Big weekend

Back to blogging.
It was a long weekend. For the first time ever we posted our top weekend sports stories on the Courier’s Electronic Edition Saturday night so our readers didn’t have to wait all the way until Monday to read about Findlay High School, Liberty-Benton, UF and the other big basketball games we covered.
It was some work to get it done but hey if we have the technology why should people have to wait. I’m like everyone else when I know the information is out there I want it now. It seemed to work pretty well.
Anyway here are a few quick hitters for Monday morning. This is the great thing about the U.S. you are free to express your opinion whether others agree with you or not. Well, I’ll be expressing a few here…

UNCHARTERED TERRITORY: If you would have told me that Findlay High School’s girls basketball team would make it to state and the FHS boys would be playing in the regional I would have laughed and said you are crazy. Well the joke is on me. That was true especially with the way the FHS girls ended the season with a couple of losses to Napoleon and Lima Bath. After all it’s the first time the FHS boys have been to regionals since like 1981 and the first time the girls have made it to state ever. But honestly, the way both teams are playing right now, I could see both teams winning one or even two games this weekend.

GIVING IT AWAY LIKE CANDY: An assistant basketball coach at a Mid American Conference school up I-75 delayed not one but both of my interviews with his chit chat with both coaches after a recent tournament game between Findlay and Lima Senior. He was handing out his business card to the coaches as I anxiously awaited a chance to interview both coaches. It was a day after they were ousted from the first round of the MAC tournament in Cleveland. I was so frustrated by the delay I just wanted to blurt out…”Hey, dude. Why are you giving away your business card…when Dakich gets fired you won’t be recruiting anyone.” Oops, I think I just outed what school the guy was from. Anyway no offense to the kids from FHS and Lima Senior, but if they are recruiting any members of those teams for this year’s recruiting class the BGSU coaches deserve to be let go.

BEST CHANT: The folks at the Lexington Regional were throwing their extra hot dogs into the stands to the Delphos St. John’s student section during Saturday’s Division III regional girls basketball game between Columbus Grove and St. John’s Right on cue Grove’s students started chanting, “We want hot dogs!” They didn’t get any.

GIRLS GET OUTTA LINE: Noticed the FHS cheerleaders in the line to shake hands after Findlay beat Lima Senior. If I had just lost a hard-fought game to the Trojans for the third time the last thing I would want to see is a bunch of giggling cheerleaders waiting to shake my hand. Keep cheering ladies but don’t get in line.

BVC POWER: An impressive display of basketball Friday night from Van Buren and Saturday from Liberty-Benton to reach the boys regional tournament. Van Buren played nearly a perfect game to beat Toledo Christian. They dominated play inside and their crisp passing kept the Eagles off balance and opened the way for some easy baskets inside. If the Black Knights play like that this week, punch their tickets to Columbus. Liberty-Benton was equally impressive in their win over Western Reserve Saturday. Columbus Africentric is up next Wednesday night they are 13-9 but don’t let their record fool you as they play a Division I laden schedule.

NEWSWORTHY:
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Findlay girls headed to state tournament
Division I Girls Regional Notebook
Big Green back at state tournament
Stryker girls fall to Ottoville in regional final
Ottoville is off to Columbus
Not Columbus Grove’s day
BOYS BASKETBALL
Findlay 3’s tame Tygers
Liberty-Benton rolls to district crown
Upper takes district title
Evergreen knocks off PH
Mansfield Senior bows out of tourney to Findlay
New Knoxville wins district crown
Upper Sandusky Rams return to regionals
Upper Sandusky, Diebler win district crown
New Knoxville in regionals for first time since 1947
Musketeers get revenge against Ottoville
Evergreen captures Division III district
Holgate streak hits 7
FJ overcomes Ottoville
Van Wert knocks off Wapakoneta
Van Wert outlasts Wapak
Upper Sandusky wins shootout with Lexington
It’s on to regionals for Van Wert
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Findlay’s dream season comes to an end
WRESTLING
Guerra wins second NCAA title
Two Ashland wrestlers place at Nationals