20-25 minutes north followed by another 20 minutes in the same direction

When I was in high school, oh so many years ago, I lived on North Main Street in Attica. For those of you who are not familiar with my hometown, Main St. is State Route 4.If you pulled out of my driveway and turned right you would head out of town going north. After passing through Reedtown, you would take a slight left on Rt. 269 and that would take you to Bellevue. Stay on Rt. 269 and drive another 20 minutes or so and you would be in Castalia. Those three towns are linked this week in a special way and I'm guessing most of you know why. If not, I will soon tell you.During my high school days playing basketball was a near daily experience. I played many a game on the outdoor court behind the high school. During the summer before my senior year, my high school teammates would make that trek up Rt. 4 and Rt. 269 to Bellevue. There we would play basketball pick up games at a local park against Bellevue's best.We did not make the trip with the idea of getting better. We made it to play a game we loved and getting better was simply a side benefit of those evenings. As for Castalia… I made a few trips to that community, but it had nothing to do with basketball. My family would go there to see Aunt Fern and Uncle Earl and maybe take in the Blue Hole.Not everything was about basketball back then, it just seemed like it. One thing that never crossed our minds was the thought of girls playing the sport. The 1960's came before the idea of interscholastic competition for the fairer sex. As for these three communities… this week was ALL about girls basketball!I think it's pretty cool that three high schools – separated by less than an hour's drive – are all competing in the state girls basketball tournament. I can only imagine the buzz in the hallways of Seneca East, Bellevue and Margaretta High Schools this week. Anyone that has put on a sports uniform in high school likely had the same dream. "Going to State" does not happen for most high school athletes. Not so for three area teams in 2026.Let's start with Bellevue. Last season saw the Lady Red capture the state title. With several members of the team returning and the addition of a very mature freshman from New Riegel, no one was surprised to see Bellevue head to Dayton for a chance to repeat.Margaretta has a player that has committed to Gardner-Webb and people knew they would be strong. But getting to state takes some doing. The Polar Bears made it with a single loss on their record. That defeat came at the hands of Bellevue.The last school on the list here is perhaps the least likely to still be alive at this time of the year. When this years seniors at Seneca East were just freshmen the girls varsity went 1-22! Four years later and they are going to state. Forty years from now – when asked how they did in high school – they will be able to say "we went to state!"By today you all know how the teams performed in the semifinals and whether they are playing for a title or not. As I write this that information is still not available. That's OK with me as just getting to state is an accomplishment all in itself. Congrats to the athletes, coaches and fans from the three schools. The dream has been realized.Switching gears but staying with the same sport… I watched a college basketball game last Friday night that kept me up past my normal bedtime. Miami of Ohio was taking on Ohio University in Athens, a place where they hadn't tasted victory in 15 years.With our daughter graduating from Ohio University, we had ties to the Bobcats. In fact we made the drive to Athens (a little longer than my Rt. 4 and Rt. 269 drives) several times as she was in the Marching 110 and the pep band for basketball games. We saw a few games in the Convocation Center.I had mixed feelings about the game. My familial connections would have me hoping to see an OU victory. As a basketball fan, the chance to see a team go undefeated in the regular season – which is what Miami was trying to do – had me also quietly rooting for the Red Hawks. What I really wanted to see was a good game… and oh my, did I!Miami prevailed 110-108 in overtime. It was a great college basketball game, but had a bit of a sour ending for me. When the buzzer sounded Miami players ran towards the Bobcats student section and taunted the fans. Water bottles were hurled onto the court and it provided a sad ending to a magical evening.Why, I wondered, did the Miami players do that? I'm guessing they had to endure some explicit language from the Ohio students during the game. But does that make their behavior OK? Why any fan at any sporting event thinks they can justify throwing an item onto the floor is beyond me. Emotions can get the best of anyone, but you have to know the limits that can lead to poor sportsmanship. Thankfully most fans do.Basketball is a great sport and we should celebrate the accomplishments of those that play it. That includes Seneca East, Bellevue, Margaretta and yes, Miami of Ohio.