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Coach Ryan Robinson talks to team during a timeout & pleased his team made late comeback to win a tough league game against a good Arcanum team. 

(All Photos by Dale Barger)

CAMDEN – Preble Shawnee trailed a scrappy visiting Arcanum team 29-26 going into the 4th quarter but the Arrows outscored the Trojans 15-6 in the final frame for a big 41-35 WOAC win.

At first blush looking at Preble Shawnee’s basketball team on the floor their physical presence in terms of size and height can be a bit imposing at 6’6”, 6’5”, 6’3”, 6’2” and 5’10” contrasting that with Arcanum who’s tallest kid is a 6’7” sophomore but then go 6’2”, 6’0, 5’10” and 5’7”.

Throughout the game Arcanum brought a tough minded, physical style of play that frustrated Preble Shawnee at times … but in the end it was the Arrows who were able to make plays and defend the paint just enough with their physical size to gain the win.

Preble would jump in front to start the game 6-0 on two buckets at the rim by senior Brody Morton and a short bank shot from senior Brody Foxbower.

Brody Morton had 4 quick points but foul trouble limited his playing time in game with Arcanum. He end the game with 9 points.

Arcanum battled back on free throws from sophomore Ben Hamilton, a fielder from senior Cameron Ball and a triple from senior Matthew McCans to take the lead 7-6 at 4:44 in the period.

Fouls would start to have an effect on Preble Shawnee as Brody Morton picked up his second foul and he would take a seat.  It was also the fifth team foul and Arcanum would be shooting the bonus early.

Hamilton made a free throw for Arcanum, but junior Braylon Dorrel tied the game with a one-hander in the lane at 8-8. 

Junior Braylon Dorrel gets the one-hander to fall. He led the Arrows with 14 points and hit some big shots late. 

Arcanum junior Charlie Weiss connected from range to jump the Trojans in front 11-8 at 3:27 and followed by 1-of-2 free throw from McCans to improve the lead to 12-8.

Shawnee’s Foxbower connected on back-to-back fielders to tie the game at 12-12 and a triple by Dorrel gave the Arrows a 15-12 lead at the end of the first quarter in a back-and-forth game.

Neither team was able to establish a rhythm or generate offense in the second quarter with Jace Mote scoring the only basket for the Trojans and it wasn’t much better for Preble either with Foxbower getting two inside and a free throw by senior Colton Schroeder for an 18-14 Arrows lead at the break.

Preble Shawnee extended their led to start the 3rd quarter on a Dorrel triple for the largest lead of the game at 21-14.

That lead evaporated quickly as Charlie Weiss answered with a trey and then a steal on the inbounds led to a layup to close the gap to 21-19.

Senior guard Charlie Weiss help spearhead a third quarter surge for the Trojans taking the lead going into the final frame. 

 A Morton pass in the lane to a cutting Dorrel for a lay-up had the Arrows up 23-19 at 5:48 but Morton shortly after picked up his 4th foul and trotted back to the bench.

Arcanum worked their way to a tie 24-24 and then took the lead on a Ben Hamilton fielder at the rim to go up 26-24.  Moments later they added to the lead on junior point guard Jace Mote’s three-pointer for a 29-26 lead going into the final frame.

Arcanum Guard Jace Mote scored 7 points including this big triple to give the Trojans a 29-26 lead heading into the final stanza.

Preble Shawnee coach Ryan Robinson talked about the play of Arcanum and his teams reaction in the third quarter.

“We knew coming into the game, it's on our scouting report 100%, we said physicality about 10 to 20 times. I mean, Arcanum plays very physical, scrappy and it affected us in the 3rd quarter. I think the ball movement was lacking, things got tough, and they went on a run.  Then we tried harder, instead of easier by moving the ball to find a great shot. Some of that's just maturing. We've lost some guys from the district title teams and with a couple guys still … but some of the other guys got to learn and adapt,” Robinson explained.

Arcanum coach Kevin Brackman agreed their aggressive play led their run.

Arcanum bench reacts after a three-point bucket and momentum in 3rd quarter.

