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Boys Basketball: Bellbrook Completes Comeback Win, Oakwood Notches Victory At Benner Fieldhouse Classic
(Photos and story by Steven Wright / Dayton Daily News)
Troy jumped out to a 16-0 lead in the first four and a half minutes before Bellbrook got on the scoreboard. The Trojans led 21-3 after the first quarter.
But they weren’t able to hang on.
A second half rally by Bellbrook saw them overcome their early woes to prevail 51-47 during Tuesday’s Benner Fieldhouse Classic event in Xenia.
Bellbrook (5-4) shaved off points from its deficit as the minutes wore on, trailing by eight entering the fourth quarter, until senior David Gregory came alive shooting.
Gregory connected on a trio of triples, one tying the game and the final one putting the Golden Eagles in front for the first time with 1:50 remaining.
“It was in one of the timeouts near the end of the third that I told the team there were three sets we were going to run and we need to get David more shots,” Bellbrook head coach Donnie Tate said. “And this is a great group and they all knew that we needed to get him more shots and they wanted that to happen. You don’t need to fight that battle with them.”
Bellbrook couldn’t put the game away at the free throw line — going 10-for-19 in the contest — and allowed Troy several looks at perimeter shots to tie the game in the final minute. The Trojans didn’t score during the final three minutes, however, and Gregory eventually hit one from the line with 12 seconds left to secure the win.
Gregory had 17 points for Bellbrook. Troy (4-4) had 15 points by senior Aiden Luis and 13 from junior Brady O’Leary.
Tate said he has not been able to figure out how his team gets off to slow starts. A similar situation played out in a game against Waynesville on Dec. 20 which saw the Golden Eagles end up prevailing 46-43.
“We’ve got a couple of football players and when they get angry they play a little bit better. I don’t know if I need to yell at them before we go out there. Something to get them angry before we play,” Tate said.
Getting through the starts has been stressful to experience for Bellbrook, but is relieving when it works.
Bellbrook returns to league play Friday with a game at Talawanda. Troy travels to Fairborn on Friday night.
Oakwood 67, Xenia 45
Oakwood held Xenia scoreless through the first quarter and didn’t let them get too close the rest of the way to end a three-game losing skid.
The Buccaneers failed to score in the first and fourth quarters for all but a 40-second stretch of game time.
“It’s nice when a scouting report comes to fruition,” Oakwood head coach Paul Stone said. “Sometimes those baskets go in and it did not early for them. We rebounded the ball and took advantage of it.”
Xenia (3-4) immediately went into a full court press trailing 17-0 to start the second quarter and slowly was able to find rhythm. Oakwood (4-3) responded to nearly every basket as freshman Andrew Woeste heated up from the outside, hitting four 3s, and the Lumberjacks were able to extend its lead to 21 by halftime.
Momentum in the third quarter was on Xenia’s side as they were able to cut the deficit down to eight. The light switched flipped again for Oakwood as soon as its lead went into single digits. They scored the final six points of the quarter and didn’t let the foot off the gas in the fourth.
“I’ve watched [Xenia] play multiple times and they don’t ever stop and keep on fighting,” Stone said. “I watched them at Stebbins the other day when they were down almost 20 and came back and maybe should have won.
“They were going to punch us in the mouth and did in the third quarter. We wobbled a bit and then we kind of punched back.”
Woeste scored 27 points for Oakwood and senior Owen Hoersting added 17 and plowed his way to the basket throughout the game for easy layups.
Xenia got 14 points from junior Devin Withers and 12 by sophomore Anthony Caudill Jr.
The loss was Xenia’s first by more than three points this season.
Oakwood hosts Carlisle next on Friday, and Xenia hosts West Carrollton on Saturday.
SWBL Recognizes Gameday Grille and Patio Athletes of the Week
Bellbrook Girls Basketball Coach Jason Tincher Recently Captured 400th Career Win
(Photo by Elijah Cook)
‘She does whatever the team needs’ — Cary playing leadership role for Talawanda girls basketball program
Last season was about survival. This season is about ownership.
For Talawanda sophomore Janna Cary, the transition from freshman contributor to varsity leader did not come with a dramatic announcement or sudden moment.
It arrived quietly — through minutes, responsibility and trust.
“With last year, being a freshman with a new coach, we were just trying to figure everything out,” Cary said. “This year, having our one senior and having to step up more as a leader, it’s been really fun.”
That leadership has already translated into production.
Through seven games in the 2025-26 season, Cary is averaging 11.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.4 steals per game while shooting 43.8 percent from the field.
She has started every game, logging nearly 27 minutes a night — a workload uncommon for a sophomore, especially on a young roster.
But Cary’s growth is more visible between possessions than during them.
“She does whatever the team needs,” Talawanda coach Zach Stapleton said. “She’s solid, she’s consistent, and she’s got a lot on her plate.”
