Mike Mauer a highly successful Bergman needs 314 points to reach 1,000 points. Fort Loramie s girls team also won 16 games and finished third in the league despite no player averaging double-figure scoring for the 2017 You have to go back to the 2008 season when no Redkskin averaged double figures. However, Carla Siegel guided that team to 15 wins including five tourney wins to the regional finals. Kennedy Gephart, Chloe Stang and two other girls who were injured last year should provide the nucleus for a successful season at Fort Loramie. Although the Anna girls had a losing record last year 11-13, new head coach Jeff Mauer has the top five scorers back this year, led by Macey Huelskamp, who may top 1,000 points this Huelskamp has 659 and needs 341 to reach that plateau. Russia s boys won their fourth straight outright SCAL title, a County Record. (Fort Loramie won six straight, but one was a tie). Former Russia Coach Paul Bremigan won two titles in his final years and Spencer Cordonnier now has won 2 titles in his first two years as varsity coach. He used many players, with 10 different players scoring 100-plus points throughout the 2 seasons). Each Russia team set Defensive Ave. records of 44.3 and 43.6 points allowed per game. The 10 players are: Cole Tebbe, Jacks Dapore, Drew Poling, Dylan Cordonnier, Daniel Kearns, Drew Sherman, Hunter Cohee, Jack Gariety, Josh York and Jonah Counts. Fort Loramie won 21 games last season, most since 2003, Jordan Pleiman s junior year. Pleiman is the last Redskin to score 1,000 points. Dillon Braun is poised to reach that milestone some time this season with 741 points already in his two-year career. With teammates Evan Berning (251) and Tyler Siegel (293), Corey Britton s team has the fire power to challenge for the SCAL title, which would be their first since 2011. The Redskins set a school record by holding their opponents to 41.2 points per game. Tyler Siegel has played in 72 games and needs 19 games to break Mark Frilling s record of 90 varsity games. Fairlawn how can you mention Fairlawn boys basketball without posting the name of Nathan Lessing? Lessing s career records are: 2,223 points, 95 games (Jets record), 23.4 scoring average, 758 FG (2 and 3) Co. record, 637 free throws, 779 free-throw attempts (both Co. records) Lessing s season records: 692 points (Co. record), 665 in 2016. The only other player with two 600 point seasons Tom Brandewie. Lessing made 21-of-23 free throws one game. The Jets had their best record (21-4) in school history last Other team records set: most wins, fewest losses, best winning percentage (84 percent), best defensive record (47.2 ppg), most field goals (2 and 3) 636 44 in one game and freethrow percentage in a game 21-of-22 in 2015-16. Coach Justin Tidwell became Fairlawn s winningest coach with 70 wins and 49 losses in five years, nudging out Ed Smith, who won 69-of- 79 during his seven years as the Jet mentor (1966-72). With only Luke Hickman and Drew Brautigam returning, Todd B. Acker Fairlawn s Nathan Lessing shoots with pressure from