D2 Southwest District Previews

<p>Our tournament coverage continues with a look at the Division II District brackets in Southwest Ohio as the brackets feature some of the best teams in the state in Alter and Woodward.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Southwest 1</span></p> <p>Top Teams: Woodward, Oakwood, Chaminade-Julienne</p> <p>Possible Sleeper: Dunbar is playing some of their best basketball at the time and has the athleticism to compete with the younger C-J Eagles. A then matchup with Oakwood would be another true test before the Wolverines even reach the District Final.</p> <p>District Final: Woodward over Dunbar- Dunbar upset the Bulldogs in January 70-64, but to beat Woodward twice is a tough task. Woodward has <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="616817" first="Paul" last="McMillan IV"]</strong> who can simply take over a game when he wants to. McMillan has never made it to the District Finals and likely won’t allow himself to be upset twice.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Southwest 2</span></p> <p>Top Teams: Taylor, Roger Bacon, Ponitz</p> <p>Possible Sleeper: Trotwood-Madison- The Rams are one of the youngest teams in the state with 4 sophomores starting in their lineup. A potential rematch with Ponitz in the tournament could sway their way if <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1068237" first="Delamarr" last="Blanton"]</strong> and <strong>Tim Carpenter</strong> can have breakout performances.</p> <p>District Final: Ponitz over Taylor- This will be a great offensive matchup between Ponitz junior <strong>Dayjuan Anderson</strong> and Taylor senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1045462" first="Danny" last="Austing"]</strong>. Taylor has the experience and seniors, but Ponitz has the schedule and the athleticism/speed. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Southwest 3</span></p> <p>Top Teams: Alter, Ross. Wyoming</p> <p>Possible Sleeper: Hughes- The Big Red face a tough stretch with matchups potentially with Batavia, McNicholas, and Ross/Wyoming. They have a great player in <strong>JaeSean Martin</strong> and if he can get into a groove on the offensive end could give Hughes that momentum shift needed to make a run.</p> <p>District Final: Alter over Wyoming- Rematch of the 2020 District Finals, Alter has been the favorites in Southwest Ohio since November with great play from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="809602" first="Jacob" last="Conner"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="967172" first="Ryan" last="Chew"]</strong> this season. Can’t sleep on Wyoming who has won 9 of their last 12 games entering the tournament.</p>