Sports Newsletter March 7

Hello and welcome to another Friday edition of the Dayton Daily News sports update!

It’s March, so we have basketball, basketball and more basketball — plus a few Bengals updates.

Dayton kept pace in the A-10 race

Dayton's Malachi Smith, right, and Enoch Cheeks celebrate after a basket in the second half against Saint Louis on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at UD Arena. David Jablonski/Staff

Credit: David Jablonski

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Credit: David Jablonski

All in all, a pretty nice Tuesday night at UD Arena.

Dayton (21-9, 11-6) won its final home game for the 14th straight season despite falling behind Saint Louis by as many as 15 points in the first half.

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The win moved the Flyers moved into third place in the Atlantic 10 Conference with one game to play, and they can clinch a top-four seed in the A-10 tournament with a victory tonight at first-place Virginia Commonwealth (25-5, 15-2). READ MORE

‘That guy kind of looked like Dave Chappelle’

Comedian Dave Chappelle poses for a photo with Dayton players after a victory against Saint Louis on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at UD Arena. Chappelle, a longtime Yellow Springs resident, visited UD Arena for the first time. David Jablonski/Staff

Credit: David Jablonski

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Credit: David Jablonski

As most of the people reading this newsletter surely know, UD basketball games are a spectacle to themselves.

Unlike, say, LeBron James and the Lakers, the Flyers don’t require star power to get noticed. They are a phenomenon all by themselves even without celebrities sitting courtside.

But, hey, adding a world-renowned comedian to the mix apparently didn’t hurt Tuesday night, and as luck would have it, another local celebrity, Tom Archdeacon, was there to share his take on the action: READ MORE

Four Dayton area girls basketball teams made the final four

Springboro downed Mason on Saturday night March 1, 2025 at Fairborn to win the Southwest regional championship in girls basketball for the second straight year.

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This will be a big weekend for Springboro, Alter, Fort Loramie and Minster.

Those four are still alive in the OHSAA girls basketball tournament and will play in state semifinals Saturday or Sunday.

It starts tonight with a doubleheader at Elida High School: Minster will take on Columbus Grove in a Division VI semifinal at 6 p.m. with defending state champion Fort Loramie facing Ottoville in Division VII in the nightcap.

Alter heads to Ohio Dominican in Columbus to play undefeated Lancaster Fairfield Union in a Division IV semifinal at 1 p.m. Saturday, and Springboro is set to face Cincinnati Princeton at Fairfield High School at 5 p.m. Sunday.

Eight boys teams are in the elite eight

Darius Dennis shoots for Trotwood-Madison vs. Badin boys basketball regional tournament at Princeton High School in Cincinnati March 5, 2025.

Credit: Marcus Hartman

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Credit: Marcus Hartman

The boys basketball tournament is a week behind, and twice as many Cox First Media teams are still playing in the regional finals. Alter, Anna, Botkins, Fairfield, Lakota West, Marion Local, Russia and Trotwood-Madison won regional semifinals this week while Hamilton Badin, Beavercreek, Franklin Monroe, Lakota East, Northridge, Oakwood, Preble Shawnee and Tri-Village lost.

On Saturday, Marion Local and Anna face off in a Division VI regional final at 2 p.m. at Wright State. That will be followed by Russia-Botkins in Division VII.

In Division I, Fairfield plays Lakota West at noon Sunday at Xavier University. That will be followed by Trotwood-Madison facing fellow No. 1 seed Cincinnati Aiken at 2 p.m. in Division III. Then it will be Alter against Wyoming at 4 p.m. in Division IV.

Wrestling tournament starts today

Franklin's Tucker Campbell competes in a match earlier this season. ROBERT HOGAN/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

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Another major annual date on the high school sports calendar comes today with the OHSAA state wrestling tournament set to begin in Columbus.

The Schottenstein Center is set to host the event for the 25th time, and dozens of boys and girls from the area will be competing for everlasting glory — none more so than Graham senior Brogan Tucker.

He is aiming to join an exclusive list of four-time state champions.

Bengals busy as free agency approaches

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard (94) celebrates a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Credit: AP

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Credit: AP

The NFL season never really ends anymore, or at least not the news cycle.

We were reminded of that this week when the Bengals made headlines by placing the franchise tag on receiver Tee Higgins, releasing veteran guard Alex Cappa and seeing long-time defensive end Sam Hubbard retire.

The Higgins news created some waves in the endless see of NFL content aggregators and talking heads across the Internet and TV, but it is expected to be a minor footnote in a story that ends with him signing a long-term deal. (Unless it isn’t.)

Cappa struggled last season with injuries, so the club will hope to upgrade his spot this month in free agency or next in the draft.

Hubbard’s announcement could be the biggest in the long term simply because he can claim being Mr. Cincinnati after starring at Moeller High School and Ohio State then playing his whole pro career with the Bengals.

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