a Houston defender during a game in 2014. Lessing set many records during his career, including the SCAL s all-time career points record. Coach Tidwell may struggle filling some varsity spots. Anna s Nate Barhorst begins his seventh year as the Rockets coach and has six players returning who scored between 100 and 352 points. This group will seek to improve on last year s 15-10 record. Botkins is open to discussion, but Brett Meyer is a veteran coach and looks to better his 8-15 record from a year ago. Houston introduces their third coach in 3 years to the wars of Shelby County basketball. What Mark Platfoot has in store for his fans and the league is anyone s guess.

14 Friday, December 1, 2017 2016-17 Season Rewind 2016-17 area boys regular season stat leaders Staff report SCORING G Pts Avg. Nathan Lessing, Fairlawn 22 619 28.1 Justin Ahrens, Versailles 22 514 23.4 Luke Bergman, Botkins 22 506 23.0 Brady Wildermuth, JC 21 448 21.3 Andre Gordon, Sidney 22 434 19.7 Kam Lee, Lehman 21 345 16.4 Wyatt Bensman, Anna 22 315 14.3 Cameron Arnold, Houston 22 312 14.2 Dylan Arnold, Lehman 20 278 13.9 Dillon Braun, Loramie 22 224 Aaron Ernst, Minster 21 279 13.3 Nick Topp, NK 19 253 13.3 Nolan Barhorst, NB 22 268 12.2 Nathan Tinnerman, NK 22 266 12.1 Ratez Roberts, Sidney 22 250 11.4 Tyler Siegel, Loramie 22 238 10.8 Isaiah Bowser, Sidney 22 232 10.5 Cole Tebbe, Russia 22 216 10.3 Evan Berning, Loramie 22 224 10.2 AJ Ahrens, Versailles 22 21 10.1 FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE (100 or more attempts) FGA FGM Pct. Ratez Roberts, Sidney 168 113 67.3 AJ Ahrens, Versailles 144 96 66.7 Brady Wildermuth, JC 249 160 64.3 Keaton Mceldowney, Vers. 130 77 59.2 Cole Tebbe, Russia 149 87 58.3 Nathan Lessing, Fairlawn 368 214 58.1 Jarod Schulze, Minster 130 71 54.6 Daniel Kearns, Russia 108 59 54.6 Justin Ahrens, Versailles 349 188 53.9 Tyler Siegel, Loramie 171 90 52.6 Devan Rogers, Sidney 119 63 52.9 Luke Bergman, Botkins 326 171 52.5 Nick Brautigam, Fairlawn 127 66 52.0 Nathan Frilling, Anna 152 74 48.7 Conner Custenborder, Vers. 111 54 48.6 Drew Brautigam, Fairlawn 106 51 48.1 Griffin Doseck, Anna 117 56 47.9 Alex Bergman, Botkins 103 49 47.6 Keshon Johnson, Fairlawn 151 71 47.0 Dillon Braun, Loramie 224 105 46.9 Andre Gordon, Sidney 348 163 46.8 Luke Hickman, Fairlawn 179 83 46.4 Alex Wendel, Versailles 132 61 46.2 Wyatt Bensman, Anna 220 100 45.5 Mike Ketner, Minster 141 64 45.4 Spencer Heuker, Botkins 111 50 45.1 Nick Topp, NK 206 91 44.2 Isaiah Bowser, Sidney 179 79 44.1 Evan Berning, Loramie 173 73 42.2 Dylan Cordonnier, Russia 124 52 41.9 Nathan Tinnerman, NK 215 90 41.9 Kam Lee, Lehman 324 135 41.7 Cameron Arnold, Houston 232 97 41.8 Preston Rodgers, Lehman 127 52 40.9 Dylan Hensley, Houston 121 48 40.0 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PCT. (50-or-more attempts) FGA FGM Pct. Justin Ahrens, Versailles 117 49 41.9 Dylan Cordonnier, Russia 60 25 41.7 Luke Hickman, Fairlawn 86 35 40.7 Nathan Frilling, Anna 70 28 40.0 Alex Wendel, Versailles 55 22 40.0 Nathan Lessing, Fairlawn 51 20 39.2 Jonah