VANDALIA, Ohio – DeMarco Bradley has seen it all in his basketball career.
A member of Woodward’s 1988 Division I state champion team, and an assistant coach for Taft’s 2011 Division III state champion team, Bradley is looking for his first state title as a head coach.
Before Saturday’s Division III, Region 12 championship game, he sought some advice from one of his former coaches, Cincinnati legend Jimmy Leon. Leon was an assistant coach for the 1988 Woodward team.
“I learned everything from Jimmy Leon. He taught me everything that I know,” Bradley said. “He called me today and said ‘Coach, go get it. Just do what your team has been doing all year. Stay focused, stay the course.’”
Bradley and the Senators still have a course to follow after defeating Springfield Shawnee 63-39 in the regional final Saturday evening at Vandalia Butler High School.
Taft will play in the state semifinals 5 p.m. Friday, March 19, at UD Arena against the winner of tonight’s Region 11 final between Worthington Christian and Proctorville Fairland. They are in the Final Four for the first time since that 2011 championship season.
“It feels great,” Taft sophomore Rayvon Griffith said. “Just to put it on for the city and the CPS schools that didn’t make it. We feel great to put it on for them. Our families are here celebrating with us, and it’s great. Nobody expected us to do this. We just tried to stay humble through the whole season and play as a team.”
