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The 8-0 Mohawks, idle for nearly 2 weeks, face Edgewood in tourney.

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12:12 AM Thursday, December 29, 2011

By Rick Cassano

Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN — Madison High School’s girls basketball team is unbeaten and eager to stay that way.

The Mohawks haven’t played in nearly two weeks and will put their 8-0 record on the line today against Edgewood in the 33rd annual Miami University Middletown Holiday Tournament.

“We take a lot of pride in playing in this tournament,” Madison coach John Rossi said. “I think it’s good for the area. We’re excited to get out there and play a couple games.”

The Mohawks and Cougars (4-3) will meet in the first large-school division semifinal at 5:30 p.m., followed by Fenwick (2-5) vs. Western Hills (5-3).

Valley View (6-2) and Preble Shawnee (1-6) will compete in the small-school division, facing Landmark Christian and Miami Valley, respectively, in the afternoon.

“We think it’s a pretty neat tournament with all the local teams,” Edgewood coach Greg Brown said. “Opening against Madison is a pretty tough draw, but I think we’ll match up with them. If John doesn’t outcoach me like he usually does, we’ll be fine.”

Meghan Miller, Josey Harding, Brittany Shields and Olivia Philpot are scoring in double figures for the Mohawks. Their closest game was a 49-35 win at Dayton Oakwood.

“The long break is definitely something to be concerned about,” Rossi said. “That’s why we’ve tried to emulate the last couple practices in full-court settings. We need to get our playing legs back.”

Rossi is impressed with Edgewood and said Brown “is one of my buddies in this whole profession.”

“He’s got a lot of young kids who can really play,” Rossi said. “I know we want to get up and down the floor and use our length. I think Greg wants to keep it in the 30s and 40s. We’re going to try to keep it in the 60s.”

The Cougars, riding a two-game losing streak, are dealing with some injuries — freshman point guard Jenna Brown is still out with a hip injury. Senior guard Amanda Hobbs is Edgewood’s top scorer with a 9.9 average.

Fenwick has struggled lately as well with three consecutive losses. The Falcons are scoring just 29.4 points per game and were held to 10 in a 46-point loss to Dayton Carroll.

“We’re a young team going through some growing pains,” Fenwick coach Donn Burrows said. “For a lot of my girls, coming to MUM will be their first experience with a holiday tournament. Only a couple have actually been on that court.”

Junior guard Leah Brubaker tops the Falcons with an 8.3 scoring average. Fenwick is shooting 28.5 percent as a team.

“We’ve played some very stiff, tough teams,” Burrows said. “We need to relax to shoot the ball better, and it’s hard to relax when you’re playing against some of the teams we’ve had to play.”

The Falcons can’t afford to take Western Hills lightly. Fenwick fought off the Mustangs 35-26 in last year’s MUM event, then toppled Madison 64-51 in the large-school final.

The Falcons and Mohawks have played in both divisions through the years. Fenwick has won four MUM championships in the last six seasons and 16 overall. Madison earned titles in 2005, ’07 and ’09.

How to go

What: 33rd annual Miami University Middletown Holiday girls basketball tournament

When: Today and Friday

Where: Bennett Recreation Center, 4200 East University Blvd., Middletown

Today’s schedule: Small-school division — Valley View vs. Landmark Christian, 2 p.m.; Preble Shawnee vs. Miami Valley, 3:45 p.m.; Large-school division — Edgewood vs. Madison, 5:30 p.m.; Fenwick vs. Western Hills, 7:15 p.m.

Friday’s schedule: Small-school division — consolation, 2 p.m.; championship, 5:30 p.m.; Large-school division — consolation, 3:45 p.m.; championship, 7:15 p.m.

Defending champions: Small-school division — Miami Valley; Large-school division — Fenwick

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