By Dean Eversole
MaxPreps.com
Basketball season is in full swing in Ohio as all teams have finally taken the court. As usual, the schools that had deep football playoff runs were forced to back load their schedules, but even they have now seen the court multiple times.
One of the most interesting side notes to the season is Upper Sandusky's Jon Diebler. The Ohio State-bound Diebler continues his assault on the state's all-time career scoring record. Jay Burson, who played for New Concord from 1981-85, holds the record with 3,958. Diebler currently stands with 3,399 points through the first month of the season.
The sweet shooting forward is averaging over 40 points a game in seven games, including a 63-point outburst against Cincinnati St. Xavier. At this pace, he should easily pass Burson during the season.
Speaking of St. Xavier, once again the Bombers are proving that there is more than football at the Cincinnati school. X is 9-1 on the year including a 100-98 overtime win over Diebler and his Rams.
Joining the Bombers in making the Greater Catholic League a force in basketball is Cincinnati Moeller. A balanced squad led by the scoring trio of Quinn McDowell, Troy Tabler, and Terry Martin, the Crusaders stand at 9-0 after winning the McClintock Invitational held in Tempe, Arizona.
Toss in Cincinnati Elder (7-1) and Cincinnati Princeton (7-1) and one could make the argument that perhaps the Queen City's basketball teams are more daunting than its football programs.
Defending D-II champion Dayton Dunbar has wasted little time in rounding into form. Despite losing Daequan Cook to graduation, the Wolverines feature 6-9 Aaron Poque and are 7-1 after surviving an upset bid by D-III Dayton Jefferson.
Down in Division III, there were many wondering out loud how North College Hill would react to losing two of the nation's top prep players; the answer, not bad. The Trojans stand at 4-4, but have won three-straight and are led by Damon Butler, who leads the team in scoring and assists.
On the girls' side of things there was a very interesting match up in rural Darke County this past Tuesday, pitting Versailles against Greenville. What makes this local rivalry so interesting is the presence of two of the state's most sought after recruits, Versailles Justine Raterman and Greenville's Maci Blinn.
Separated by 12 miles the two schools have been flooded by D-I coaches hoping to land the commitment of the juniors. Neither has given any indications which way they are learning, but Stanford, Florida State, Purdue, and Iowa appear to be aggressive suitors for the 6-2 Raterman, who will only say that a decision will be made before the start of the next season. Blinn also has given no hint as to which way she leans, but Illinois looks to be the front runner at this point.
In their head-to-head matchup Raterman's Tigers downed Blinn's squad, 62-52. The two did not disappoint as Raterman recorded 13 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Blinn dropped in 28 points for Greenville.