Talawanda will open play in the Division I boys sectional basketball tournament against the No. 1 seed at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22 at Hamilton High School.

The Braves were seeded 32 in Sunday’s Southwest District tournament draw and must face top-seeded Walnut Hills in that game.

The 4-16 Braves (4-9 in Southwest Ohio Conference games) will close out the regular season with a SWOC game tonight at Ross against the Rams who stand in second place in the league and are looking for a chance at tie for the title with Wilmington.

The Hurricanes beat the Braves 62-48 last Friday and host Little Miami tonight. Wilmington stands 12-1 in SWOC play. Ross is currently second at 11-2.

Talawanda coach Bobby Lipps looks forward to playing Ross.

“I’m ready for them. I would love to go in there and beat them on their senior night,” said Lipps, who was an assistant coach at Ross before coming to Talawanda. “We will go in and compete.”

The league loss last Friday was followed by a non-league loss last Saturday for the Braves who fell 59-40 at home to Kings for Talawanda Senior Night.

As the 32 seed, Talawanda’s choices were few when it came time to pick a spot on the sectional tournament bracket.

“We could take Walnut Hills or wait and take Moeller,” Lipps said. “Last year, we played Middletown and were right in the game until the fourth quarter.”

He’s hoping for a major upset with the matchup but Walnut Hills, ranked number 2 in the AP state Division I poll, is a formidable obstacle.

“We’ve got to play a perfect game. That’s just the way it is. The kids will start and compete. The seniors are a good bunch of kids,” the second-year Talawanda coach said, adding that he feels this year’s squad is stronger than last year, even though they were 7-14 a year ago and 5-9 in Fort Ancient Valley Conference games. “Last year, I thought our record was a little better than what we were. This year, I feel our record is not indicative of who we are.”

Lipps said he likes playing the sectional tournament at nearby Hamilton High School, even against the top seed.

“The guys are going to be fine. They will be ready. They need to take care of the ball, rebound, play defense and make some shots,” he said.

The winner advances to play number 31 seed Woodward on Feb. 26.

Ross opens sectional play as the 16th seed playing Turpin at Hamilton on Feb. 23.

“I had (Ross) anywhere from a 9 to a 16 (seed),” Lipps said. “People who have not seen them play will be surprised.”

Lipps said freshman Stevie Cunningham has been a pleasant surprise for him this season as was the decision by Colton Adams to switch from the guard position to being a post player.

“That’s where we thought he belonged,” Lipps said.

He praised the work of seniors Tripp Webb and Nolan Robinson this year.

“Tripp and Nolan led the team through the ups and downs and did a good job leading us,” he said. Even hard work and skills are not enough for that success, he added. “I always tell ’em even when we beat Mount Healthy by 20-some points, what it takes is knowing how to win games. We figure that out sometimes and sometimes we just don’t.”