“We tried to take it to them, a lot of that starts with who we put on the ball defensively. We have guys that are pretty scrappy and the turning point midway in the game was when we decided to stretch the floor defensively. It allowed us to turn them over and force shots they didn’t want.  I give our guys a ton of credit, for just the way we battled back after they hit big shots. Our plan is always to sit down and guard, keep them in front and then trust the guys around them,” Brackman rationalized.

While the physicality of the game was on full display in the third quarter it became even more pronounced in the 4th quarter.  The Trojans hit a wall scoring wise in the name of Brody Foxbower who used his 6’4” body and physical size to form a wall against Cameron Ball and Ben Hamilton struggling to score inside.

Senior Brody Foxbower scored 12 points but his contributions on the defensive side of the ball patrolling the paint was even bigger. 

Preble regained the lead after a Schoeder lay-up, two free throws from Foxbower and a triple from Morton going up 33-29 before Gideon Garno turned an old-fashion three-point play cutting the margin to 33-32 with 2:44 in the game.

Dorrel fire in his third trey of the game to pushing the lead 36-32 with 1:30 to go.  The Trojans missed on a couple of possessions then fouled Dorrel and Caleb Blankenship both going 1-for-2 at the line and the lead grew 38-32.

Arcanum finally got one to go down, a bomb from McCans his third on the night narrowing the lead to one possession 38-35 with 27 seconds to play.

Matthew McCans closes the lead down to one possession late on this three-ball.  
He ended the game with 9 points.

The Arrows got two charity tosses from Morton to go up 40-35 and the Trojans needed another big shot, but this time McCans was pressured much harder on the perimeter, and the shot was short.  Foxbower collected the rebound and fouled and finished the scoring with another free throw to secure the 41-35 win for Preble Shawnee.

After the game Coach Robinson talked about how his team learned from a loss a few nights ago to Edgewood to help them get them through their game with Arcanum.

“We knew this was going to be the same type of game, toughness and physicality was something we really lacked Tuesday at Edgewood, it was a wakeup call, and it paid off tonight,” Robinson beamed.

“I’m just really proud of the group, that was a fun 4th quarter. Every single guy that went in tonight contributed.  We've, been wanting this team to push through in terms of grittiness, toughness and physicality, they took it and ran with it tonight, no doubt. That's a tough WOAC win, all the credit to Arcanum. They're a great team this year, and it means a lot to pull that one out,” Robinson expressed.

Arcanum coach Brackman was pleased with his team’s effort and talked about his team battling despite adversity.

Arcanum senior Cameron Ball operates well around the basket but was slowed down by the presence of Dorrel and Foxbower on this night.  Ball ended the game with 6 below his 10 point average.

“We're a good team, yes there was a lid on the bucket tonight. Ben and Cameron are two guys that really have been an anchor for us down low and the ball didn't go through surprisingly enough. But I felt like we hit big shots when we needed to and to their credit they had big shots when they needed and it's just kind of a testament to the play in our conference,” Brackman stated.

“It was a tough loss and yes we're sad and upset because we felt like this one got away from us, but we’re going to stick together. I firmly believe this team is going to win a lot of games. Our program is in a really good place, losses happen,” Brackman said.

“Preble Shawnee is a good team and Coach Robinson is doing a great job and tonight was just a fun high school basketball game, two great programs playing in a great atmosphere,” Brackman concluded.

Coach Robinson agreed with the statement and praised coach Brackman.

“He has his program on solid ground from the “B”  to “JV” team on up he has them playing at a high level,” Robinson praised.

“I said in my preseason preview that the WOAC is on the rise this year. I think there's a lot of good teams in that middle to upper half and there’s going to be more games like this one in
the league that I believe helps prepare us for post season tournament. Tonight was a good example of that, it was a tournament type game,” Robinson concluded.

