The Convo | Litter Media

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(UPDATED 2:30pm 2/3/22)
The Southeast District Athletic Board will be steering away from the Ohio University Convocation Center for boys district basketball tournament games again this year.

The District Board has elected to once again go with larger area high school gym neutral sites for the District Tournaments and allowing the higher seeded teams to host through the Sectional Tournaments.

One good news note is that the Ohio High School Athletic Association has changed their mind about moving Regional Boys Basketball Tournaments out of the OU Convo for 2022. Southeast District Athletic Board Member Wayne Horsley notified Litter Media on February 3rd that Ohio University had changed their mind about not allowing concession stands. OU will allow them to be open now, which has prompted the OHSAA to keep the Regional Boys Basketball Tournaments at the Convo in 2022.

Litter Media’s Mike Smith spoke with Southeast District Athletic Board member Mark Rose as to the reason why “The Convo” will not be used for boys district tournaments again this year. Rose says the Board “originally had planned to have boys semis and finals at Ohio University, but several factors played into their final decision not to go to The Convo in 2022.”

Among those reasons were several “schedule conflicts” with Ohio University. Those conflicts included events for OU Wrestling and the strong possibility that both OU Women and Men’s Basketball would be hosting first-round MAC Tournament games (due to their respective successful seasons).

Rose said the District Board had even “considered” bringing the girls district basketball tournament games back to Ohio University, where they were held for a few years in the early 2010’s. The Girls Sectional and District Tournaments have been using the format that the boys will be using again this year.

Rose says the District Board’s “hope is to return to The Convo in 2023.”

Girls Basketball Tournament Seeding will be released by the Southeast District Athletic Board at approximately 3:30pm Sunday, January 30th and the Boys Basketball Tournament Seeding on Sunday, February 6th.

Here are the breakdowns of “tournament sites” for each division in both girls and boys basketball in 2022.

GIRLS
Division 2 Sectionals (higher seeded team hosts each game)
Division 2 Districts at Southeastern High School
CLICK HERE FOR EMPTY DISTRICT BRACKET

Division 3 Sectionals (higher seeded teams host each game)
Division 3 District at Waverly Downtown Gym
CLICK HERE FOR EMPTY DISTRICT BRACKET

Division 4 Sectionals (higher seeded teams host each game)
Division 4 District at Piketon High School
CLICK HERE FOR EMPTY DISTRICT BRACKET

BOYS
Division 2 Sectionals (higher seeded team hosts each game)
Division 2 District at Southeastern High School
CLICK HERE FOR EMPTY DISTRICT BRACKET

Division 3 Sectionals (higher seeded team hosts each game)
Division 3 District at Waverly Downtown Gym
CLICK HERE FOR EMPTY DISTRICT BRACKET

Division 4 Sectionals (higher seeded team hosts each game)
Division 4 District at Wellston High School
CLICK HERE FOR EMPTY DISTRICT BRACKET

The Pioneers’ tourney run came to a close at The Convo in a 58-46 loss to top-ranked Harvest Prep Wednesday, before a crowd to rival an open practice or scrimmage.

Action by the Ohio High School Athletic Association Tuesday, limited the number of spectators for the game due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

As for the game, Zane Trace came out of the gates hot in their Division III Sweet 16 battle with #1 ranked Harvest Prep, posting a 7-2 lead, but the Warriors scrapped back for an 11-10 score through the first period… then, Harvest Prep ratcheted up the defense and rallied with a 17-0 run. Cam Evans nailed a basket to stop the Pioneers scoring drought.

Harvest Prep held a 26-17 lead at the half.In the third, Zane Trace managed to pull within 28-26 but the Warriors hit another gear and pulled back on top by the end of the period by five points, 37-32.

The Pioneers tightened the game again at 39-36, but that was their final gasp as Harvest Prep moved to 44-36 with 4:30 remaining.

The final as the Pioneers season closed at 22-4.

Cam Evans dropped in 26 points for Zane Trace and with just minutes remaining became the Pioneers’ top scorer in school history with 1,652 points.Prior to last weekend, only the 1969 and 1970 Zane Trace Pioneers had won District Titles for their school.

Harvest Prep returns to The Convo Saturday night for a spot in next week’s Division III Final Four.