Southwest District Preview: Division III

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tournament coverage continues with a look at the 3 District brackets in Southwest Ohio in Division III. One of the top teams in the state this year (Miami East) calls this District home and will be heavily favored to come out and represent the area at UD Arena in March.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Southwest 1</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Top Teams: Tri-Village (3), Greeneview (3), Dixie (5)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sleeper Team: Cincinnati Country Day- The Nighthawks have been competitive throughout the year losing 4 games in 2023 by 5 points or less. With a younger core of guys to lean on, CCD has some favorable matchups upcoming that could allow them a few upset opportunties.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Evaluation: Tri-Village comes out of the top bracket as one of the more competitive teams in the Dayton area after moving up from Division IV last year. The Patriots have won nearly every game since the calendar turned by double digits. Having guys like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1201864' first='Dalton' last='DeLong']</strong> (Sr) and <strong>Wilson Suggs</strong> (Sr) that were part of the D-IV State Runner-Up last year gives the Patriots the pedigree to remain one of the better teams in the area. Dixie likely looks to be the closest seed in their sectional, but previously was beaten 56-42 by Tri-Village earlier this year. Beating the Patriots will come down to how well teams defend their guards. Greeneview is the highest seed on the bottom sectional and has a 3-headed senior trio in <strong>Carter Williams</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1052788' first='Ethen' last='Caudill']</strong>, and <strong>Myles Witt</strong>. The Rams shoot the ball extremely well and can rack up points in a hurry. Cincinnati Country Day and Gamble Montessori likely have the best chance to challenge the Rams in their sectional. CCD has upset potential with their resume while Gamble has 2 of the top 5 scorers in the CMAC in <strong>Dalon Owensby</strong> and <strong>Taron Patterson</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Predicted FInal: Tri-Village vs Greeneview</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Southwest 2</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Top Teams: Madeira (1), Preble Shawnee (2), Georgetown (7), Versailles (7)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sleeper Team: Versailles- The Tigers have won 6 straight games including beating Russia and Marion Local. They enter the tournament with one of the better players in the MAC in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1419893' first='Connor' last='Stonebraker']</strong> (Sr) and compete even in their “down” years. The Tigers can't be overlooked.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Evaluation: Madeira is the highest seed in the District and has shown they can beat many different types of teams with their physical-defensive focused approach. <strong>Conner Cravaack</strong> (Sr) is an Akron football commit and brings that physicality that few teams will have an answer for in the Sectional. Georgetown could challenge as they return <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1285258' first='Carson' last='Miles']</strong> (Sr) after a Regional Final run last year. Preble Shawnee has been one of the better teams out of Dayton this year and has one of the top players in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1067753' first='Mason' last='Shrout']</strong> (Jr). If there's a team that can challenge them, it'll be Versailles in the Sectional. Stonebraker will be a force for the Arrows to prepare for.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Predicted Final: Madeira vs Preble Shawnee</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Southwest 3</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Top Teams: Miami East (1), Summit Country Day (2), Carlisle (4), Williamsburg (4)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sleeper Team: Indian Lake- The Lakers have been a District Finalist the past 2 years and this year seems to be no different. They have one of the best players in the CBC in <strong>Caiden Nicol</strong> (Jr) scoring 19 points per game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Evaluation: Miami East enters their sectional as the top seed and the most consistent team in the area. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1068245' first='Wes' last='Enis']</strong> (Jr) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1068246' first='Jacob' last='Roeth']</strong> (Jr) have been on a tear this year and should continue through the tournament. Indian Lake can be a possible sleeper if they get past Carlisle. If not, the Indians will likely be the best bet to take on the Vikings. Summit Country Day, Williamsburg and Mariemont are top 5 seeds in the bottom sectional. Summit has lost 2 of their last 3 games but is one of the better coached teams in CIncinnati. Mariemont's record may not be great (13-9), but they've played a brutal schedule during the year and have one of the top scorers in the CHL in <strong>Tim Stewart</strong> (Sr). Williamsburg has won 12 straight games and are loaded with seniors with experience and size.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Predicted Final: Miami East vs Mariemont</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->