Wednesday, March 07, 2001
Surprise teams alive in district
Mariemont, Ripley open action tonight at UD
By Dave Schutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Ripley and Mariemont, teams not expected to win Division III boys sectional basketball championships, open district tournament play tonight at the University of Dayton Arena.
Roger Bacon and Purcell Marian will be in action Thursday in Division II. Cincinnati Country Day and Fayetteville play in Division IV Friday.
Ripley plays Waynesville at 5:30 p.m. today. Mariemont vs. Middletown Fenwick follows.
“Ripley was 14-2 at the time of the tournament draw, but no one knew anything about them,” Mariemont coach David Wainscott said. “They can either run or pound it into the big guy.”
The big guy is Brian Marshall, a 6-foot-2, 235-pound senior who averages 18 points a game.
Waynesville upset No.1 Versailles in the Dayton sectional.
Middletown Fenwick should prove a tough opponent for Mariemont.
“They're an uptempo team with eight or nine guys getting playing time,” Wainscott said. “Four or five of their starters can get 18 or 19 points on a given night.”
Mariemont has won nine consecutive games.
Roger Bacon plays Trotwood Madison at 7:15p.m. Thursday at UD Arena. The Purcell Marian-Dayton Colonel White game will follow.
“Trotwood has scored 100 points 10 times this season,” Roger Bacon coach Bill Brewer said. “They are very athletic and quick and have five or six guys who can make shots.”
The Rams rely on Michael Carton, a 6-foot senior guard who averages 18 points a game.
Josh Hausfeld and Frank Phillips are Roger Bacon's leading scorers, both averaging 15 points a game.
An upset of McNicholas catapulted Purcell Marian into the district game.
“I watched Colonel White play Chaminade-Julienne, and they're a lot like Trotwood,” Brewer said. “Chaminade-Julienne had the shot to beat them in regulation but missed, and it went to overtime.”
Coach Mike Gergen's Cavaliers have played well the final six games of the regular season.
“Colonel White is extremely quick and pressures the ball well,” Chaminade-Julienne coach Joe Staley said. “But they have no size or strength. After going through the GCL wars, I think Purcell Marian can handle them.”
Steve Wright (18 ppg), Dayton City League Player of the Year John McClure (13.2 ppg) and Darrell Daugherty (11.2 ppg) all average in double figures for White.
Cincinnati Country Day plays Tipp City at 6p.m. Friday, followed by Fayetteville-Botkins.
CCD will be at a disadvantage because of the big crowd expected from Tipp City.
CCD also will have to contend with junior Matt Witt, a 6-foot junior who averages 25.9 points, and Matt Plunkett, a 6-3 senior who scores 19.1.
CCD counters with Noah Allen, a 6-5 senior who averages 17.7 points.
Fayetteville went 1-19 in the regular season.
The Rockets face Botkins on Friday and must contain Tyler Grieves (17 ppg) and Lance Meyer (14.8 ppg).
The winners in each game advance to next week's regional semifinals.
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Surprise teams alive in district
