BOYS REGIONAL Loudonville to give Badger next test

The Braves will be playing in their first regional since 1982.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
At the beginning of the season, Bill Bogan had a good feeling about the Badger High boys basketball team.
Not much has changed.
"This is one of those special groups that comes along in a small community every eight or 10 years," Bogan said. "In small communities, when things aren't going well, you still have people who support you.
"When things are going well, the whole doggone city supports you."
The Braves (20-3) won this year's Trumbull Athletic Conference title and will play in their first Division III regional semifinal in 20 years when they take on Loudonville Thursday at 8 p.m. at the Canton Fieldhouse.
Loudonville (20-2) haven't been to regionals since 1956.
What's next: The winner will play will play Cleveland Central Catholic (18-5) or Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas (16-7) Saturday afternoon for a state berth.
"Canton Fieldhouse is going to be a sea of red Thursday," Bogan said, noting the predominant color of both schools.
Loudonville needed overtime to oust Akron Manchester, 65-62.
Badger won the Hubbard district after rallying from a 13-4 deficit against Warren JFK. The Braves defeated the Eagles, 55-50, to earn their first trip to Canton since 1982.
Last year, the Braves squandered a 15-point lead against Mogadore in the Div. IV district final.
"We had everybody coming back so we knew it would be a good year," Bogan said. "Now that we've won a district title, hopefully we will be able to relax a little bit and play a little bit looser."
About Loudonville, Bogan said, "Their record speaks for itself. They are an experienced group and their coach has played in the state tournament.
Teams similar: "They are similar to us in that they play three guards, a traditional post player and second post player who plays similar to what Josh Klingensmith does for us," Bogan said. "We felt we match up well with them."
Loudonville coach Mark Schlabach agrees the two teams are similar size wise.
"We're very impressed with Badger, especially their defense," Schlabach said. "They are very well coached."
Bogan saw the win over Manchester and was impressed with Kevin Davis.
"He's a good shooter and penetrator," Bogan said. "Another good one is Darren Krantz who plays in post but will step out and shoot. He's very athletic."
Leading the way for Badger are three seniors who have been varsity players for four years: Ryan Miller (11 points per game), Brett Bell (10 ppg) and Josh Upshire (11 ppg, five assists per game). Senior Josh Klingensmith (10 ppg) is the leading rebounder with seven per game.
The team plays well under pressure, and didn't panic when it was down against JFK.
"Being down wasn't anything new to us -- it's happened to us all year," Miller said. "We have been very well prepared to play in close games."
Miller said the team felt confident at halftime.
"We were only down five points and still hadn't played well," Miller said. "The third quarter was the key because that's when we took control of the game."
Season leader: Before the season began, Miller said he wasn't ready to make a TAC prediction "because we had never played up to our potential. But Josh Upshire was very confident. His confidence carried us during the early part of the season."
The Braves' three losses came at home against to TAC opponents: Girard, Lakeview and Hubbard.
"We're real happy that Thursday's game won't be at home," Bogan said.