Box Scores (Arcanum 4-1 overall 1-1 WOAC) (Preble Shawnee 4-1 overall 2-0 WOAC)

Score by Quarters:

AR:   12 … 02 … 15 … 06 – 35
PR:   15 … 03 … 08 … 15 – 41

Team Scoring:

AR: J. Mote 1-2-0/1 – 7, M. McCans 2-1-1/2 – 9, G. Garno 0-1-1/1 – 3,
C. Weiss 2-0-0/0 – 6, C. Ball 0-2-0/0 – 4, B. Hamilton 0-1-4/6 – 6, Totals 5-7-6/9 – 35

PR: B. Foxbower 0-4-4/6 – 12, G. Powers 0-0-2/2 – 2, B. Morton 1-2-2/2 – 9,
C. Blankenship 0-0-1/2 – 1, C. Schroeder 0-1-1/2 – 3, B. Dorrel 3-2-1/2 - 14

Preble Shawnee passes a big test & celebrates their 41-35 WOAC win over Arcanum.
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Senior Caroline Long played a solid game for Arcanum with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in 65-21 win over Preble Shawnee. (All Photos by Dale Barger)

ARCANUM – The Lady Trojans bolted out to a 25-5 first quarter, and a 44-12 first half lead as they were firing from all over against visiting Preble Shawnee.  Arcanum went on to win 65-21.

Arcanum senior and leading scorer Caroline Long often draws the attention of the opposing teams defense with her ability to score inside but the Trojans were able to take advantage of junior guard Adalyn Paul who had the hot hand in the first half dropping in 6 – triples for 18 points to help the Trojans build a big first half lead.

Paul hit her first three at 4:57 after Long, Ella Flatter and Matte Noe had lay-ups to start the game and Arcanum went up 9-0.

The Arrows finally got on the board on a short corner jumper from sophomore Jenna Dixon at 4:40. 

Preble Shawnee sophomore Jenna Dixon knocks down a corner jumper.  She had 6 points in the game for the Arrows.

Long answered with an old-fashion 3-point play, a free throw from Addie Macy then three consecutive triples, two from Paul and another from Noe, pushed the lead to 23-2.

Shawnee senior guard Abrey Unger broke the 14-point run with a triple of her own, but the Trojans added a fielder from junior Danicka Michael for a 25-5 first quarter lead.

Paul added three more trey’s and had the crowd on their feet every time she let one fly in the second period.

Senior guard Ava Apking who picked up 3 quick fouls early scored 3-points, Unger and Dixon both added field goals for the Arrows who would trail 44-12 at the break.

Senior Aubrey Unger goes hard to the basket.  She is called on handling the ball and leading the defense and gives the Arrows an athletic guard who can make plays.  

For coach Abbey Moore it was a welcome relief to have a nice lead at the half. They came into the game with a 2-3 record, some of that by design with the non-conference schedule the Trojans have had to start the year.

“It almost feels like we’ve played a full 22 game season already with the type of games you typically play towards the end of the year,” Abbey stated.

The Trojan losses came against powerhouse teams, Russia, Versailles and Fort Loramie and then big back-to-back wins against Minster and Ansonia.

“The tough schedule is getting us to the point where we are now. Obviously, we're not where we want to be, but you know, it's going to help us … and the win against Minster (who knocked arcanum from the regional tournament last year) and a tough Ansonia team in overtime, is proof of that,” Moore commented.

Abbey was happy to see Adalyn Paul provide a spark on offense in the first half.

“She was hot and I think that was huge, giving us some confidence and shows you can’t just key in on one player, if you leave her open, you're going to be in trouble,” Moore smiled.

Adalyn Paul didn't let the hair in her eyes stop her from shooting from distance.  The junior guard had 6 triples for 18 points in the game for Arcanum.

The school record for three’s in a game is 8 at Arcanum and with a running clock in the 2nd half, Paul would get a few more attempts from range each time amping up the crowd hoping to see the record fall. Paul wasn’t able to connect in the second half, but she would lead all scorers in the game with 18.

Arcanum won the third quarter 12-4 and the fourth 9-5 to record a 65-21 win and improve to 3-3 overall and 2-0 in the WOAC.

Although Preble Shawnee didn’t win Anitra Roell wasn’t upset and is positive about the game and the Arrows season so far.

“I'm not upset with how the season's going we’re sitting at 3-3 on the year now.  Last year we finished with six wins and we're halfway there now just a quarter of the way into the season,” Roell stated.

Ava Apking got into early foul trouble but when she was on the floor she gave the Arrows offense they needed with 7 points in the game for Preble Shawnee.