The season began with promise. Cary and Talawanda (8-2) opened the year with 14 points and seven steals in a win over Valley View, followed by another 14-point night at Franklin. Against Eaton, she delivered one of her most complete performances — 18 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Cary cashed in with a game-high 17 points in a win over Hamilton in the Butler County Bash on Saturday at Fairfield Arena.
Even in adversity, her presence remains steady. After a tough loss at Ross and a setback against Bellbrook, Cary didn’t focus on frustration.
“Seeing how much potential we have, and if we play for four quarters, we can only get better,” Cary elaborated.
That belief has become part of her leadership identity — optimism rooted through awareness.
“Just communicating about what defense we’re in, changing defenses a lot,” Cary said. “Or going up to one of the freshmen and saying, ‘Hey, this is your shot — you’ve got to take it.’ Making those connections with each person.”
Talawanda’s roster leans young — three sophomores, 10 freshmen, two juniors and senior Grace Richardson — and Cary has become a bridge between all of them.
“At the beginning of the year, patience was tough,” Cary admitted. “But it’s so much fun now. Once we all knew how varsity basketball works, everything started to click.”
Stapleton sees that influence daily.
“We’ve got a lot of young players who can score,” the coach said. “Part of her role is distributing the basketball, making sure kids are in the right place at the right time.”
Cary’s assist numbers back that up. She averages nearly four assists per game while committing just 1.4 turnovers — efficiency that reflects her decision-making more than raw usage.
“She’s very selfless,” Stapleton said. “Sometimes maybe too selfless.”
Cary knows that balance is still forming.
“I’ve always been a pass-first player,” she said. “But I’m good enough to go score on my own. Finding that balance is something I’m working on.”
Her future aspirations reflect that clarity.
“Soccer is just to keep me in shape,” Cary said with a laugh. “I love soccer, but basketball is my favorite thing to do.
“I hope to play in college. That’s my goal.”
But Cary’s foundation has long been built at home.
Her mother, Molly, brings a coach’s voice to the sideline and a parent’s presence everywhere else. Molly assists at Talawanda — and doesn’t hesitate to offer reminders.
“She’s big on box-outs and rebounding,” Janna said with a smile. “If I’m not doing that, she lets me know.”
Mostly, though, she’s mom.
That support has allowed Cary to embrace responsibility without fear — to make mistakes, to correct them and to grow through them.
“She’s got great parents, she’s a great kid,” Stapleton said. “And she just keeps getting better.”
And if the early season is any indication, Talawanda’s present — and future — will continue to work its way through the sophomore.
“We’re all getting better,” Cary said with confidence. “I can see it.”
Oakwood’s Caroline Roelle Named Dayton Daily News Athlete of the Week
(Story by Steven Wright / Dayton Daily News)
Sometimes when you know you have the hot hand, you keep shooting. And when the heat check came for Oakwood’s Caroline Roelle, she kept hitting.
Roelle is a senior guard for Oakwood basketball. In her team’s three games against Edgewood, Waynesville and Carlisle, she averaged 23 points and 6.7 rebounds. She set a school record with nine 3-pointers made in the Dec. 13 game against Carlisle.
For her efforts, Roelle was named the Dayton Daily News Athlete of the Week for Dec. 8 through Dec. 14, earning the honor through reader voting at DaytonDailyNews.com.
“I didn’t even know I was nominated until I checked the website because I saw (Libby Bunsold) was nominated, too, and then that was a surprise to me,” Roelle said. “That was really fun and then just having my community support really means a lot, too.”
Roelle shot 9-for-15 from three and scored 34 points in the win against Carlisle. Her previous career high for makes in a game from the beyond the arc was only three before she tripled that total.
She said after the Waynesville game on Dec. 11 she spoke with parents of team members and others who encouraged her to hold a higher self-confidence in her abilities and, frankly, to shoot the ball more.
She had three in the first quarter, five by halftime, and tied the school mark of eight going to the fourth quarter. Prior to the game she had spoken with one of her coaches about goals they had set for her to reach 30 points in a game and shoot for that record.
Having already reached the first mark, she admitted she had the green light to go for the record.
“After they get going in, you know, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,” Roelle said. “Obviously that was like a really hot shooting day and not every game is going to be like that.”
Not every game may be as good as that one, but Roelle has performed well in the team’s first seven games.
She ranked second in the league in scoring average (19.3), third in field goal percentage (51.0), and sixth in 3-point percentage (44.9) this season.
Roelle is committed to play at Grove City College, a Christian school in Pennsylvania. Faith plays a large role as to what inspires her to perform well on the court.
“He’s just blessed me with an amazing, supportive family that has always inspired me to do my best and to chase my dreams,” she said.
Oakwood is off to a 6-2 start to its season. Roelle said one of her goals is to help the team win a district title. She said the record she set was more of a team goal due to her teammate’s assistance on the court and she hopes together they achieve their postseason dreams.
