Good news came in the offseason when Waynesville moved back down to Division III. But so did Alter, another GCLC heavyweight loaded with experience, including some starters from the 2022 Division II state title team. Alter is 12-1 and Miami East is 12-0. Chances are, however, the three teams will avoid each other until regionals.
The first RPI ratings to determine tournament seedings were released by the OHSAA on Wednesday, and Miami East, Waynesville and Alter are 1-2-3. And there are three sectional brackets — presumably one for each team if they keep winning — in the northern half of the Southwest District. That would mean none of the three would meet until regionals.
“Our goal is try to win the district and see what we can do in the regionals,” Gabbard said. “But that’s going to be tough since Alter dropped to Division III.”
The Spartans are rolling through the Southwestern Buckeye League, winning by an average of 32.2 points and challenging themselves as much as possible out of conference. They own a 62-61 win over Division I Goshen (10-3) and a 47-44 win over Division III Versailles (6-4), a team that could show up on their sectional bracket. Upcoming games include Division IV Marion Local (10-2) and a rematch with Madison (11-2), a team they beat by 10 in November. So far Gabbard’s system has worked.
“With the speed that we have in all positions post through the guards, plus we play eight or nine people a game, we just press from beginning to the end of the game or until we get up 25 points,” Gabbard said.
The Spartans’ offensive output is shared. Sophomore guards Maggie Stephenson and Katie Berrey average 11 points a game, senior Emme Greely averages 8.3, junior Tori See averages 8.2 and junior Avery Whitaker averages 6.3. And Grace Cordray (5.8) and Amelia Bunch (4.1) rotate in the post with Greeley and See.
“Honestly, our stats aren’t as good as they should be,” Gabbard said. “But they’re only playing about two and a half quarters against most of the teams in our league.”
Meadowdale boys: Dwayne Chastain Jr. went to college to learn to teach math and science to fourth graders in Dayton. He learned basketball at home.
Chastain’s father, Dwayne Chastain Sr., was a varsity assistant for the Thurgood Marshall state tournament team in 2014. The son was on that team, then played junior college ball at Schoolcraft in Detroit, Sinclair in Dayton and two years at Division II Glenville State in West Virginia. He finished his degree at Wright State.
“My dad really put passion into me,” he said. “We’ve both been growing together with basketball, just learning together, going through rough times. going through good times with it. Being in the household it’s all about coaching and basketball, so I had to learn it. I had no choice but to learn. I was like, ‘I want to do this.’ And I fell in love with it.”
The son spent the past two seasons as the Meadowdale JV coach while his dad won a Division III district title in 2022 and had another winning season in 2023. When Chastain Sr. accepted a different job in athletics at the elementary school level in Dayton Public Schools, he had to step down from coaching. The natural replacement was Chastain Jr.
The best players on his father’s last two teams graduated, so Chastain Jr. is rebuilding through a 2-9, 1-4 season that shows promise with a win over Dunbar. But coaching is about more than that to Chastain.
“I feel like if I can make it, you can make it,” he said “I want them to believe that they can make it somewhere with basketball, not necessarily going to school to further their career in basketball, but to use basketball as a tool to get a college education and do something with their life and get connections.”
First RPI: Wednesday was the first day the RPI ratings that will determine basketball tournaments seedings were made public on the OHSAA website. Ratings will be updated nightly.
The No. 1 seeds as of Wednesday for the Southwest District north sectionals: boys DI, Beavercreek; boys DII, Alter; boys DII, Preble Shawnee; boys DIV, Russia; girls DI, Fairmont; girls DII, Urbana; girls DIII, Miami East; girls DIV, Fort Loramie.
Wayne track: Freshman Jamier Averette-Brown flashed his speed as a receiver and kick returner in football, and now he’s doing it in indoor track.
His personal records in the 60 meters and 200 meters this season are the fastest in the nation for a freshman, according to milesplit.com. He ran 21.87 seconds in the 200 on Jan. 6 at Wittenberg to win the final. For high school runners of all ages, it’s the 12th fastest time nationally this season. On Dec. 9 at Findlay, he ran the 60 in 6.89 to win the final. That’s the 18th best time overall nationally this season.
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