Lageman, NK 82 32 39.0 Brian Lammers, NK 72 28 38.9 Howie Ludwig, Houston 110 42 38.2 Alex Bergman, Botkins 55 21 38.2 Dillon Braun, Loramie 121 46 38.0 Luke Bergman, Botkins 111 42 37.8 Nathan Tinnerman, NK 59 19 36.5 Mike Ketner, Minster 77 28 36.4 Jack Dapore, Russia 103 37 35.9 Bryce Sosby, Jackson Center 76 27 35.5 Aaron Ernst, Minster 107 38 35.5 Wyatt Bensman, Anna 95 32 33.7 Kam Lee, Lehman 120 40 33.3 Trent Platfoot, JC 82 27 32.9 Mason Platfoot, Anna 108 35 32.4 Andre Gordon, Sidney 106 33 31.1 Nick Topp, NK 68 21 30.9 Nolan Bornhorst, NB 88 21 30.7 Josiah Hudgins, Sidney 59 18 30.5 FREE THROW PERCENTAGE (50-or-more attempts) FTA FTM Pct. Nathan Lessing, Fairlawn 200 158 79.0 Alex Bergman, Botkins 61 47 77.1 Luke Bergman, Botkins 160 122 76.3 Aaron Ernst, Minster 67 51 76.1 Dillon Braun, Loramie 65 49 75.4 Justin Ahrens, Versailles 121 89 73.6 Nolan Bornhorst, NB 89 651 73.0 Wyatt Bensman, Anna 114 83 72.8 Andre Gordon, Sidney 105 75 71.4 Isaiah Bowser, Sidney 80 57 71.3 Luke Vonderhaar, NB 51 36 70.6 Dylan Arnold, Lehman 58 40 69.0 Dylan Cordonnier, Russia 76 52 68.4 Jack Dapore, Russia 71 48 67.6 Spencer Heuker, Botkins 73 49 67.1 Nathan Tinnerman, NK 101 67 66.3 Evan Berning, Loramie 105 69 65.7 Brady Wildermuth, JC 175 113 64.6 Griffin Doseck, Anna 80 50 62.5 Daniel Kearns, Russia 60 37 61.7 Nick Topp, NK 81 50 61.7 Devan Rogers, Sidney 80 49 61.3 REBOUNDING G OR DR TR Avg. Kam Lee, Lehman 21 66 142 208 9.9 Justin Ahrens, Versailles 22 43 152 195 8.9 Tyler Siegel, Loramie 22 62 110 172 7.8 Brady Wildermuth, Jackson Ctr. 21 48 104 152 7.2 Nathan Lessing, Fairlawn 22 62 87 149 6.8 Nathan Tinnerman, New Knox. 22 39 110 149 6.8 Ratez Roberts, Sidney 22 56 88 144 6.6 Devan Rogers, Sidney 21 31 107 138 6.6 Cameron Arnold, Houston 22 29 108 137 6.2 Nick Topp, New Knoxville 19 26 85 111 5.8 Luke Vonderhaar, Bremen 22 51 75 126 5.7 Jarod Schulze, Minster 21 39 78 117 5.6 Drew Brautigam, Fairlawn 22 48 71 119 5.4 Cole Tebbe, Russia 21 39 66 105 5.0 Luke Bergman, Botkins 22 31 79 110 5.0 Brandon Heitkamp, Bremen 22 42 67 109 5.0 Nick Thobe, New Knoxville 20 18 82 100 5.0 ASSISTS Andre Gordon, Sidney, 126; Alex Wendel, Versailles, 109; Keshon Johnson, Fairlawn, 95; Evan Berning, Loramie, 82; Nick Brautigam, Fairlawn, 81; Dylan Arnold, Lehman, 77; Conner Custenborder, Versailles, 67; Cameron Arnold, Houston, 64; Jonah Lageman, New Knoxville, 64; Dylan Cordonnier, Russia, 60; Jared Rourke, Lehman, 58; Bryce Sosby, Jackson Center, 53; Aaron Ernst, Minster, 52; Isaiah Bowser, Sidney, 50; Cody Gasson, Loraie, 48; Drew Sherman, Russia, 47; Preston Rodgers, Lehman, 46; Eric Bowers, New Bremen, 46; Dillon Braun, Loramie, 45; Nick Topp, NK, 43; Keaton McEldowney, Versailles, 43; Nathan Lessing, Fairlawn, 41; Jack Dapore, Russia, 40. Anna s Wyatt Bensman goes for a shot with pressure from Lehman Catholic defenders during a nonconference game last Bensman averaged 14.3 points per game last STEALS Luke Bergman, Botkins, 68; Nick Brautigam, Fairlawn, 65; Dylan Arnold, Lehman, 62; Andre Gordon, Sidney, 54; Keshon Johnson, Fairlawn, 