SoutheasternOhioPreps.com

Got my 9 lower level books so it's going to be a quick sell on Thursday. With all those schools who notoriously bring a poor following coming to the Schott the crowds are going to be down. I can't see much to get excited about this weekend. A good 3-day binge of college basketball and beer should do the trick.

I'm going regardless of crowd size or who's playing..........I enjoy the state tournament, the zenith of the basketball season. It is fun to see some other outstanding teams in other parts of the state. I would like to see Eastmoor make a good showing at the Schott.

I'll be there TD.

There'll be more good beer than good basketball.

I'll be there. What sections are your books and how much do you want for them?

I'll be there - one last hooray for high school hoops in 2015.

Can I still get a book for just the championship games on Saturday?

go to OHSAA and look

I'll be there for all the games Friday

Luckily, I sold all my books Wednesday night and got the heck outta town! Then, i saw the paid attendance for today's 1st game (7000+).
Like P.T Barnum once said, "There's a sucker born every minute."

Enjoy the games whoever is out there.

Attendance was way down

Why is attendance down? Higher prices for everything, the NCAA playoffs?

The average for this years semi games was 8,800 per game. Last year was 9,990 average. Big difference was Ohsaa needs public schools like upper Arlington. I was at a few games that said over 8,000 but there was about 6,000. Not a huge drop but down 13% from last year and nothing like it was 10 years ago

Thursday:
7,984 DIV: Canal Winchester Harvest Prep 63, Haviland Wayne Trace 53
8,832 DIV: New Madison Tri-Village 55, New Philadelphia Tuscarawas Central Catholic 47
7,659 DIII: Villa Angela-St Joseph 62, Columbus Eastmoor 34
8,284 DIII: Lima Central Catholic55, Dayton Chaminade Julienne 50

Friday:
8,732 DII: Cleveland Central Catholic 54, Columbus Walnut Ridge 38
10,629 DII: Defiance 46, Dayton Dunbar 45
9,877 DI: Westerville South 60, Garfield Heights 57
9,290 DI: Huber Wayne 57, St Ed 51 overtime


2014 Attendance
Semifinals:
8,028 DIV: Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas 54, Canal Winchester Harvest Preparatory 41
9,303 DIV: Convoy Crestview 54, New Madison Tri-Village 50
8,914 DIII: Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph 55, Columbus Bishop Ready 40
10,047 DIII: Lima Central Catholic 63, St. Bernard Roger Bacon 44
9,226 DII: Norwalk 72 Dayton Thurgood Marshall 64
9,615 DII: Columbus Bishop Watterson 56, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary 51
9,890 DI: Lakewood St. Edward 89, Cleveland East Technical 64
14,322 DI: Upper Arlington 74, Trotwood-Madison 49
Finals:
11,056 DIV: Convoy Crestview 71, Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas 44
9,908 DIII: Lima Central Catholic 64, Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph 62
14,642 DII: Norwalk 65, Columbus Bishop Watterson 58
14,234 DI: Lakewood St. Edward 62, Upper Arlington 58

I'm surprised Westerville didn't bring in more of a crowd

Most OCC and Columbus city league teams bring no one. The OCC teams like Upper Arlington and Dublin have a good following tho

I watched all the games on Thursday and Friday, and especially like watching the D1 schools play. The last 3 games (Dunbar--Defiance, Westerville South--Garfield Heights, Lakewood St.Edward--Huber Heights Wayne) gave the first 2 days of the tournament about a B- grade. Until those games, it was below average compared to many other years that I have attended. The attendance, though, was really low, the lowest I have seen it in the 26 years I have been to the state..........I think the reason is that many fans are turned off by so many private schools winning championships over the years.

I don't have a problem with the private schools in the same tournament........the system will never be fair or equal, no matter how you divide it up. I just want to see good basketball at the state level.

It would be nice to see a level playing field, though. I have stayed away the last three years. It bores me.

Sucks Franklin lost to Dunbar. Franklin vs Defiance would have probably had 14,000 people. The state tournament needs the true public schools that has a super star. But it is true no one cares to watch recruited teams. I will say Portsmouth, Ironton, and Warren had big crowds compared to the other teams
2013 state semi average was 10,250.
2012 state semi average was 10260
2011 state semi average was 10,407

Small private schools, city schools and new suburban schools generally don't draw a lot of folks to games. There are exceptions, but this is the general rule.

Haven't been since 2009. Seems to me after the move to the larger arena you just don't have the atmosphere you had in St John. When you're largest crowds are just over 10k something not right. Public vs private? Product on the floor? Cost of a ticket?