Top D1 Regional Performers

<p>Wednesday night was a great night for hoops as Centerville and Fairfield advanced in the OHSAA tournament to the Regional Finals. Both teams were victorious in the Cintas Center and setup a Saturday night heavyweight with a trip to UD Arena on the line. Who else impressed beyond just the victors?</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="867949" first="Lawrent" last="Rice"]</strong> (2023) <em>Wayne</em></p> <p>Rice has really seen his game evolve this year at Wayne as the leading scorer and player for the Warriors. The 6-foot-3 PG is seeing his game come together and he start to become clearly one of the top 5 players in Ohio in the 2023 class. Rice is a playmaker for himself and for his teammates. Makes the right reads, gets the ball to the right people, and evolved his shooting touch over the season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="921772" first="Kollin" last="Tolbert"] </strong>(2022) <em>Fairfield</em></p> <p>Tolbert is a competitor on the floor and brings that competitive spirit to the floor. Against Wayne, he read the defense and took what they threw at him. Through this Tolbert showed versatility scoring the ball both on the bounce and in the midrange. Confident and collected with the ball in his hands. Tolbert has seen his stock rise with the Indians as he’s been able to provide suitable scoring numbers against quality opponents.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="809630" first="Logan" last="Woods"]</strong> (2022) <em>Fairfield</em></p> <p>While the Indians have a lot of quality guards, Woods might be their most important piece. The Wright State commit has good size for a guard at 6-foot-4 and can be an issue in games. Woods takes pride on the defensive end and locks down his assignment with smart movements and quickness. When Fairfield needs buckets, he delivers in those moments. Woods plays with a ton of confidence on both ends of the floor.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1163474" first="Emmanuel" last="Deng"] </strong>(2023) <em>Centerville</em></p> <p>While I could easily but <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="809612" first="Tom" last="House"]</strong> (2022) or <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="921745" first="Rich" last="Rolf"]</strong> (2022) on this list solely off their offensive outings, I felt Deng deserved recognition as he did a lot for the Elks in their close win to Fairmont. On a night where the offense wasn’t there for Centerville, Deng brought intense defensive pressure and was a presence on the defensive end in different ways. Beyond being able to stay in front of the ball on the perimeter, he picked up a pivotal block down the stretch. Deng is a smart defender and understands his assignment and how to shut them down.</p> <p><strong>Aden Marrero</strong> (2023) <em>Fairmont</em></p> <p>Again, I could have easily put teammate <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="921793" first="Anthony" last="Johnson"]</strong> (2022) on this list. However Marrero played a role in Fairmont’s near upset on Centerville. The junior guard plays with a high motor on the defensive end. Reads passing lanes and bodies up with bigger players on the blocks. Marrero isn’t going to be a guy that provides 20+ points, but he can fit into a halfcourt offense and be the role guy needed to succeed.</p>