50; Kam Lee, Lehman, 48; Nathen Lessing, Fairlawn, 41; Ratez Roberts, Sidney, 40; Cameron Arnold, Houston, 40; Ethan Butcher, Botkins, 36; Justin Ahrens, Versailles, 34; Dillon Braun, Loramie, 33; Jared Rourke, Lehman, 33; Aaron Ernst, Minster, 32; Nick Topp, NK, 32; Jonah Lageman, NK, 32; Evan Berning, Loramie, 31; Alex Wendel, Versailles, 30; Cole Tebbe, Russia, 30; Brady Wildermuth, Jackson Center, 30. BLOCKED SHOTS Tyler Siegel, Loramie, 78; Brady Wildermuth, Jackson Center, 62; Ratez Roberts, Sidney, 60; Jarod Schulze, Minster, 51; Justin Ahrens, Versailles, 31; Luke Bergman, Botkins 21; Conner Custenborder, Versailles, 20; Seth Roe, Anna, 17; Cole Tebbe, Russia, 17; Andre Gordon, Sidney, 16; Alex Wendel, Versailles, 15; AJ Ahrens, Versailles, 14; Kam Lee, Lehman, 12; Nick Topp, New Knoxville, 12; Drew Poling, Russia, 11; Cameron Arnold, Houston, 11. 2016-17 are girls regular season stat leaders Staff report SCORING G Pts Avg. Celena Taborn, Sidney 22 589 26.8 Kenzie Schroer, NK 22 329 15.0 Sarah Bergman, Botkins 21 286 13.6 Kami McEldowney, Versailles 22 300 13.6 Maria Herron, Russia 21 281 13.4 Rosie Westerbeck, Minster 22 273 13.0 Paige Lane, Botkins 21 29 10.9 Laurissa Poling,Russia 22 236 10.7 Courtney Prenger, Minster 22 229 10.4 Macey Huelskamp, Anna 21 217 10.3 Cassie Meyer,JC 21 213 10.1 FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE (100 or more attempts) FGA FGM Pct. Elizabeth Ording, Versailles 107 71 66.4 Celena Taborn, Sidney 386 231 60.0 Larissa Poling, Russia 190 97 51.1 Sara Stang, Fort Loramie 118 57 48.3 Maria Herron, Russia 220 106 48.2 Danielle Winner, Versailles 172 81 47.1 Sarah Bergman, Botkins 210 96 45.7 Cameo Wilson, Russia 146 66 45.2 Jenna Cordonnier, Russia 139 62 44.6 Rosie Westerbeck, Minster 237 105 44.3 Kami McEldowney, Versaillers 221 97 43.9 Kenzie Schroer, NK 265 116 43.8 Macey Huelskamp, Anna 201 88 43.7 Courtney Prenger, Minster 192 83 43.2 Marissa Davis, Riverside 187 80 42.8 Hannah Fogt, Lehman 194 83 42.8 Paige Lane, Botkins 188 79 42.0 Macy Puthoff, NB 153 64 41.8 Kalin Kreglow, Riverside 188 78 41.5 Jenna Pitts, Botkins 131 54 41.2 Kayla Bergman, NB 142 58 40.9 Alicia Kessler, JC 103 41 40.0 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PCT. (50-or-more attempts) FGA FGM Pct. Kami McEldowney,Versailles 102 44 43.1 Maria Herron, Russia 108 45 41.7 Camille Watren,Versailles 53 22 41.5 Kami Ording, Versailles 50 20 40.0 Breah Kuck, Anna 61 24 39.3 Kenzie Schroer, NK 86 32 37.2 Paige Lane, Botkins 88 33 37.0 Kelly Naylor, NB 82 30 36.6 Carrie Nuss, Sidney 62 22 35.5 Alli Fischer, Minster 59 20 33.9 Kamryn Elchert, JC 99 33 33.3 Dana Jones,Riverside 93 30 32.3 Cassie Meyer,JC 78 25 32.1 Alina Kindle, Sidney 78 25 32.1 Reyan Frey, Fort Loramie 99 30 30.0 FREE THROW PERCENTAGE FTA FTM Pct. Rosie Westerbeck, Minster 73 60 82.2 Kami McEldowney, Versailles 81 62 76.5 Cameo Wilson,Russia 51 38 74.5 Taylor Ratermann, Loramie 50 37 74.0 Sarah Bergman, Botkins 106 78 73.6 Kenzie Schroer, NK 89 65 73.0 Sara Stang,Loramie 77 55 71.4 Courtney Prenger, Minster 92 63 68.5 