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This season, the Toledo Area Athletic Conference featured several of the area’s most competitive teams.
Maumee Valley finished 16-3, and 2010 state semifinalist Ottawa Hills clinched yet another title, finishing 20-2. Toledo Christian (17-8), which upset rival Ottawa Hills, 48-31, en route to a district title, made it all the way to the regional semifinals.
Next season, the competition will only improve as Gibsonburg is set to join the TAAC after spending nearly forty years in the soon to be defunct Suburban Lakes League.
Gibsonburg (12-11, 7-5) caught fire at the right time, winning eight of their last 11 and advancing to the district finals where they were defeated 71-63 in overtime against Ontario.
The Golden Bears, which joined the league with its inception during the 1972-73 school year, will leave the SLL with the smallest boys enrollment (138) to become the largest school in the TAAC, a league that is expected to have an average enrollment of more than one hundred boys less than Northern Buckeye Conference schools next season.
Current SLL members Eastwood, Elmwood, Genoa, Lake, Otsego, and Woodmore will join Fostoria and Rossford to form the new eight-team NBC, which will begin play with the start of the upcoming school year.
Despite the differences in enrollment, anyone who thinks Gibsonburg’s basketball program is taking a step down by joining the TAAC is “crazy,” said ninth year head basketball coach Brent Liskai.
“I think the TAAC has one of the best basketball conferences around,” added Liskai. “The TAAC has great coaches, great athletes — the list goes on and on. Anyone who thinks we are going to an easier conference needs to think again.”
This season, SLL teams finished 6-3 in head-to-head games against TAAC opponents. Eastwood was 0-1 (Toledo Christian), Genoa finished 2-0 (Cardinal Stritch and Northwood), and Lake won its only game versus a TAAC opponent (Northwood) on December 21. Woodmore was defeated by Ottawa Hills but knocked off Cardinal Stritch, and Gibsonburg had wins over Danbury and Northwood, but was thumped at home, 56-33, by Ottawa Hills.
Liskai believes his team will be able to compete for a TAAC championship next season. The Golden Bears will return ten players including its top three scorers. Juniors Gage Beaber (15.1 ppg), who was a third team D-III all-district selection, Nate Yarborough (11.5 ppg) and Logan Jones (11.5 ppg) will all be back.
“We have some talented kids coming back,” said Liskai. “Things are on the upswing. It’s going to be fun.”
Northwood coach John Bryan was impressed with what he saw from the TAAC this season as a first year head coach. Bryan has over 35 years of coaching experience in Ohio, Florida, and West Virginia and said the TAAC is “arguably the toughest D-IV conference in the state.” With that being said, Bryan doesn’t expect Gibsonburg to waltz their way to a TAAC championship without a fight.
“We finished last in the TAAC this season and Gibsonburg only beat us by four (75-71). Sure, they got progressively better, but we did too,” said Bryan, whose Rangers finished 2-10 in TAAC play. “The TAAC is a tough conference. I would put it up against any other Division IV league in the state of Ohio.”
“I have a lot of respect for the TAAC,” said Liskai. “It’s an extremely tough conference. This is a step up for us. I think this will be a terrific fit.”
Bryan agrees. He can’t wait to face off against the Golden Bears, who, he said, will only add to the level of competition in the league.
“Gibsonburg will be a good addition to the TAAC. They are a good team, they are well coached, and I’m looking forward to playing them next season.
“You know,” added Bryan, “a lot of times, teams have to go out of conference to find good competition. That just isn’t the case in the TAAC. The toughest teams we played were league teams and the addition of Gibsonburg will only strengthen our conference schedule.”
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