Monroe and Edgewood are at the top at 6-2, while Bellbrook and Ross sit close behind at 5-3.
Monroe (15-3, 6-2 SWBL Southwestern)
Monroe has spent the winter living in the narrow space between confidence and urgency — good enough to control its own destiny again, but seasoned enough to understand how quickly that can change in conference play.
“We didn’t for about a week,” Hornets coach Casey Popplewell said of controlling the path to a title. “But I’ve said all year that you’ve got to win them all at home and win half on the road, and you’ll have a shot at the end.
“So far, that’s worked out for us.”
Monroe needed help after a road loss at Edgewood, then steadied itself back into the thick of the chase entering the final two weeks. Popplewell pointed to the league’s balance — and Ross’ surge — as proof nothing will be handed out.
The Hornets and the Rams square off at Monroe on Friday.
“Ross has won five in a row,” Popplewell said. “This weekend is huge for us.”
The Hornets’ profile starts with a high-powered sophomore guard punch. Colt Howard is the SWBL’s No. 2 scorer at 20.2 points per game, while Ty Perkins averages 15.3 points per game.
Defensive playmaking has been a constant, too, with senior Bryant Lee among the league leaders at 3.8 steals per game. Inside, senior Steven Rude provides paint production and rim presence, averaging 7.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
Popplewell also framed this year’s run with history. Monroe hasn’t won back-to-back league titles since 1966-67, a detail he said is literally “up on our wall.”
Monroe won the SWBL Southwestern Division outright last season.
Edgewood (12-4, 6-2 SWBL Southwestern)
Edgewood’s formula has been steady with veteran leadership, a defined “big four” and a simple finish-line objective — win the last two league games and let the standings fall where they may.
“You have a good senior-led group with seven seniors,” Cougars coach Jason Osterman said. “We had high expectations — after only losing one senior from last year’s team.”
The Cougars positioned themselves as co-favorites in the SWBL Southwestern despite a recent setback at Bellbrook — a loss that ended a month-long unbeaten run. Osterman didn’t sugarcoat the difference. It was free throws and a momentum swing.
“They shot 21-for-22 at the free-throw line,” Osterman said. “We were on the wrong side of that — making 21 free throws and us making nine — which was the difference.”
Edgewood’s identity centers on the “big four” Osterman referenced — Tyson Daley, Keegan Sullivan, Kale Reynolds and Amir Cannedy — all averaging double figures while setting the tone at both ends.
When that group scores in sync, Osterman said, it usually means “a pretty good offensive night.”
Reynolds has anchored the defense and leads the league in blocks at 2.2 per game, giving Edgewood a reliable erase button at the rim. Sullivan shows up on the other side of the defensive ledger, sitting among the conference leaders at 2.2 steals per game, a number that reflects the Cougars’ ability to pressure without losing structure.
“Our goal is to win the league championship,” Osterman said. “We know if we win our last two league games, that goal will be met … we may have to share it, but our goal is to win a league championship.”
Edgewood hosts Franklin on Friday.
Bellbrook (11-6, 5-3 SWBL Southwestern)
Bellbrook’s season has been less about a straight line and more about timing — injuries early, roles shifting on the fly and a roster that only recently started to look like itself.
Now, the Golden Eagles are playing like a team that believes there’s still room to grab a share of the crown with two league games left.
“We’ve got a great group of kids,” Bellbrook coach Donnie Tate said, pointing to seven seniors and a late-arriving full rotation after two key pieces missed time.
Bellbrook’s leading scorer is a freshman, Jack Howard, who missed the first two games and had to learn the offense on the move. Howard scores 13.8 points a game.
“Getting him back, he’s played really well,” Tate said. “Then we’re just kind of getting Jackson Caswell back. He missed the first six games or so with an injury. Team chemistry — roles have kind of changed as we’ve gotten players back.”
Those changes line up with the results. Bellbrook entered the week having won seven of its last nine — a surge Tate attributed to continuity and closeness.
“When you start getting that and you’ve got good players on top of it, that certainly helps,” Tate said.
The signature league moment was the win over Edgewood. Tate called that win “big” and one that likely keeps Bellbrook’s title hopes alive.
“If we’re shooting 50% like we had in some games, we definitely don’t win that game,” Tate said.
Bellbrook also has a league stat standout in the backcourt. Senior Aidan Caswell ranks fifth in the SWBL in assists at 3.8 per game.
Tate’s message for his program’s recent run is equal parts league chase and postseason vision. He told his players the district finals are at UD Arena — and said the look on their faces told him everything.
“You win two tournament games,” he said, “and you’re going to be playing at UD in a district championship. They want to get there.”
Bellbrook hosts Talawanda on Friday.
Ross (9-8, 5-3 SWBL Southwestern)
Ross has taken the long way into the conversation — a team that opened the season expecting turbulence after graduating eight seniors, then found itself peaking at exactly the right time.
“It’s been kind of an up-and-down season,” Rams coach David Lane said. “We kind of expected a little bit of this — losing our eight seniors — only having two returning guys with any varsity experience.”
Ross carried a five-game winning streak into a huge league stretch, and Lane believes the group still hasn’t hit its ceiling.
“They’re starting to understand what it takes to compete every single night — attention to detail,” Lane said. “It’s a good time for us to be playing some of our best basketball.”
Lane pointed to last week’s adversity — weather disruptions, a game moved and then three games in four days — as a test his team passed with maturity. It included quality wins and a road trip, the kind of grind that can either expose inexperience or accelerate it.
The clearest sign of Ross’ progress is its interior production. Ethan Fuersich is third in the league in rebounding at 8.1 per game, and Lane said the big man’s recent surge came when something “clicked” physically — playing lower, accepting contact and turning the post into a reliable scoring base.
Fuersich’s 37-point outing opened eyes and changed the geometry for the Rams.
“With us not shooting the ball as well as we have in years past, him being able to play down low and get us some points and us to play inside-out is really big,” Lane said.
Ross’ mindset remains simple — focus forward and one opponent at a time, even with a title path still mathematically alive.
“We’re still on the outside looking in,” Lane said, “but it’s a great opportunity to go to Monroe and compete. It’s one game at a time, and we’ll see where we end up.”
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