Donna Seeger’s nameplate on the door outside her WHS office says simply 013 OFFICE MRS. SEEGER.
Someone added a much-needed white piece of paper with orange lettering proclaiming Seeger “Ticket Lady.”
According to a tweet sent out by Jerry Snodgrass, OHSAA assistant commissioner, there is “HUGE” interest in tickets for the Wilmington game 5:15 p.m. Friday against Lima Senior at Ohio State’s Value City Arena.
And Wilmington likely has a big part in that interest.
With the public sale of tickets starting at 4 p.m. Tuesday, there were three folks waiting outside the doors at WHS hoping to get the first available.
Student tickets went on sale Monday.
Ticket sales will continue at WHS 4 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $10 with a limit of eight per adult.
Doors are scheduled to open at Value City Arena 4:30 p.m. Friday, 45 minutes prior to tipoff.
… IF YOU GO: News Journal photographer Linda Rinehart made the trip to Columbus Monday. There had been reports of it taking two hours to get from Wilmington to Columbus because of construction on I-71.
Rinehart said there is construction on 71 from state Route 665 to Stringtown Road, an stretch approximately 3.5 miles long. The work being done is adding lanes in the median, she said. So, there were two open lanes on Monday.
There was a situation, Rinehart noted, that had traffic merging into one lane, which caused a bit of delay.
However, her trip from Wilmington to Columbus, including a few laps around the city to find a parking spot, took 80 minutes, Rinehart said.
Now, all this is subject to change depending on the workforce on I-71 that day. The safest thing to do is leave as early as possible, arrive in Columbus several hours before the game and don’t worry about being caught in traffic and being late.
… CALLS TO MAKE: As the boys basketball team continues to prepare for its 29th game of the season, there are other aspects of a trip to the state tournament that need to be taken care of to make this as smooth as possible.
WHS athletic director Troy Diels knows all to well the pressures that come with getting a team to state.
As head coach he led Port Clinton to the state semifinals in 2010 against Dayton Dunbar. the eventual Div. II state champions.
Diels said his athletic director and one of his assistant coaches made his life very easy as head coach.
“I had blinders on,” Diels said. “All I had to do was coach.”
So Diels, taking on the role of AD this time around, appreciates more what his AD went through with tickets, T-shirts, media requests, travel accommodations and the countless other seemingly minor until their missed details, then they’re not so minor.
Just to say thanks, Diels called both his former AD and the assistant coach who took care of room assignments and other aspects of the trip, so he could focus on basketball.
… PLENTY OF HOOPS: In addition to the Ohio State Boys Basketball Championships at Value City Arena, there will be NCAA women’s game in St. John Arena Friday at OSU.
The games at St. John will begin at noon with West Virginia facing Princeton. Then at 2:30 p.m., Ohio State will square off against Buffalo.
The best way to avoid as much traffic as possible would be to arrive in Columbus around 2:30, late enough to avoid fans from the first game leaving and late enough to not mix with OSU fans arriving for the second game.
Shawn Robinson, who attended The Ohio State University, suggests bypassing the Lane Avenue exit for Ackerman Road, and parking in that area to avoid the most traffic.
… T-SHIRTS: Final Four T-shirts are on sale at WHS. $18 for regular T-shirt and $25 for a long-sleeve T-shirt.
… PUBLIC SENDOFF: A public sendoff is scheduled to begin 6 p.m. Wednesday when the Hurricane leaves WHS in three vans. The vans will depart the school parking lot and turn right on Locust Street and then left on Hale and left on Main. The team will travel through town and take the 73 bypass around to eventually get on I-71 north. The public is invited to line the streets and cheer the team on as they head to Columbus.
