A Scout’s Take in Division I sectional action

Wednesday night basketball action at Centerville High School did not disappoint. Wayne defeated Beavercreek 53-49 and Fairmont knocked off Butler 64-53 to setup a matchup between the winners Saturday night. All night, several players impressed me, and many of the teams played different styles of offense. I take a look back at my notebook and share a scout’s thoughts on the night. Beavercreek- The Beavers gave everything they had against a tough Wayne team, falling 53-49 in their sectional matchup. Coach Mark Hess’ team played strong fundamental defense that created headaches for Wayne early on. James Hymes (2019) and Yousef Saleh (2020) were great on the ball defenders and made Warriors guards change their style of play after struggling early on. Chris Herbort (2020) was impressive to me as he played much different than the last time I saw him. Previously a 3 Point specialist, Herbort played much more aggressive during the game, beating his man off the dribble and scoring more in the paint and in traffic than behind the arc. Overall, this Beavers team has good talent returning in Saleh, Adam Duvall (2022) and Isaiah Moore (2021) to build around. Fairmont- The Firebirds for the 2nd time in a row eliminated Butler from the tournament in the sectional round. Ryan Hall (2019) was impressive again as he really did everything for the Firebirds, including distributing the ball, scoring in traffic and beyond the arc, and even took a charge late against the Aviators. Andre O’Daniel (2020) stepped up and showed us he could be a consistent outside threat for the Firebirds as well as Kellan Bochenek (2019), who defensively made his mark outrebounding Butler’s bigs. The Firebirds used a 4 guard offense that allowed anyone to attack off the dribble and resulted in more points in the paint then outside shots. They came out face guarding Braedon Norman (2019) and took him out of the game entirely on the offensive end. A tough, well coached unit, Fairmont will prove to be a challenge for Wayne in the District semifinal. Wayne- The Warriors held on to win, but it wasn’t the prettiest game to watch. The backcourt turned the ball over several times against a sound Beavercreek team that forced Wayne to play in the half-court to start the game. Fortunately, Ronnie Hampton (2019) stepped up and provided the much needed spark on the offensive end which resulted in big plays down the stretch. Wayne lacks a true big man. The downside to this is they sometimes struggle on the glass and attacking from the post. The positive side however, is defensively they are able to switch on ball screens and never have a true mismatch. Going 8-9 deep, coach Nathan Martindale uses a consistent rotation that keeps the Warriors out of fatigue and foul trouble. They will need to attack the paint consistently against Fairmont if they are to continue their postseason success. Butler- The Aviators went down 64-53 to Fairmont in what ended up being their second season ending in the sectional round. Although the Aviators were patient on the offensive end, it was clear shots were forced, especially in the paint. Throughout the night, Butler missed several opportunities on the offensive end. Braedon Norman was face guarded the entire night. Bryant Johnson (2019) could not get into a groove, and although Michael Kreill (2019) ultimately provided the Aviators with their inside scoring, it wasn’t enough to overpower a very tough Fairmont team. At the end of the day, this Butler team went from a 2-21 finish a few seasons ago, to back-to-back 20 win seasons, including a GWOC North title this season. The Aviators aren’t going away and have talent returning next season that will allow them to stay competitive when they move to the Miami Valley League in the Winter.