Eyes on the 937!- Division 2 Teams to Watch

The 2021-22 season should have a lot of outstanding talent around Ohio, including some very good teams competing in Division 2 for a trip to the state final four. Here are 7 Division 2 teams from the Dayton area expected to compete well this season. Reminder a complete look at the upcoming high school season begins in November with a breakdown of several of the conferences in Ohio. <span style="font-family: ’arial black’, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Eyes on the 937! Division 2 teams to watch</span></strong></span> <span style="font-family: ’arial black’, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Dayton Carroll</span></strong></span> A team that is no stranger to the final four, Carroll has been there several times in the last several years. They lost in the semis last season, and return some solid talent. Leading the way is one of the most underrated guards in Ohio, 5-6 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="159378" first="Sarah" last="Ochs"]. She is the consummate point guard, able to run the show and determine tempo. Great shooter, hard-nosed defender. Charlotte Ruble is another experienced 2022 back as the 5-5 guard competes well and looks to make plays for her team. Expect her role to increase this season. <span style="font-family: ’arial black’, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><img class="size-medium wp-image-325773 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/47-Caraline-Kernan.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />Kettering Alter</span></strong></span> It may be a bit premature to say they are "back"... but they are coming. The Knights are very talented and look to return to the success they enjoyed a few years ago. They are very talented up and down the lineup. Key 2022’s back are 5-8 Emma Hansley, 5-8 [player_tooltip player_id="269820" first="Caraline" last="Kernan"] <em>(pictured right) </em>and 5-10 [player_tooltip player_id="269818" first="Karlie" last="Romer"] all return as leaders. All three can defend and create scoring for Alter. Fast-rising 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="217360" first="Riley" last="Smith"] has seen her stock explode with D1 offers as she continues to improve. She is a mismatch nightmare, can control the perimeter and run the floor. <span style="font-family: ’arial black’, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Thurgood Marshall</span></strong></span> It’s time for the Cougars to show what they have got. They have the talent to make a nice run, led by 5-5 2024 Morganne Postel, an athletic guard who can do it all. She scores, handles the ball and creates off her defense. [player_tooltip player_id="280108" first="Samara" last="Gibson"] is a 5-7 2024 point guard with excellent ball skills, distributes well and sees the floor. Also Makayla Williams is a 5-7 2024 who plays the wing, can let it fly, score from the outside and defend. <span style="font-family: ’arial black’, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Tippecanoe</span></strong></span> They have enjoyed a lot of tradition over the years, but saw their seven-year District trip come to an end last season. They will not have the height from last year, but returns 5-11 2023 Alexa Mader, who has shown a lot of improvement over the summer. She is very multi-dimensional and can do a lot for her team. Olivia Spiller is also back as the 5-7 2022 can light up the scoreboard from the perimeter. Ashley Aselage gives them height at 6-foot as the 2023 is long and athletic, can score around the rim. Newcomer [player_tooltip player_id="270608" first="Makenzie" last="Chinn"] comes over from Tecumseh and the 2023 guard will make an immediate impact with her long range game. <span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: ’arial black’, sans-serif;"><strong>Trotwood Madison</strong></span> One of the states best is back for another year, as 5-6 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="93553" first="Raeven" last="Raye-Redmond"] is an incredible athlete, can defend on-ball as good as anyone, and creates off her defense. Jaylen Dixon is a 5-5 2023, Nyha Chambers is 5-4 2022 and Kristen Cantrell is a 5-8 2022 from Dunbar who all add to their attack. They love to push tempo and have the athletes who can do it. Losing Q Huffman was big, but they will bring some talent back to make another run. <span style="font-family: ’arial black’, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Urbana</span></strong></span> They are the defending CBC divisional champions, but lost one of the top players in the conference. Youth will be served with the Hillclimbers as they will count on two freshman a lot this season. They will be led by 5-5 2022 Maleah Murphy who runs the offense. She is quick and agile, able to create plays. The top freshman in her conference will be [player_tooltip player_id="319068" first="Peyton" last="Mounce"], a 5-10 multi-dimensional player who brings a lot of potential to the table. I love her intensity and she does a lot to make her team better. Also 5-6 2025 Lyza Forson will contribute right away. She is a small forward who can guard bigger players and is a good rebounder. Once she develops her perimeter game, she will be a bigger factor. <span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: ’arial black’, sans-serif;"><strong>Valley View</strong></span> The Spartans did lose some talent to graduation, but they also return a lot of talent. It starts with their big two, 5-11 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="32608" first="Claire" last="Henson"], a player who can play multiple positions on the floor <em>(feature photo above)</em>. She can penetrate and score or let it fly from behind the arc. She is joined by 5-10 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="216007" first="Riley" last="Hodson"], a player who can not only defend at a high level, she has developed into a very impressive all around player. She continues to improve her game. Watch for 2024s Ellie Reed and Ella Ferguson. &nbsp;