Southwest Ohio Collides at Xavier this Weekend: Prospects to Watch (D-I)

We have reached the district finals here in Ohio, and it couldn’t be a more exciting time for basketball in our state. Most of the college teams are having great seasons, with the obvious top school being the University of Dayton, and then there are some top-notch prospects competing at those very same arenas for their chances at bringing home a state title. Xavier University will host 4 exciting matches that surely won’t disappoint in Div-I. Lakota East vs Beavercreek Did Not meet in the regular season. [player_tooltip player_id="921752" first="Adam" last="Duvall"] is going to be key in this matchup for Beavercreek. The 2022 big man is going to match up well with [player_tooltip player_id="588898" first="Alex" last="Mangold"]. Both have a similar play style, but Adam can really expand the floor with his deep-ball efficiency. He will need to have a defensive presence on the inside to not only slow Mangold down, but a very good slasher, [player_tooltip player_id="800847" first="Kaden" last="Fuhrmann"], as well. Defensively, the Beavers are going to need to be sound. Lakota simply has too many weapons in [player_tooltip player_id="593930" first="Nate" last="Johnson"], [player_tooltip player_id="588898" first="Alex" last="Mangold"], [player_tooltip player_id="800847" first="Kaden" last="Fuhrmann"], and [player_tooltip player_id="921807" first="Jadon" last="Coles"]. For East, [player_tooltip player_id="593930" first="Nate" last="Johnson"] has to bounce back from his performance last game. The 2021 guard showed great competitiveness despite struggling offensively against Turpin. If he can heat up and take over like his usual self, East will be able to control the game. They have great depth offensively, and they proved that last week versus Turpin. Moeller vs Springboro Did Not meet in the regular season. Moeller is arguably the best all-around team in the state of Ohio. They have about 4 or 5 prospects with division 1 offers at the moment, and only one of them is a senior. In this matchup, I look for [player_tooltip player_id="714474" first="Logan" last="Duncomb"] to dominate. He will be the biggest guy on the floor, and this is the type of game where he could finish with 20pts and 10reb. [player_tooltip player_id="588895" first="Max" last="Land"] always controls the game and gets his points, but I am looking forward to Moeller feeding the big man and letting him feast. At the end of it all though, [player_tooltip player_id="588895" first="Max" last="Land"], [player_tooltip player_id="834668" first="Alex" last="Williams"], [player_tooltip player_id="714474" first="Logan" last="Duncomb"], or [player_tooltip player_id="714481" first="Will" last="McCracken"] can all have monstrous games, and they usually feed whose hot. Springboro is going to need its best team performance of the year for this matchup. Willieon Yates is going to need to continue to feed his teammates, but taking care of the ball is going to be his priority. I’m also looking for Noah Moser to have a big game. He is 6-10 from downtown in his last three games. We will see if he can catch fire and hit from deep efficiently. Centerville vs Lakota West Did Not meet in the regular season. This is going to be a great matchup. Centerville is a lengthy team with multiple threats. However, we will see how they match up against a much smaller, guard-centered Lakota West. I expect Centerville to keep the game at a moderate pace and use their size to their advantage. [player_tooltip player_id="917419" first="Mo" last="Njie"] will have almost half a foot on West’s biggest player, and then you add his brother [player_tooltip player_id="616819" first="Kebba" last="Njie"] and other forwards [player_tooltip player_id="921745" first="Rich" last="Rolf"] and [player_tooltip player_id="809612" first="Tom" last="House"] to the mix. All of those players are about 6’6" or taller, which is a couple of inches on West’s 6’4" tallest player. Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id="867934" first="Gabe" last="Cupps"], Jayson Hayes, and Drew Thompson are going to have to be elite. The reason for needing an elite defense against West? Senior guards [player_tooltip player_id="917442" first="Julian" last="Mackey"] and [player_tooltip player_id="917497" first="Carter" last="Combs"] are the reason. Both are capable of having break out performances on a consistent basis. Combs is coming off a 27 point game, and Mackey had 34 the game before that. I expect them to want to push the floor and play small ball with Centerville. Lakota could use a dual outburst of scoring from the pair to advance. La Salle vs St. Xavier La Salle swept season matchups 50-47 and 51-42. If you have noticed already, the GCL south is loaded with 3 of its 4 teams playing for a district final. This game is going to have the best atmosphere of the night. The teams have played each other in close contests twice this year already, and I’m sure this time will be no different. La Salle is a versatile team when it comes to scoring. [player_tooltip player_id="917444" first="Jaylen" last="Lemons"], [player_tooltip player_id="918984" first="Justin" last="Lovette"], Jeffrey Queen, Ayden Schneider, and [player_tooltip player_id="711963" first="Derek" last="Eddings"] are all players to watch. Jaylen shoots remarkably well from deep, Justin is a slasher and isn’t afraid of contact, Jeffrey has scored double digits in both previous contests, Ayden can put up a highlight and is an efficient scorer, and Derek is coming off a 21 and 15 point performance. St. Xavier has some talented prospects as well. Kobe Rodgers scored 12 and 18 in the matchups during the season and has scored 15+ with 4 assists in his last four games. Hank Thomas can be a major factor in this matchup as well. He leads St. X in ppg with 15, and he is an inside presence both offensively and defensively. He is averaging over 7 rebounds a game. Avery Wilson and Joe Kirby will need to step up to match the depth of La Salle.     <div> </div>