Hillsboro, Trace battle for 1980 basketball title
By
Bob Patton-
Hillsboro, Trace battle
for 1980 basketball title
By BOB PATTON
For The Highland County Press
On Jan. 18, 1980, Teays Valley had to go into two overtime periods to squeeze by the McClain Tigers, 52-50. McClain had a four-point lead inside the final minute of the fourth quarter but was unable to hold it. The next night, in a non-league game, the Tigers wasted another four-point lead in the final minute and lost to the Adena Warriors, 30-28.
In other games, Miami Trace held the league’s scoring leader, Dickie Brown to just six points and plastered, Madison-Plains, 58-37. Hillsboro fell behind Washington early, but bounced back and downed the Blue Lions, 63-51. Wilmington used a strong second quarter to smoke Circleville, 61-56.
McClain’s rematch with the Hillsboro Indians came on Jan. 25 in Greenfield. The Tigers gave a better account of themselves but still lost to
Hillsboro, 69-50, as the Indians had four men in double figures. Teays Valley gave league leader Miami Trace a scare, by slowing the game to a walk. But MT still came out on top, 30-29. Wilmington handed WCH another loss, this time 47-39 and Madison-Plains nosed out Circleville, 55-54.
On Jan. 29, Miami Trace handed the McClain Tigers their 11th straight loss, 81-30, on the MT court. Meanwhile, Hillsboro kept pace by downing Teays Valley, 59-49, at Hillsboro. The Indians stood at 13-2 overall, with an SCOL mark of 10-1. Their only league loss came at the hands of Miami Trace early in the season.
The crusher for Hillsboro came on Nov. 1, when Dickie Brown and friends came to Hillsboro and tripped the Indians, 81-77, in overtime. The Golden Eagles of Madison-Plains started the game by hitting four outside shots, some of them WAY outside, and leading the Indians, 12-0.
The visitors led 22-13 at the first quarter stop, but the Indians outscored the green and gold 24-10 in the second stanza, to lead 37-32 at halftime.
Both teams were lethargic in the third quarter, as MP outscored the Indians, 17-16. The visitors outdistanced the Hillsboro squad, 20-16, in the fourth
quarter, leaving the score at 69–all. In the overtime period, Plains outscored the Indians, 12-8 to take the four-point win. The invincible Dickie Brown totaled 35 points.
The same night, Miami Trace downed Circleville, 59-44, as Scott Grooms scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. This win, coupled with Hillsboro’s
loss to MP, guaranteed the Panthers at least a tie for the league championship. Hillsboro’s loss effectively removed any chance the Indians might have had to grab at least a share of the SCOL title. Sam Snyder’s men were hoping to beat Miami Trace Feb. 8, throwing the race into a tie. The loss to MP meant that even if the Indians did win the Miami Trace game, they would still be a game behind and time was rapidly running out.
On Nov. 5, Hillsboro led the Whiteoak Wildcats by 15 at halftime and cruised to a 73-63 win. Whiteoak left town with a record of 14-2 and both
of their losses came at the hands of the Hillsboro Indians. Meanwhile, cross-county rival McClain traveled to Unioto, where Todd Ralph hit a shot
with three seconds remaining and the Tigers picked up their second win of the season, 62-60.
McClain’s Richie Hawkins enjoyed his best game of the season by collecting 21 points and 17 rebounds.
Miami Trace had downed the Hillsboro Indians, 61-50, on the Hillsboro court just before the Christmas break, to grab the lead in the SCOL. Feb. 8 saw the Indians journey to Miami Trace for a rematch with the Panthers.
This time the Indians played their best overall game of the season as they downed the Panthers 74-60. Jon Cole and Brad Storer totaled 42 points and 14
rebounds between them, and the Indians simply outplayed Trace. Miami Trace had been collecting gold footballs and basketballs by the trophy case full
the past several years. The home court loss to Hillsboro meant that the Panthers would not get a gold basketball in 1979-80.
