Crystal ball a bit murky

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By Michael Cooper, Staff Writer 10:59 PM Thursday, January 5, 2012

The boys basketball season is five weeks old today, but the Wizard’s crystal ball is still a bit murky.

And here’s why:

Thanks to the long football season and a holiday vacation, the Wizard hasn’t been able to see much in the way of basketball action.

In the past, I would’ve caught a month’s worth of games. So far, I’ve been to 2.5 games, so when it comes to predictions, it’s more like picking names out of a wizard hat than actual educated guesses.

My co-workers and the coaches around the area have done a great job keeping me posted on what’s been happening. Statistics say a lot, but there’s nothing like actually seeing a team in person.

I’m more than ready for that to happen, especially with some of the story lines developing locally.

With seven weeks left, the conference races are about to heat up.

Here’s what we know so far:

The Ohio Heritage Conference title runs through Jamestown: With West Liberty-Salem’s upset of Catholic Central last weekend, Greeneview (7-1, 5-0 OHC) has a two-game lead in the conference.

The Rams, the defending OHC champions, won’t take that lead for granted, but that’s a lot of breathing room for a loaded team.

Since a season-opening loss to Chaminade Julienne, the Rams have won seven straight games by an average on 21 points. Their closest game was an 11-point victory over Central on Dec. 20.

Tecumseh is resilient: The up-and-down Arrows (5-3, 2-1 Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail Division) struggled early, but have bounced back in a big way.

After falling to Bellefontaine 49-36 on Dec. 30 in a game where they trailed by 17 at the half, the Arrows rebounded with back-to-back wins over two of the top teams in the Greater Western Ohio Conference — Springfield and Northmont.

Of course, they need to get back on track in the CBC Kenton Trail. That starts tonight against first-place rival Shawnee (4-2, 3-0 CBC).

Springfield is improving: After their first loss at Fairmont, the Wildcats reeled off three straight victories until Tuesday’s loss at Tecumseh.

If they want to make a splash in the Greater Western Ohio Conference Central Division, Springfield needs to step its game up over the next few weeks.

They’ll face a tough game tonight against Beavercreek (5-2, 3-0 GWOC Central), followed back-to-back road games at Fairborn (5-3) and Northmont (5-2, 2-1 GWOC Central) before returning home to face Xenia (5-1).

Urbana can earn some breathing room: With a win tonight over rival Graham, the Hillclimbers (5-1, 3-0 CBC Mad River) can take a two-game lead over the seven-time defending Mad River Division champs.

Of course, beating Graham has been a tough task for the rest of the Mad River for years. Until someone knocks them off, the rest of the league believes they’re the team to beat. Anyone who knows Falcons coach Brook Cupps knows they won’t back down.

The Wizard’s crystal ball may be murky, but things will start clearing up over the next few weeks.

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