A severe snowstorm took center stage of the high school sports scene in much of southern Ohio early last week as school officials and teams struggled to reschedule events at a convenient time.
Several high school basketball games and some conference swimming meets were postponed or altogether canceled as most schools took a snow day on Tuesday and Wednesday in Greater Cincinnati.
Some area basketball coaches planned for a makeup game on Wednesday only to see it get postponed again with another batch of snow and frigid temperatures. Many teams weren’t allowed to practice since school was not in session.
Ursuline Academy (Cincinnati) girls basketball coach David Loper, whose team was on the verge of winning the Girls’ Greater Cincinnati League Scarlet division title before the snowstorm Tuesday, said there isn’t much a team can do when a snowstorm cancels games and practice.
"You just hope the kids go to the workout centers and run and shoot," Loper said.
As the regular season winds down for boys and girls basketball teams, it became increasingly difficult to reschedule. The girls basketball sectional tournament starts Monday. Several teams opted to play this past weekend or not reschedule games at all.
2. McDonald’s All-American nominees: Columbus Northland power forward Jared Sullinger (Ohio State commit) and Chaminade-Julienne forward Samarie Walker (UConn) were among the Ohio boys and girls basketball standouts, respectively, to be named to the McDonald’s All-American Game in March. Sullinger and Walker are on the final rosters, which were announced late last week. Only 24 boys and 24 girls high school players nationally were selected for the final roster. The games are March 31 at Value City Arena in Columbus.
Prior to Thursday, several Cincinnati-area boys and girls basketball players were nominated for the game last week, including Aiken forward Kenny Knight (Kent State signee), Bethel-Tate forward Louie Schaljo, Moeller forward Griffin McKenzie (Xavier), Princeton guard Jordan Sibert (Ohio State) and Winton Woods forward Allen Payne (Auburn). The girls basketball players nominated included Colerain guard Ashley Wanninger (Xavier), Walnut Hills guard Phylesha Bullard (Syracuse) and Walnut Hills forward Tayler Stanton (Kent State).
3. Moeller wrestling wins league title: The Archbishop Moeller wrestling team won its 17th Greater Catholic League South division title on Saturday as it edged Elder, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Moeller had all 14 wrestlers reach the final round as the Crusaders defeated Elder 259.5 to 258.5. "Both teams just wrestled their hearts out," Moeller coach Jeff Gaier told the publication. "I don’t think there has ever been a GCL tournament I’ve been involved with that’s been this exciting."
4. Madison clinches league title: Madison (Middletown) defeated Waynesville 53-31 Feb. 8 to clinch the Southwestern Buckeye League Buckeye Division girls basketball title, according to the Dayton Daily News. Madison improved to 19-0 overall and 11-0 in the league after it led 29-6 at halftime. Lindsay Hoskins and Ashley Cox scored 12 points each to lead Madison.
5. Spring draws near: High school baseball and softball pitchers and catchers are allowed to begin practice on Feb. 22. The season officially begins March 29 in Ohio although the weather often causes problems early in the season with rain and cold weather. Southwest Ohio has two returning state team champions. Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati) won the Division I baseball state title last spring, while Ross (Hamilton) won the Division II softball title.
Among the outstanding efforts this week
Sarah Evans, Seven Hills girls basketball: The senior guard recently eclipsed the 1,000-point mark, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. She had 14 points in a game Feb. 8 to reach 1,008 points for her career.
Shelby Sheets, Fayetteville girls basketball: The junior guard broke the single-game school record with 16 assists on Feb. 8, according to the Enquirer. She had 12 points and 10 rebounds in a 79-26 win over Felicity.
Lakin Louiso, Glen Este girls basketball: The junior guard had 20 points, four assists and two steals as host Glen Este defeated Harrison 53-42. It was the second time this season Louiso scored at least 20 points in a game.
Looking ahead
Taft at Winton Woods boys basketball, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday: Two of the top teams in the Cincinnati area this season. Taft is ranked No. 1 in the Cincinnati Enquirer Divisions II-IV area coaches poll, while Winton Woods is No. 4 in the Enquirer Division I poll. Winton Woods senior forward Allen Payne (Auburn) and Taft sophomore standout forward Adolphus Washington are among the leaders.
Bishop Fenwick at Roger Bacon boys basketball, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday: Two of the better teams in the Greater Catholic League this winter. Roger Bacon is led by junior center Jared Bryant and senior guard Jorian Hudson (Cincinnati football signee). Fenwick is led by junior forward Evan Ludwig, junior guard Brent Langhorn and senior guard Tyler Murphy.
Ursuline vs. Hamilton at Liberty Township Lakota East, girls basketball, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday: Top-seeded Ursuline opens the Division I sectional tournament against No. 33 seed Hamilton. Ursuline is led by senior forward Desirae Ball, who is committed to Saint Louis.
Recruiting news
Columbus DeSales senior running back/defensive back Adam Griffin (5-9, 185) signed with Ohio State on Thursday. Griffin is the son of two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, who played at Ohio State from 1972-75. … Indiana has offered Winton Woods junior linebacker Antonio Poole (6-1, 225). Poole also has offers from Cincinnati and Bowling Green. … Dayton Dunbar junior wide receiver Roger Williamson (6-2, 180) has added offers from Ball State and North Carolina State. He also has an offer from Toledo.
Random thoughts
Fairborn High School girls bowling coach Jack Gregory was named the 2009 Coach of the Year in Ohio for bowling, according to the Dayton Daily News. Fairborn won the state title in 2006 and was state runner-up in ’07 and ’08, according to the publication. …Springboro won its first Greater Western Ohio Conference wrestling tournament title Feb. 7 after snow caused a delay in the start of the tournament, according to the Dayton Daily News. …Cincinnati Country Day freshman guard D.J. Wingfield is the son of former NBA player and Cincinnati Bearcats standout Dontonio Wingfield.
