Previewing the D-IV playoffs - MV's half of the Bowling Green D-IV Region

This post will be better understood if you take aminute to glance at the Bowling Green Regional bracket.

Here’s how it works.  There are four districts – each with two #1 and two #2 seeds – all playing for the chance of going to the Regional Final in Bowling Green.  The four regional finalists battle for the golden ticket to Columbus. 

Each District includes 12-14 teams, grouped into two 6-7 team Sections.  Each section’s coaches meet to seed themselves, determining who plays who down the stretch. 

This year, the D-IV tournament seeding was announced on February 12, 2012.  As opposed to NCAA Selection Sunday, the tournament is selected prior to the regular season, so a late stumble does not impact the seeding. 

The table below shows one half of the NW Ohio playoff Bracket, with particular attention paid to MV’s bracket and the top half of the TAAC. 

MV’s Section includes six TAAC teams, MV, Gibsonburg, TC, OH, Cardinal Stritch and Northwood plus Fremont St. Joe’s from the Midland Athletic League.  Intertwined with this group is the Fostoria Section, mostly composed of teams from the MAL. 

The winner of this district plays in Bowling Green against the Findlay Liberty-Benton champion.  The Findlay District includes several tough teams from Hardin and Paulding counties pulled principally from the MAL, the Blanchard Valley Conference and the Northwest Conference.  It must have been a very difficult process to choose among the top seeds for Findlay - Vanlue, Columbus Grove, Arlington, Leipsig and Ada. 

Your HawkBlogger agrees with most observers that this half of the BG draw is loaded – much more so than tomorrow’s other side.

You may draw your own conclusions from the chart below, but the winner of the Bowling Green Region will certainly have earned the title Regional Champion.

Tomorrow, the preview will continue with the other side of the bracket, which includes teams from the far east and west of Northwest Ohio.

Click on the grid below for a larger view.

STOP THE PRESSES - More AJ King Trade Fallout

In a blockbuster move, Jim Fish decided to go for broke, and the Toledo Blade broke the shocking news that Rick Deichert was traded to the Monclova Christian Thunder. 

Deichert scored 10 points to lead the Thunder in the Tuesday evening contest (scroll about half way down).

Deichert played the game last evening in a white uniform to further confuse his ex-teammates.  Your Hawkblogger has made a call to the OHSAA for a ruling.

Hawks get player to be named later in AJ King trade

The Blade scooped ESPN in uncovering the second half of the AJ King trade in their game story from last evening. 

Check out the quotes from new Hawk guard Frederick Dietrich, a three point specialist sent over to the Hawks from the Ottawa Hills German development squad.

Pictures too!!

Seriously, thanks to the Blade for their stellar Hawks coverage this season. 

Story now corrected on-line...

Hawks unleash disinformation campaign on TAAC

As part of a diabolical scheme to sow doubt and confusion throughout the TAAC and indeed, basketball circles all across Northwest Ohio and around the world, the MV Hawks Bureau of Basketball Intelligence had a fake story planted in the Toledo Blade stating that Rick aka "Frederick' Deichert scored the winning basket in last night's victory.

Rest assured readers, this was done on purpose to allow Jared Sturt to be wide open under the basket at game's end while Rick draws triple teams the rest of the season. 

Once again, you can count on your Hawkblog staff to uncover the real story behind the story with crack investigative reporting. 

Or, it was just a mistake (note: normally, it's the home team AD's responsibility to submit the story to the Blade and I am loathe to blame the broken-hearted).

I have my story, and I'm stickin' to it. 

For the secret actual game story, stay tuned, I'll have it up in a short while. 

Next up - the first story by a new Hawkblog correspondent.