WEST CHESTER -- On Wednesday night, Little Miami first-year head basketball coach Scott Kerr was named the 2023-24 Eastern Cincinnati Conference Coach of the Year by his coaching peers after the Panthers catapulted to a 16-7 regular season record and finished in a three-way tie at No. 2 in the ECC with a 10-6 league record at the conclusion of the 2023-24 regular season. The previous three seasons were Little Miami's first in The Conference, and the Panthers never eclipsed a .500 record en route to 13 wins and 47 losses in that time frame, while also never finishing higher than No. 8 in the conference final rankings.

To date, Kerr has logged an impressive 252 career wins a head coach, and tonight he looks to win No. 253 as the Panthers are headed for an exciting run in the OHSAA postseason as they collide with No. 4 Goshen at Lakota West High School at 7:30 PM in the Round 1 tournament opener. However, this matchup features two programs who are familiar foes, as Little Miami (1964-2012) and Goshen (1986-2004) were members of the Fort Ancient Valley Conference and faced off on the hardwood in many rivalry games. Goshen is currently a member of Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference (SBAAC) and claimed the 2023-24 American Division crown by going 20-2 this season. The only common opponents these rivals faced this season were Western Brown, West Clermont and Northwest high schools. Little Miami was 4-0 against said opponents, while Goshen was 3-1 with a loss to Northwest. A link to their 2023-24 schedule can be found HERE!

Leading the way for Little Miami tonight will be first-team all-conference guard Elisha Jones, second-team all-conference forward Carter Sellars and guard Jake Wittenaur, and honorable mention guard Jackson Reynolds. The winner of tonight's matchup will earn a date with No. 12 Anderson in Round 2 action on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 7:30 PM at Lakota West High School. Tickets for all postseason games are available at ohsaa.org/tickets and the D-I southwest bracket is available HERE! Go Panthers! See you there!