Kennadie Reese, JC 57 39 68.4 Laurissa Poling, Russia 62 42 67.7 Jane Homan, NB 77 52 67.5 Celena Taborn, Sidney 164 110 67.1 Jenna Cordonnier, Russia 66 44 66.7 Jess Monnier, Houston 72 47 65.3 Paige Lane, Botkins 60 38 63.3 Cassie Meyer, JC 62 39 62.9 Macey Huelskamp, Anna 61 38 62.2 Jada Rowland, Anna 52 32 61.5 Hattie Meyer, Fort Loramie 54 33 61.1 REBOUNDING G OR DR TR Avg. Celena Taborn, Sidney 22 93 178 271 12.3 Sarah Bergman, Botkins 21 74 106 180 8.6 Marissa Davis, Riverside 22 95 92 187 8.5 Macey Huelskamp, Anna 21 67 106 173 8.2 Hannah Fogt, Lehman 21 70 101 171 8.1 Laurissa Poling,Russia 22 59 115 174 7.9 Sarah Monnier, Houston 22 61 86 147 6.9 Megan Jurosic, NK 22 46 85 131 6.0 Sara Stang, Loramie 22 55 73 128 5.8 Jane Homan, NB 11 57 68 125 5.7 Jess Monnier, Houston 22 49 77 126 5.7 Kayla Bergman, NB 22 53 60 113 5.2 Kiara Miller, Sidney 22 47 66 113 5.2 Danielle Winner, Versailles 21 43 61 104 5.0 ASSISTS Alli Fischer, Minster, 118; Camille Watren, Versailles, 86; Hayley Powers, Sidney, 79; Maria Herron, Russia, 74; Cassie Meyer, Jackson Center, 73; Kami McEldowney, Versailles, 72; Tiffany Hatcher, Russia, 70; Whitney Pleiman, Russia, 56; Macey Puthoff, New Bremen, 56; Kara Maier, Houston, 54; Rosie Westerbeck, Minster, 53; Kelly Naylor, New Bremen, 50; Taylor Ratermann, Loramie, 48; Kenzie Schroer, New Knoxville, 48; Alina Kindle, Sidney, 46; Paige Lane, Botkins, 46; Kennadie Reese, Jackson Center, 43; Carrie Nuss, Sidney, 42; Sarah Bergman, Botkins, 41; Hattie Meyer, Loramie, 40; Kaitlyn Luebke, Loramie, 40; Rebekah New, Houston, 37; Jenna Pitts, Botkins, 37; Jenna Cordonnier, Russia, 36; Shelby Giles, Riverside, 35; Alanna O Leary, Lehman, 35; Jane Homan, New Bremen, 35. STEALS Kara Maier, Houston, 68; Maria Herron, Russia, 60; Rosie Westerbeck, Minster, 57; Reyan Frey, Loramie, 56; Alanna O L e a r y, Lehman, 53; Grace Monnin, Lehman, 52; Kami McEldowney, Versailles, 52; Sarah Bergman, Botkins, 51; Tiffany Hatcher, Russia, 50; Alli Fischer, Minster, 50; Whitney Pleiman, Russia, 49; Kennadie Reese, Jackson Center, 47; Hattie Meyer, Loramie, 47; Marissa Davis, Riverside, 46; Ali Borgerding, Minster, 45; Courtney Prenger, Minster, 44; Kaitlyn Luebke, Loramie, 44; Jenna Cordonnier, Russia, 43; Taylor Ratermann, Loramie, 42; Cassie Meyer, Jackson Center, 41; Lindsay Roetgerman, Minster, 39; Jenna Pitts, Mike Ullery AIM Media Midwest Versailles Danielle Winner scores over the top of a Cincinnati Summit Country Day player during a Division III regional game at Springfield High School last Winner averaged five rebounds per game last Botkins, 38; Paige Lane, Botkins, 38; Taylor Kauffman, Anna, 36; Macey Huelskamp, Anna, 35. BLOCKED SHOTS Celena Taborn, Sidney, 88; Courtney Prenger, Minster, 82; Laurissa Poling, Russia, 53; Sarah Bergman, Botkins, 37; Olivia Clark, Jackson Center, 23; Danielle Winner, Versailles, 22; Jess Monnier, Houston, 22; Cassie Meyer, Jackson Center, 21; Jenna cordonnier, Russia, 21; Casey Woodall, Botkins, 21; Cameo Wilson, Russia, 17; Sara Stang, Loramie, 14; Hannah Fogt, Lehman, 14.