It was the first loss for neighboring rival Carroll (15-1), which has been No. 1 in Division II since the Associated Press state polls debuted this month.
• Fort Loramie girls basketball coach Carla Siegel earned her 400th career win following a 69-18 defeat of Houston in Monday’s Shelby County Athletic League play.
Fort Loramie overtook neighboring rival and defending state champ Minster (14-1) as the top-ranked D-IV team two weeks ago in the Associated Press state poll. The towns are three miles apart along Ohio 66, although Minster is in Auglaize County and Loramie in Shelby County. Loramie defeated Minster 56-48 in double-OT on Jan. 12.
Siegel’s overall combined record at Loramie is 400-116. That includes six final fours since 2006 and small-school state titles in 2015 and ’13. Loramie (15-1, 9-0) will host Anna (12-2, 7-1) on Saturday, Feb. 2, in what likely will decide the SCAL title.
• Troy Christian girls basketball coach Tony Ferraro has more to celebrate than a 12-2 season and an upcoming high D-IV tournament seed. He recently earned his 300th career coaching win. Most of those wins (204) were collected as Wayne’s girls coach. He also 55 games as the coach at Brookville.
TC and Legacy Christian (13-2, 7-0) have separated themselves in the rest of the Metro Buckeye Conference. Legacy beat Troy Christian 41-28 on Jan. 7. The return match is Feb. 7 at Legacy. Alter snapped Legacy’s 12-game win streak 48-40 last Saturday.
• Fairmont split in two weekend games at the girls basketball Classic in the Country Challenge. Fairmont overwhelmed small-school power and replacement Loudonville 69-37 on Sunday with Mali Morgan-Elliott scoring 21 points. Fairmont lost 50-43 to top-ranked (D-I) Pickerington Central on Monday.
Wayne was not allowed to travel because of the snow and ice storm that covered most of Ohio those two days. On Saturday, Fairmont 10-5, 5-2 GWOC American East) will host Wayne (9-4, 5-2). On Monday, Carroll visits Fairmont.
• Springfield sophomore Mickayla Purdue reset her own school record by scoring 45 points in a recent 72-28 defeat of Bellefontaine. She bottomed seven 3-pointers and also had 10 steals.
The 5-9 guard leads the GWOC in scoring (21.1) and was runner-up to Trotwood-Madison grad Shaiquel McGruder (New Mexico State) in GWOC scoring last season. Purdue had a spectacular freshman debut for the Wildcats, scoring a then-record 40 in the opener last season against Yellow Springs.
• GWOC boys scoring leader Samari Curtis (33.9) went for 40 points in a 79-73 loss to visiting Butler on Tuesday. That’s the fourth time in the Bucs’ last five games he’s scored 40 or more. The 6-4 senior hasn’t scored less than 20 points. He signed with Cincinnati.
Michael Kreill had 30 points to lead Butler (13-2).
• The area’s top-ranked boys teams collide on Friday when Trotwood-Madison (10-2) visits Sidney (11-2). Trotwood’s game on Tuesday with Tippecanoe was postponed and as yet hasn’t been rescheduled. Sidney blew a 17-point third-quarter lead and lost 63-61 to Fairborn last Friday. That snapped Sidney’s nine-game win streak.
Both Trotwood (D-II) and Sidney (D-I) should earn top seeds in the upcoming sectional tournaments.
• GWOC boys basketball reps Wayne and Xenia will play in the 5th annual Wilmington Classic on Saturday. Wayne (7-7) gets Covington (Ky.) Catholic (16-5) at 6:15 p.m. and Xenia (7-7) plays host Wilmington (5-6) in the final 8 p.m. game.
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