In other SCOL action, Wilmington tripped TV, 48-44; Circleville tromped McClain, 89-50; and Plains inched by WCH, 69-68. On the final playing date
of the 1979-80 season, the Panthers locked down the SCOL title, when they edged WCH, 61-57.
The Panthers ended up 13-1 in the SCOL and 16-4 overall. The final SCOL standings for 1979-80 were:
Miami Trace – 13-1, 16-4
Hillsboro – 12-2, 17-3
Mad. Plains – 9-5, 14-6
Teays Valley – 6-8, 7-12
Wilmington – 6-8, 7-10
Washington – 5-9, 6-14
Circleville – 3-10, 5-13
McClain – 1-12, 3-15
Madison-Plains’ human dynamo “Downtown” Dickie Brown sewed up the SCOL individual scoring crown by a wide margin. In league games, he hit for 409
points in 14 games for a ppg average of 29.2. In all games, he scored 554 points in 20 games for an average of 27.7. Had there been a three-point
shot in 1979-80 he might have scored 700 points, because more than half of his shots were from the next time zone. He became the first player in SCOL
history to rack up more than 500 points in the regular season, scoring over 30 points in 10 games and over 20 in 19 games. No other player in the SCOL
totaled 400. Brown was named the Central District’s top player in AA.”
He went to Rio Grande College but came home after about a week. Brown, easily one of the SCOL’s all-time great shooters, never played a game of
college basketball. He died around 1999 at his home near London.
Four of the seven participants in the Paint Valley Sectional Tournament were SCOL teams. Miami Trace had dropped down to AA and had been seeded
number one in the tourney. They had a bye and would meet the winner of the WCH vs. Vinton County game. In the lower bracket, 17-3 Hillsboro would take
on 3-15 McClain, and 9-7 Waverly would meet 6-12 Unioto.
Washington C.H. beat Vinton County, 49-48, on a last-second shot, to qualify to meet county rival Miami Trace in the semi-final round. Hillsboro
downed McClain, 75-58. The Indians would face Waverly, who had won a squeaker from Unioto.
At the Fairgrounds Coliseum, in Columbus, Circleville got a 24-point performance from Mike Harrison, but lost to Columbus St. Charles, 74-59.
Also, at the Coliseum, Teays Valley and London played an unbelievable seven overtimes before London sophomore Mike Snyder hit a
30-footer at the buzzer to win the marathon 56-54. The seven overtimes was a state record at that time, and, probably still is.
In the semi-finals at Paint Valley, the Blue Lions of WCH upset the SCOL champion Miami Trace Panthers 48-47 in two overtimes. Both teams had excellent chances to win the game in regulation – but neither was able to nail the coffin shut. WCH’s Dave Cassidy sunk a 22-footer at the end of regulation, to send the contest into overtime, then nailed a jump shot at the end of the second overtime to seal the victory. With about 12 seconds remaining in the Hillsboro vs. Waverly
semi-final game, the Indians had an uncontested layup, which would have given them a three-point lead. But, a Waverly player came from nowhere and made a clean block, and the Tigers won the game on a last-second shot 61-60.
In the championship game, Waverly beat the Blue Lions 56-53. League champion Miami Trace placed four men on the All-SCOL team, including senior
guard Brad Knicely. Knicely was named Honorary Captain of the team over Dickie Brown of Madison-Plains, who was the most prolific scorer in SCOL
history. Scott Grooms, Jeff King and Kirk McDonald of MT, were also named to the team. Also making the team were Mike Harrison and Danny Martin of
Circleville, Jon Cole of Hillsboro, Dennis Dahmer of WCH and Mike Beegle of Wilmington.
Sam Snyder, of Hillsboro, was named Southeast District AA Coach of the Year, and Brad Knicely of Miami Trace was named to the All-District first
team. As mentioned, Dickie Brown was named AA Player of the Year in the Central District. Both Knicely and Brown were named to the All-Ohio second team.
