Sunday’s first-ever Martin Luther King Classic at Fort Loramie High School brings together several of the state’s top-ranked boys teams for headliner match-ups at 2:30, 4, 6 and 7:30 PM.
The day’s finale features one-loss, Division-II Tiffin Columbian, ranked 13th in the state and a big, high-powered, three-point shooting club, versus D-IV Fort Loramie, the event host and underdog.
Corey Britton’s Redskins are coming off a terrific defensive effort on Friday when his squad smothered Jackson Center, 45-21, to complete a two-game sweep of the Tigers.
Russia at 5-2 in the Shelby County Athletic League (SCAL) and Fort Loramie at 5-3 trail 7-0 Botkins in league standings through Friday night.
Community Insurance Group is a Diamond-level sponsor for this initial Fort Loramie MLK Classic.
Heavyweights from three of the state’s four hoops divisions collide in a series of clashes at the Redskins gym on Sunday, prepping these clubs for their stretch runs in league play and getting them ready for tough tournament opponents in February and hopefully March.
ScoresBroadcast.com is present for the day’s final two games in Sunday’s MLK evening session when Anna meets unbeaten Springfield Catholic Central at 6 PM and Fort Loramie follows in the nightcap.
WMVR, 105.5 TAM FM, simulcasts both contests. Air time online and on radio is 5:30 PM.
Earlier in the day, an 11 AM start on SCORES and WMVR is set for Botkins versus a tall, outstanding Tri-Village team, as they launch the Sunday slate at the Flyin’ to the Hoop in Kettering. In this week’s second D-IV AP basketball poll of 2022, defending state champion Botkins was again ranked number one; Tri-Village (T-V), fifth.
The Trojans and Patriots are clearly two of the top favorites to bid for a state final four berth by advancing deep into southwest district and regional tourney play.
By the way, Catholic Central is in a dead heat for the state’s fifth spot with T-V. Now 13-0 with a two-game bulge in the Ohio Heritage Conference south division, the Clark County school receives a Sunday test from the long-range shooting Anna Rockets. Anna gave Botkins a tussle through two quarters last night before losing, 52-38.
The green and white have played a rugged schedule that has included Botkins twice and stout MAC clubs Marion local, St. Henry and New Bremen. The Rockets previously knocked off Russia.
Speaking of the Raiders from the SCAL and New Bremen from the Midwest Athletic Conference, these two strong programs go head to head at Russia on Saturday. Air time is 7 PM on SCORES and on WMVR.
On Sunday afternoon at Fort Loramie, four D-IV schools raise the program’s curtain. Minster is matched with Convoy Crestview at 2:30 PM. Marion Local, which handed Botkins its only defeat and was ranked in the top 15 in the state’s initial poll, faces a very strong Columbus Grandview Heights squad at 4 PM. Heights was voted seventh in Ohio this week.
Superb crowds are expected for the quartet of Sunday contests which feature plenty of very good basketball talent from the western and central parts of the state. A great turnout is also anticipated at Russia when the Cardinals come to town on Saturday.