“Unfortunately for us, Tri-Village and Arcanum are at the top of our schedule, so hopefully the schedule gets easier as we go. The girls played somewhat better tonight in the first half than they did the second and generally we turn things around in the second half,” Roell added.

“Abbey, (coach Moore) has her team playing well defensively and my team was not fast enough tonight. Normally, we're fast, but tonight we could not keep up with the Trojan girls,” Roell explained.

“Right now, we're just trying to instill some confidence in the girls, because they don't think they can beat these teams. We tell them every day we walk in the gym that we can win because I believe in them,” Roell concluded.

Things appear to be going in the right direction for the Arrow who have a JV team this year along with a full varsity roster.  Most nights their speed, athleticism and defense will be enough to compete and as the offense gets better maybe even a few upsets.

Junior guard Matty Noe had 11 points and 8 assists for Arcanum in game with Preble Shawnee.

Arcanum will be looking to do the same with no relief in sight with their schedule with Newton on Saturday, Tri-Village on the 23rd, the Covington Holiday tournament on 29th and 30th and then at Mississinawa Valley on January 3^rd.

Box Scores:

Score by Quarters

PS … 05 … 07 … 04 … 05 – 21

AR … 25 … 19 … 12 … 09 – 65

Team Scoring:

PS: Unger 1-1-0/0 – 5, Apking 0-3-1/2 – 7, Dixon 0-3-0/0 – 6, Moore 0-1-0/0 – 2,
Mondello 0-0-1/2 – 1, Totals 1-8-2/4 – 21

AR: Paul 6-0-0/0 – 18, Leeper 0-2-0/0 – 4, Long 0-6-3/4 – 15, Noe 2-0-5/6 – 11,
Flatter 0-1-2/2 – 4, Macy 0-1-2/4 – 4, Michael 0-4-1/2 – 9, Totals 8-14-13/17 – 65


The Arcanum student section found themselves cheering every time Adalyn Paul let one fly from distance in a game with Preble Shawnee.

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20 Senior Cheerleaders were recognized during their last WOAC Cheer Championship competition. (All Photos by Dale Barger)

The WOAC Cheer Competition was held at Preble Shawnee High School on Sunday December 7th. There were 7 total events between Junior High and High School and a total of 31 team performances.

In the Middle School Junior High Game Day category 7 schools competed: Ansonia, Arcanum, National Trail, Preble Shawnee, Tri-County North, Tri-Village and Twin Valley  South, competed.

The 2nd place team was National Trail, and the Junior High Game Day Champion was Preble Shawnee pictured above.

In the High School Game Day Category 7 schools competed: Ansonia, Arcanum, National Trail, Preble Shawnee, Tri-County North, Tri-Village and Twin Valley South.


The 2nd place team was Tri-Village, and the High School Game Day Champions was Preble Shawnee pictured above.

Tri-County North was the lone team competing in Traditional Cheer and was crowned Junior High Traditional Cheer Champions.


Tri-County North Junior High was Traditional Cheer Champions.

The High School Traditional Cheer Category had 3 teams competing: Arcanum, Preble Shawnee, and Tri-Village.


The Patriots finished 2nd and Preble Shawnee was the Traditional Cheer Champions pictured above.

In the Junior High Dance Category four teams competed: Ansonia, Arcanum, Mississinawa Valley and Tri-county North. 


Ansonia finished in 2nd place and Mississinawa Valley was the JH Dance Champions pictured above.

In the High School Hip Hop Category 4 teams competed: Ansonia, Arcanum, Mississinawa Valley and Tri-County North.


Ansonia would finish in 2nd place and Mississinawa was High School Hip-Hop Champions pictured above.

In the High School Pom Category there were 5 teams competing: Ansonia, Arcanum, National Trail, Tri-Village and Twin Valley South.


Tri-Village would finish second and Arcanum was crowned High School Pom Champions pictured above.

Congratulations to all junior high and high schools teams for competing at the 2025 WOAC Cheer Championship


The Preble Shawnee High School Cheer team reacts after winning every event they competed in at the 2025 WOAC Cheer Championships.

