Northmont 1 and 2 Division III Preview
Photo Credit: Bryant Billing The Northmont brackets are home to some of the better teams in Dayton in Division III this year. Brookville and Anna are the early favorites to come out of the sectionals, but one cannot ignore CCC…
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The Northmont brackets are home to some of the better teams in Dayton in Division III this year. Brookville and Anna are the early favorites to come out of the sectionals, but one cannot ignore CCC teams Twin Valley South and Bethel as they try to play the role as Cinderella in the brackets. Below is game-by-game previews of the sectional brackets at Northmont this year.
Northmont 1
Twin Valley South over Greeneview- TVS has plenty of weapons in their backcourt and they face off against a Rams team that is 3rd to last in points allowed in the OHC this season. With Willie Bowman (2019) playing like an all-conference player, I predict the Panthers to advance.
Brookville over Greenon- The Blue Devils were awarded the #4 seed in Dayton and face off against a Greenon team that is 2nd to last in points allowed in the OHC. Brookville has so many weapons on the offensive end, it is difficult to see Greenon being able to defend the Blue Devils at all.
Twin Valley South over Versailles- After finishing off Greeneview, we expect a much different opponent for the Panthers. Versailles comes in with a strong strength of schedule playing in the tough MAC, but TVS is on a mission and has shown they can compete with tougher opponents. Bowman and company will win a close game.
Brookville over Indian Lake- Brookville meets the sole CBC team in the bracket and should have a tougher matchup against Indian Lake. The Lakers are a much better rebounding team and one of the better CBC teams when it comes to rim protection. However, the concern will be defending Brookville’s 1-2 bunch in the backcourt of Jacob Gudorf (2019) and Wade Turner (2019). Brookville should still advance.
Sectional Final: Brookville over Twin Valley South- We will get to see the much-anticipated rematch between Brookville and TVS. In their game on February 11th, Brookville won 60-58 on a game winning layup from Wes Turner (2019). The rematch will again be a great game. For Brookville, defending Willie Bowman and Jayden Bassler (2019) will be the key in holding the Panthers below 58 points. For TVS, they will need to increase the defensive pressure and try and force the Blue Devils into turning the ball over. Gudorf and Turner are not known to turn the ball over often which makes this such a game changer. As talented as Twin Valley South is, I think Brookville will prevail.
Northmont 2
Preble Shawnee over West Liberty-Salem- At one point this season, we expected the Tigers to be one of the top teams in Division III in Dayton. The Tigers have went 5-8 in 2019 and dropped to the #10 seed. They face a Preble Shawnee team that is in the similar boat, as they have won 1 of their last 8. The Arrows are led by sophomore Bryce Singleton (2021) who has been having a breakout year. WL-Salem has talent, but I predict an upset here as the Arrows will defensively shut down the Tigers offense and get out of their losing funk.
Anne over Carlisle- There isn’t much debate here. Anna has been the most dominant team in the SCAL this season, and Carlisle has struggled. Nolan Burney (2021) will try and give the Indians an edge, but Griffin Doseck (2020) and the rest of the Rockets defense will be able to control the game.
Bethel over Preble Shawnee- The Bees come in to their sectional opener against an Arrows team looking to build off an expected win over West Liberty-Salem. Bethel has a true utility player in Kendall James (2019), who averages nearly a double-double per game. With multiple weapons around him, I expect to see the Bees put up 60+ on an Arrows team that has struggled to defend more talented opponents this season.
Anna over Northeastern- We have another relatively easy game for the Rockets as they go up against a Jets team that has sat in the bottom of the OHC North. Anna has been an absolutely dominant team this season and I highly doubt Northeastern will be able to match the intensity and talent the Rockets bring.
Sectional Final: Anna over Bethel- The Rockets go up against their toughest opponent in the bracket. Bethel brings a sense of athleticism and disciple as they have had success in the past. Kendall James, and Jacob Evans (2019) will be X-factors as the Bees try to spoil Anna’s postseason run. The Rockets are led by guards Bart Bixler (2020) and Riley Huelskamp (2020) who make up a very strong Rockets backcourt. Add Doseck in the paint and I believe Anna has the all-around talent to take out Bethel in this sectional final.