Ohio Division 2 State Tournament Preview

Jim Dabbelt March 9, 2020 @ 04:21 PM

The OHSAA 2020 State Tournament begins on Thursday afternoon with the first session of games being the Division Two Final Four. The last two years, Toledo Rogers brought home the D2 crown, but a new face will be crowned champions on Saturday morning. The opening game pits Dayton Carroll out of the Greater Catholic League Co-Ed against Beloit West Branch from the Eastern Buckeye Conference. Head coach Walt Deshields is closing in on 300 wins at West Branch, and brings a battle tested team into Columbus, as they won their last three tournament games by a total of 13 points. They know how to win the close games. Carroll was tested once in the post-season, in their final game of the regionals where they survived 41-38 to get to the final four. Carroll has won their last nine consecutive games with their last loss a 44-37 defeat to D1 state power Kettering Fairmont. Tri Valley has also put together a solid winning streak, capturing their last 12 consecutive games which included a heart-stopping 45-43 overtime win against previously-unbeaten Circleville in the regional finals. The Scotties reside in the Muskingum Valley League and their head coach Kurt Kauffman is six wins from a milestone of 100 career wins. Napoleon comes into their semi-final game a perfect 27-0 and only had one game this season in single-digits. They are a solid club out of the Northern Lakes League. Thursday, 1pm- Dayton Carroll (25-3) vs Beloit West Branch (24-3) Probable Starters Dayton Carroll G Sarah Ochs, 5’5" Soph. (10.2 ppg) G Ava Lickliter, 5’6" Jr. (6.8 ppg, 3.2 apg) G [player_tooltip player_id="89290" first="Allie" last="Stefanek"]. 5’7" Sr. (6.6 ppg, 3.5 apg) F Megan Leraas, 5’10" Jr. (9.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg) F [player_tooltip player_id="32533" first="Julia" last="Keller"], 6’ Sr. (13.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg) West Branch G Carly Scarpitti, 5’6" Sr. (6.8 ppg, 4.1 apg) F Hannah Ridgway, 5’10" Sr. (10.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg) G Anna Lippiatt, 5’11" Soph. (5.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg) G [player_tooltip player_id="89252" first="Peyton" last="Alazaus"], 5’10" Sr. (13.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg) C Jessica Bock, 6’1" Sr. (5.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg) The skinny: Carroll battled a tough Roger Bacon team to advance out of the Springfield Regionals. Carroll is 23-5 overall on the season and will bring a scrappy bunch who successfully utilizes the perimeter game, as Keller was honored as a first-team all-district player. West Branch makes their fourth trip to Columbus and will be led by Alazaus and Ridgway, a solid one-two punch for the Warriors.   Thursday, 3pm- Dresden Tri-Valley (22-3) vs Napoleon (27-0) Probable Starters Tri-Valley G [player_tooltip player_id="93546" first="Lexi" last="Howe"], 5’9" Fresh. (11.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg) G Kyndal Howe, 5’10" Sr. (8.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg) G Riley Tracy, 5’9" Jr. (9.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg) G [player_tooltip player_id="89289" first="Audrey" last="Spiker"], 5’8" Sr., (8.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg) F Lauren King, 5’6" Sr., (8.6 ppg, 3.6 apg) Napoleon G [player_tooltip player_id="89279" first="Shae" last="Pedroza"], 5’5" Sr., (9.7 ppg, 2.3 apg) G Caely Ressler, 5’11" Jr., (10.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.2 apg) G [player_tooltip player_id="91131" first="Taylor" last="Strock"], 5’8" Jr., (12.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg) F Kalli Helberg, 5’9" Jr., (4.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg) F Cait Good, 5’8" Sr., (4.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg) The skinny: Tri Valley has five starters as even as you can get. Top freshman prospect [player_tooltip player_id="93546" first="Lexi" last="Howe"] is a multi-dimensional guard who leads them in scoring at 11.6 points per game. All five starters are between 8.4-11.6, meaning you can’t focus on any one kid. Napoleon has three key offensive threats who can all do damage. Pedorza is a solid senior leader who can score from the perimeter, while Ressler is a solid complete kid in multiple aspects of the game and Strock is also a strong kid who can make things happen as a leader.   STATE FINAL: Saturday, March 14, 10:45 am.