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.
On Jan. 18, 1980, Teays Valley had to go into two overtime periods to squeeze by the McClain Tigers, 52-50. McClain had a four-point lead inside the final minute of the fourth quarter but was unable to hold it. The next night, in a non-league game, the Tigers wasted another four-point lead in the final minute and lost to the Adena Warriors, 30-28.
In other games, Miami Trace held the league’s scoring leader, Dickie Brown to just six points and plastered, Madison-Plains, 58-37. Hillsboro fell behind Washington early, but bounced back and downed the Blue Lions, 63-51. Wilmington used a strong second quarter to smoke Circleville, 61-56.
McClain’s rematch with the Hillsboro Indians came on Jan. 25 in Greenfield. The Tigers gave a better account of themselves but still lost to Hillsboro, 69-50, as the Indians had four men in double figures. Teays Valley gave league leader Miami Trace a scare, by slowing the game to a walk. But MT still came out on top, 30-29. Wilmington handed WCH another loss, this time 47-39 and Madison-Plains nosed out Circleville, 55-54.
On Jan. 29, Miami Trace handed the McClain Tigers their 11th straight loss, 81-30, on the MT court. Meanwhile, Hillsboro kept pace by downing Teays Valley, 59-49, at Hillsboro. The Indians stood at 13-2 overall, with an SCOL mark of 10-1. Their only league loss came at the hands of Miami Trace early in the season.
The crusher for Hillsboro came on Nov. 1, when Dickie Brown and friends came to Hillsboro and tripped the Indians, 81-77, in overtime. The Golden Eagles of Madison-Plains started the game by hitting four outside shots, some of them WAY outside, and leading the Indians, 12-0.
The visitors led 22-13 at the first quarter stop, but the Indians outscored the green and gold 24-10 in the second stanza, to lead 37-32 at halftime.
Both teams were lethargic in the third quarter, as MP outscored the Indians, 17-16. The visitors outdistanced the Hillsboro squad, 20-16, in the fourth quarter, leaving the score at 69–all. In the overtime period, Plains outscored the Indians, 12-8 to take the four-point win. The invincible Dickie Brown totaled 35 points.
The same night, Miami Trace downed Circleville, 59-44, as Scott Grooms scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. This win, coupled with Hillsboro’s
loss to MP, guaranteed the Panthers at least a tie for the league championship. Hillsboro’s loss effectively removed any chance the Indians might have had to grab at least a share of the SCOL title. Sam Snyder’s men were hoping to beat Miami Trace Feb. 8, throwing the race into a tie. The loss to MP meant that even if the Indians did win the Miami Trace game, they would still be a game behind and time was rapidly running out.
On Nov. 5, Hillsboro led the Whiteoak Wildcats by 15 at halftime and cruised to a 73-63 win. Whiteoak left town with a record of 14-2 and both of their losses came at the hands of the Hillsboro Indians. Meanwhile, cross-county rival McClain traveled to Unioto, where Todd Ralph hit a shot with three seconds remaining and the Tigers picked up their second win of the season, 62-60.
McClain’s Richie Hawkins enjoyed his best game of the season by collecting 21 points and 17 rebounds.
Miami Trace had downed the Hillsboro Indians, 61-50, on the Hillsboro court just before the Christmas break, to grab the lead in the SCOL. Feb. 8 saw the Indians journey to Miami Trace for a rematch with the Panthers.
This time the Indians played their best overall game of the season as they downed the Panthers 74-60. Jon Cole and Brad Storer totaled 42 points and 14
rebounds between them, and the Indians simply outplayed Trace. Miami Trace had been collecting gold footballs and basketballs by the trophy case full the past several years. The home court loss to Hillsboro meant that the Panthers would not get a gold basketball in 1979-80.
