Three Rivers Conference (TRC) Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The TRC had an exciting year with a 3-way tie at the top of the conference. With many of the top players being underclassmen last year, much of the top players returned meaning we could see even more competitive matchups in 2023. The race might be even tighter between the 8 teams this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Contenders</span></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Milton-Union</em>- Bulldogs were great a year ago (19-5) and were one of the three teams that tied for the conference title. If that wasn't good enough news, Milton-Union also moved down to Division III for this year meaning they will be one of the top contenders out of that division. Returning are seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1505306' first='Blake' last='Brumbaugh']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1467908' first='Cooper' last='Brown']</strong> who were influential on both ends of the floor and bring the veteran leadership needed to have an edge in the conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Miami East</em>- Vikings have been one of the younger teams the last few seasons and again showed this in 2022. While they return a lot of those guys, no one is bigger than their combo of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1068246' first='Jacob' last='Roeth']</strong> (Jr) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1068245' first='Wes' last='Enis']</strong> (Jr). The combo of these two is one of the toughest offensive outputs in the area and could be a problem for years to come.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Troy Christian</em>- Eagles are one of the better defensive teams you'll find in Division IV and this upcoming year will be no different. Bringing back plenty of guys with experience including <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1467911' first='Parker' last='Penrod']</strong> (Jr), <strong>Ben Major</strong> (Sr), and <strong>Alex Free</strong> (Jr) will go a long way for TC and makes them a more comfortable pick to make a run to a possible District title. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Predicted Order of Finish</span></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true,"start":1} --> <ol start="1"><li>1. <strong><em>Milton-Union</em></strong>- Bulldogs have the senior leadership and two-way capabilities to win the conference outright this year. </li><li>2. <strong><em>Troy Christian</em></strong>- Win games with defensive basketball and should be able to win games in the conference off that alone. </li><li>3. <strong><em>Miami East</em></strong>- Arguably the best offensive output in the entire conference in Enis and Roeth, but likely a year away from really taking the next step.</li><li>4. <strong><em>Lehman Catholic</em></strong>- Could make biggest jump as they have best post player in the conference in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1362914' first='Justin' last='Chapman']</strong> (Sr). If their guard play is up to par, look out for them.</li><li>5. <strong><em>Northridge</em></strong>- Will be a younger team after graduating one of their best scorers in the conference. <strong>Baron White</strong> (So) has a ton of potential and bounce and is likely the next best player up-and-coming.</li><li>6. <strong><em>Bethel</em></strong>- Bring in a new coach and will be without their All-District guard (Casey Keesee). Could be a bit of a rebuild this year, especially now that the Bees are in Division II vs Division III.</li><li>7. <strong><em>Riverside</em></strong>- Really struggled last year, but have their top 2 back in <strong>Myles Platfoot</strong> (Jr) and <strong>Walker Whitaker</strong> (Sr). Not making massive jumps but should be improved. </li><li>8. <strong><em>Covington</em></strong>- Winners of 5 games last year and not bringing back anyone with substantial minutes. Moving down to Division IV and could face some challenges.</li></ol> <!-- /wp:list -->