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Five WOAC Players were named First Team All-Ohio for 2025. (Dale Barger Graphic)

Five WOAC Football Players earn All-Ohio First Team, Two second team and 12 Honorable Mention were recognized as All-Ohio.

Here is the list of Players by division as selected by the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association.

DV
First Team       
Brody Morton – Sr. Quarterback – Preble Shawnee

Second Team
Cooper Shrout – Sr. Offensive Line – Preble Shawnee
Caleb Blankenship – Jr. Receiver – Preble Shawnee

Honorable Mention
Marcus Rayburn – Sr. Offensive Line – Arcanum
Colton Shroeder – Sr. Punter – Preble Shawnee

DVI
First Team
Trey Sagester – Sr. Quarterback – Tri-Village
Noah Finkbine – Sr. Linebacker – Tri-Village
Griffin Richards – Jr. Receiver – Tri-Village
Dom Black – Jr. Offensive Line – Tri-Village

Honorable Mention
Hunter Johnsman – Sr. Defensive Line – Tri-Village
Landen Moore – Sr. Linebacker – Tri-Village
Luke Vernon – Sr. Offensive Line – National Trail
Staley Colston – So. Running Back – Tri-Village
Colt Camacho – So. Defensive Back – Tri-Village

DVII
Honorable Mention
Frank Filbrun – Sr. Linebacker – Tri-County North
Oden Hoening – Offensive Line – Ansonia
Jacob Schmitmeyer – Running Back – Ansonia
Lucas Barlow – Offensive Line – Twin Valley South
Luke Wright – Offensive Line – Tri-County North

Congratulations to all our WOAC players earning All-Ohio recognition.
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Bella Cherry shown with the caretaker of "Hoosier Gym" and with the game ball where she scored her 1000th career point in win over National Trail. 

KNIGHSTTOWN, IN – Tri-County North senior guard Bella Cherry scores 1000^th career point at historic “Hoosier Gym” with a 29-point performance in a 53-23 win over National Trail.

Ironically, it was just a few weeks ago when Tri-County North opened the season in the inaugural Preble County Tournament where they fell to National Trail 37-31 and the Blazers held Bella Cherry to just 10 points in that game.

So, coming into the game with Trail and needing 26 points to eclipse a 1000 points wasn’t something Tri-County North or Bella was expecting to do.

“With it being a game at Hoosier gym we knew it would be a nice crowd, especially with the boys playing after and we were pumped looking forward to the rematch with National Trail,” Tri-County North coach Jessica Odell Spitler stated.

It was a special moment for coach Jessica Spitler and her daughter Bella with the game ball presentation.

Tri-County North got things rolling early in the game and the team got off to a really good start with the offense flowing and Bella scoring eight points in the first half.

She then got hot in the third quarter exploding for 16 points and had 24 points heading into the final frame.

“We didn’t have the goal to hit 1000 at Hoosier’s gym but with that 3rd quarter outburst it was within grasp, coach Spitler said.

Bella Cherry lines up the three-pointer that put her over 1000 points in her career.

It didn’t take long with Bella dribbling to her left outside the arch using a screen set by junior center Cadence Darnell, the defender went under the screen and Bella took advantage, set her feet and let fly a three-point shot that was all net to put her over the 1000-point plateau. 

Play was stopped with Bella getting a hug from her coach-mom followed by a twirling bear hug from teammate Darnell who set the screen.

Then her team held her up before the game ball was presented to Bella. 

Bella finished her night with 29 points, a stark contrast to the 10 she had the first time they played Trail and more importantly the team reversed their fortune with the 53-23 win.

The Tri-County North Girls Basketball team prior to their game with National Trail.

“It was a great team effort, all 12 players were able to play tonight, there was great energy and excitement, and it was an awesome Friday night at Hoosiers,” coach Spitler said after the game.

Bella who already holds Tri-County North girls school records for steals and assists needs just 74 points to become the all-time leading scorer as well.

But the 29 points and 1000  career points cemented at Hoosier Gym will be hard to top and a special and lasting memory for all who were there.

Bella and her teammates make a lasting memory at Hoosier Gym celebrating a milestone moment

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