In other SCOL action, Wilmington tripped TV, 48-44; Circleville tromped McClain, 89-50; and Plains inched by WCH, 69-68. On the final playing date
of the 1979-80 season, the Panthers locked down the SCOL title, when they edged WCH, 61-57.
The Panthers ended up 13-1 in the SCOL and 16-4 overall. The final SCOL standings for 1979-80 were:
Miami Trace – 13-1, 16-4
Hillsboro – 12-2, 17-3
Mad. Plains – 9-5, 14-6
Teays Valley – 6-8, 7-12
Wilmington – 6-8, 7-10
Washington – 5-9, 6-14
Circleville – 3-10, 5-13
McClain – 1-12, 3-15
Madison-Plains’ human dynamo “Downtown” Dickie Brown sewed up the SCOL individual scoring crown by a wide margin. In league games, he hit for 409
points in 14 games for a ppg average of 29.2. In all games, he scored 554 points in 20 games for an average of 27.7. Had there been a three-point shot in 1979-80 he might have scored 700 points, because more than half of his shots were from the next time zone. He became the first player in SCOL history to rack up more than 500 points in the regular season, scoring over 30 points in 10 games and over 20 in 19 games. No other player in the SCOL totaled 400. Brown was named the Central District’s top player in AA.”
He went to Rio Grande College but came home after about a week. Brown, easily one of the SCOL’s all-time great shooters, never played a game of college basketball. He died around 1999 at his home near London.
Four of the seven participants in the Paint Valley Sectional Tournament were SCOL teams. Miami Trace had dropped down to AA and had been seeded number one in the tourney. They had a bye and would meet the winner of the WCH vs. Vinton County game. In the lower bracket, 17-3 Hillsboro would take on 3-15 McClain, and 9-7 Waverly would meet 6-12 Unioto.
Washington C.H. beat Vinton County, 49-48, on a last-second shot, to qualify to meet county rival Miami Trace in the semi-final round. Hillsboro downed McClain, 75-58. The Indians would face Waverly, who had won a squeaker from Unioto.
At the Fairgrounds Coliseum, in Columbus, Circleville got a 24-point performance from Mike Harrison, but lost to Columbus St. Charles, 74-59.
Also, at the Coliseum, Teays Valley and London played an unbelievable seven overtimes before London sophomore Mike Snyder hit a 30-footer at the buzzer to win the marathon 56-54. The seven overtimes was a state record at that time, and, probably still is.
In the semi-finals at Paint Valley, the Blue Lions of WCH upset the SCOL champion Miami Trace Panthers 48-47 in two overtimes. Both teams had excellent chances to win the game in regulation – but neither was able to nail the coffin shut. WCH’s Dave Cassidy sunk a 22-footer at the end of regulation, to send the contest into overtime, then nailed a jump shot at the end of the second overtime to seal the victory. With about 12 seconds remaining in the Hillsboro vs. Waverly
semi-final game, the Indians had an uncontested layup, which would have given them a three-point lead. But, a Waverly player came from nowhere and made a clean block, and the Tigers won the game on a last-second shot 61-60.
In the championship game, Waverly beat the Blue Lions 56-53. League champion Miami Trace placed four men on the All-SCOL team, including senior
guard Brad Knicely. Knicely was named Honorary Captain of the team over Dickie Brown of Madison-Plains, who was the most prolific scorer in SCOL
history. Scott Grooms, Jeff King and Kirk McDonald of MT, were also named to the team. Also making the team were Mike Harrison and Danny Martin of
Circleville, Jon Cole of Hillsboro, Dennis Dahmer of WCH and Mike Beegle of Wilmington.
Sam Snyder, of Hillsboro, was named Southeast District AA Coach of the Year, and Brad Knicely of Miami Trace was named to the All-District first team. As mentioned, Dickie Brown was named AA Player of the Year in the Central District. Both Knicely and Brown were named to the All-Ohio second team.
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.
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