Scioto must battle through true powerhouse regional

By BRIAN INGLIS

Published: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 9:00 AM EDT

Involved in the Division I regional brackets for the second straight season, the Dublin Scioto boys basketball team is seeking the first berth in the Ohio final four in program history.

Fresh off another Central District crown, the Irish (23-1) have as realistic a chance as any to advance to the Schottenstein Center at Ohio State for the state tournament. Three stalwarts, however, stand in the way when the draw commences at the Ohio Expo Center Coliseum.

The trio of Cincinnati St. Xavier, Grove City and Northland all sport impressive credentials and have dreams of OSU glory. The first regional semi pits the Irish against the Bombers (14-9) at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 18.

"It should be a very interesting regional, that is for sure," Scioto coach Tony Bisutti said. "All four are really strong teams and it should be a fun atmosphere for everyone there."

Indeed, St. Xavier and Scioto will battle it and whoever survives will punch its ticket to a regional final showdown. Either the Greyhounds (22-2) or the Vikings (13-1) await the winner at the Coliseum at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 21.

A year ago, the Irish dug themselves a hole against Westerville South in a regional semi and could never sufficiently recover. A valiant late rally came up short and roster members like guard Bradley McDougald vow to not let history repeat itself.

"I felt like last year we were not as ready to play as we needed to be and we should have been and that was the fault of the players," McDougald said. "We will be really focused this time around and I know the coaches will put together a game plan that can help us be successful."

Backcourt execution is always at a premium in these types of high-profile settings and Scioto likes to dictate pace thanks to the likes of McDougald, David McKinley, Rainer Duzan and Eric Stamets. They are in charge of knocking down shots in addition to feeding post presences like Marco St. John, Jamare Mills, Deji Olatoye and Tyler Harrell.

All pistons will have to be firing if the Irish are to topple the Bombers and then make a run deeper in the tournament. Like the Irish, both Northland and Grove City are after their first state tourney berths, while St. Xavier has been there four times, including capturing the 2000 championship.

"We have to be very focused on what we are trying to do," Bisutti said. "But we have a lot of seniors on this team and we can make some adjustments on the fly if we need to and they usually respond positively, which always helps."