SW Division 3 Sectional Preview

It's tournament time throughout the state of Ohio, and over the next few days. I'll take a look at some of the brackets, teams and players in Southwest Ohio as the sectional tournament begins next week in the Buckeye State!   The Division 1 and 2 draw will be this Sunday, so let's start today with Division 3 in Southwest Ohio.   OPENING ROUND MATCHUPS   @ Springfield   2/18- Belmont v Carroll 6:00   Ponitz v Trotwood Madison 7:30   2/19- West Carrollton v Butler 600   Tippecanoe v Bellefontaine 7:30   2/20- Bellbrook/Tecumseh v Fairborn 6:00   Greenville v Sidney 7:30   2/21- Chaminade Julienne v Stivers 1:00   Franklin v Piqua 2:30   @Western Brown   2/18- Aiken v Ross 6:00   Goshen v Turpin 7:30   @ Princeton   2/19- Monroe v Mount Healthy 6:00   2/21- Talawanda v Wilmington 11:00   Hamilton Badin v Hughes 12:30   Western Brown v Northwest 2:00     POTENTIAL 2nd ROUND MATCHUP TO WATCH   Butler V Tippecanoe   This would be Round 3 of the season as they play in the same conference, the Miami Valley League. Tippecanoe has beaten them twice already this season, this after Butler beat them twice last season.   They know each other well, too well. [player_tooltip player_id='966461' first='Abbi' last='Mader'] is the best player in her league and she is back from injury at full strength. Mady Turner is the breakout player for that team, big-time three-point shooter, but she picks her spots to score. Rarely will she drop 20 but she hit shots at big times. Butler has a very good junior duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1247590' first='Emma' last='Dady'] and [player_tooltip player_id='808887' first='Dillan' last='Bardonaro']. The last time these two teams played, it was complete domination by the Red Devils and Butler has not forgotten. If both teams get past their opener, which is very likely, buckle in for this one!   PLAYERS TO WATCH    Poised and complete guard with excellent handles, able to deal with pressure and be a natural leader. Good score, active defender with a good IQ.     Strong physical presence can do a lot with basketball. Not only can she score in the paint, but she can step outside and contribute. Excellent hands, her footwork is developed and she's getting better and better all the time. Major division one recruit.     One of Cincinnati's best kept secrets, is no longer a secret on the court. Jenike is a natural leader, and has led Western Brown to an incredible season and they're not done yet. The top Cincinnati team in D3 looks to make a run, and Jenike could be the force behind it.     I just saw this Eastern Kentucky recruit for the first time this season last week. Solid frame, powers it to the rim or step out and knock down the three. Love her all around game, strong mindset with a good IQ and the ability to be a tremendous leader.      It was Goshen and Western Brown battling it out in their conference this year, and Huxel was a strong force in Goshen's success. Excellent score and a solid defender, she also had the ability when needed to knock down the three. They have six in a row and in those games, she has been pretty dominant.      Monroe is the team that caught a lot of people's attention this year with an amazing second place finish behind Bellbrook in the SWBL. Buskirk is an outstanding leader as the Wittenberg recruit has outstanding height and a solid frame where she can crash the boards, rebound well and defend in the paint. Not flashy, just effective!     If you don't know this young lady yet, you will soon enough. I knew coming into the season she would be one of the states best freshman, and she has lived up to that billing, and then some. Strong physical kid who can maneuver in the paint to score. Outstanding on the boards!     The best post player in her conference, and it's not close. Emma has put together a very productive junior season with the Aviators, where she is second in the conference in scoring and number one in rebounding. She's got a great frame that can handle the physical play. Shoots 68% from the line which is very very close to what I would consider a benchmark for free throw shooting.     The most athletic player in this entire bracket, she might be the best athlete in Southwest Ohio, if not, she's very close. Not only is she having a memorable senior season with quickness, the ability to score inside or out and a great defensive presence, she's also one of the top soccer players in the country at her age.      Abbi is back and with a vengeance. It took her a game or two to gain her magic back, but look for her to raise her game up and be a stronger leader for Tipp. She's the best player in her league, effective as a mismatch from the outside with her size. Good handles and great moves in the paint.    SLEEPERS TO WATCH    She gets no love outside of the Dayton public schools, but she is extremely athletic, her quickness is uncanny and she can score on anybody she wants. The word somebody told just yesterday when I was talking about her was she's impossible to guard.      The only reason and I mean only reason she is listed as a sleeper is because I have not seen her yet in person or on film. But she is a scoring machine, averaging 29 per game and has scored 30 or more in her last five games. She has video game numbers, she probably has the best numbers of everybody in this bracket. Shooting 54 from the field, 42 from the three and an incredible 89 from the free-throw line.      The team has had an average season, right around .500. But Bosse had a very steady season, just tenths away from a double double on the season. She was held under double digits only twice this season, meaning she's consistent and her shooting percentages warrant the fact that she is a steady basketball player.    SLEEPER TEAM   A 6th seed or below that COULD sneak out and make it to the district finals. Hamilton Badin #6   They have a potential chance to get to the district championship game as a sixth seed. They open up with Hughes, the tenth seed before having to face off for the second time in the last couple of weeks against Oxford Talawanda. Even went off for 30 in their first meeting, but Talawanda got the victory. Would be very interesting to see a rematch in round two heading into the district finals.    MY PREDICTIONS   I think three of the four district champions out of that bracket are pretty cut and dry with Bellbrook, CJ and Carroll. The fourth district champion? Western Brown will have no trouble getting there, but they'll be staring right into the eyes of Tipp or Butler. Defensively I think Tipp's team would give the number one seed Broncos a very tough game. The WB offense may be a bit too much but time will tell.

It's tournament time throughout the state of Ohio, and over the next few days. I'll take a look at some of the brackets, teams and players in Southwest Ohio as the sectional tournament begins next week in the Buckeye State!