Springfield 1 and 2 Division II bracket preview
Photo Credit: Nate Smith The Springfield bracket in Division II is an interesting one. After Trotwood placed themselves on the bracket, seeds 2 through 7 selected to go away the Rams, avoiding them completely in the sectional tournament. As a…
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Continue ReadingPhoto Credit: Nate Smith
The Springfield bracket in Division II is an interesting one. After Trotwood placed themselves on the bracket, seeds 2 through 7 selected to go away the Rams, avoiding them completely in the sectional tournament. As a result, the Springfield 1 bracket will be a tough one to pick as many of the teams have faced each other in the regular season. In Springfield 2, Trotwood will not see much opposition through the sectional as their talent level is far superior. Here is a look at the Springfield bracket.
Springfield 1
Northridge over Graham- At one point earlier in the season, I felt the Graham Falcons were one of the top teams in the bracket. Instead, a 3-7 record in 2019 has seen the Falcons drop in the rankings and ultimately find themselves sitting in the #7 seed. They drew a Northridge team that has been on a winning streak through 2019. The Polar Bears will continue their winning ways and will be too much athletically for Graham to handle.
Urbana over Shawnee- Urbana has already defeated the Braves once this season by 23, so they will go in already knowing what to expect. Both teams have struggled throughout the year on the offensive end, as both averaged less than 50 points per game. At the end of the day, Urbana is the better defensive team and will win their second game against the Braves.
Northridge over Kenton Ridge- I expect the Polar Bears to continue their playoff run. They have the 2nd highest scorer in the SWBL in Twon Hines (2019) and have shown they can score in bunches averaging 64 points per game. Kenton Ridge although great post defenders, have struggled to create turnovers against opponents.
Benjamin Logan over Urbana- Ben Logan is the bigger team and the more consistent team throughout the season. For Urbana to have a shot of pulling an upset, they will need to win the battle on the glass as Nolan Robson (2019 is a difference maker for the Raiders. Urbana has played well on the defensive end, but their inability to score in high amounts will drag them down.
Sectional Final: Northridge over Benjamin Logan- In the expected final, Northridge will face the toughest team out of the CBC in the bracket. The Raiders have several players over 6 feet tall that will make them a threat in the low post. Northridge is one of the best on-the-ball defensive teams in the bracket and will need to create turnovers on a Raiders team that doesn’t turn the ball over much. In the end, I feel Northridge with Hines and Charles Drewery (2019) will be too much for the Raiders to defend and will continue their winning ways.
Springfield 2
Meadowdale over Tippecanoe- The young Lions will face a Tippecanoe team that has struggled against many opponents this season. The Red Devils are led by Nolan Mader (2019), but the athleticism of the Lions will be too much for Tipp to handle.
Trotwood-Madison over Bellefontaine- Not much of a discussion here. The Rams will be pushing 100+ points against a Chieftans team that has struggled against other GWOC opponents this season.
Meadowdale over Northwestern- Northwestern has a good defense, but they have not faced a team with the athleticism as Meadowdale. Although the Lions are young, they compensate with their tougher strength of schedule that prepared them for these matchups against CBC teams.
Trotwood-Madison over Greenville- Again, not much discussion here. The Green Wave have not won a game this season and we find it unlikely that Trotwood will fall at this point in the postseason.
Sectional Final: Trotwood-Madison over Meadowdale- The Rams will have dominated every opponent up to this point in the tournament. I expect the domination to continue against Meadowdale as well. Trotwood has too many weapons alongside Amari Davis (2019) and will be too much defensively for Meadowdale to handle.