The Daily Press Pass: Postponements, Friday games and more high school sports thoughts
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
Snowfall ruined what could have been an exciting day of high school basketball in the area, as what I felt the “Game of the Weekend” was going to be, the Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs at the Eastern Brown Lady Warriors, was postponed until Wednesday, Jan. 23. That said, the game I covered on Friday night was an exciting battle between two Highland County schools.
On Friday night before all the snow fell, the Fairfield Lions hosted the Whiteoak Wildcats, and what an atmosphere both fan bases brought as it added to the intensity and solid play by both rival schools. Just by watching the game, it is always easy to tell when the game means just a little bit more. There was very little if any space left in the stands, both teams played hard and it was just an exciting scene to see.
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Though the Lions pulled away for a 13-point win over the Wildcats by a 78-65 score, the first half saw a much closer score with the Wildcats leading by one point (19-18) at the end of the first quarter and both teams scoring 12 points in the second for a halftime score of 31-30.
The second half was favored to the Lions as they scored 24 points in each of the final two frames, while Whiteoak had a 16-point third frame and 18-point fourth quarter. Here is what sticks out the most from this game for me … how the Lions just play so well as a balanced-scoring team. The Lions share the basketball, talk to each other on the court and even though it is said a lot, but it is true when I say you never know who will be their leading scorer.
On this particular Friday night, the game Sam Buddelmeyer played offensively was excellent with a 32-point output, not only making 13 two-point baskets but he also was 6-of-9 from the free-throw line. In all, the Lions had four players in double figures with Wyatt Willey with 12, Bryson Simmons with 15 and James Bentley with 14 points.
My favorite play of the game was a behind-the-back pass from Simmons to Buddelmeyer while in transition for two points. Teamwork like that, and seeing players enjoy the game and reap the success, is fun to watch.
Whiteoak has some quality basketball players as well with three players in double figures as Ryan Roberts and Zach Rand each had 13 points and Deavin Cumberland scored 12 points. Whiteoak has hit a rough parch in recent games, plus not having Traeten Hamilton on the court makes a big difference, but Whiteoak will get back on the winning track and should make things difficult for whomever they eventually play in the tournament.
• TODAY’S SCHEDULE
(Monday, Jan. 14, 2019)
Girls Basketball
Frontier Athletic Conference (FAC)
- Jackson at Waverly
- Miami Trace at Minford
- Washington at Hillsboro (makeup game from Jan. 12)
Southern Hills Athletic Conference (SHAC)
- Lynchburg-Clay at Goshen
- Portsmouth Clay at Whiteoak
- Eastern at Fayetteville
- Manchester at Valley
- North Adams at West Union
For Highland County teams, one of the games to keep an eye on is Lynchburg-Clay at Goshen as the Lady Mustangs are putting their 13-0 record on the line against a Goshen team that is 8-4 overall on the season (2-2 in the American Conference of the SBAAC). This game also features two very high-quality players who stand out the most in Lynchburg-Clay’s Peyton Scott (signed to Miami University) and Goshen’s Paige Garr (signed to Cedarville University), as both seniors are having very good seasons. Both have scored well past the 1,000-point mark in their careers, both earning that feat before their senior seasons. Scott is averaging 26.5 points per game, while stats for Garr are unavailable.
The non-conference game should be a good matchup between Division II Goshen (of the Southwest District) and Division III Lynchburg-Clay (of the Southeast District).
• MORE FROM THE WEEKEND
Though all of games for Saturday in the area were postponed — at least for Highland County — Friday night had the following results for boys basketball from Friday, Jan. 11.
Frontier Athletic Conference (FAC)
- Hillsboro 39, Washington 51
- McClain 48, Jackson 56
- Chillicothe 62, Miami Trace 53
Southern Hills Athletic Conference (SHAC)
- North Adams 67, Lynchburg-Clay 42
- Whiteoak 65, Fairfield 78
- Fayetteville 47, Manchester 54
- Eastern Brown 42, Ripley 48
Games that sounded interesting from what I heard and saw online was the Jackson victory over McClain, as now both teams split their FAC meetings for the season as MHS won earlier this season at 50-48 in a game played at McClain High School.
This past Friday night, though the Tigers lost, they played a close game with the Ironmen as JHS led by a 17-14 score at the end of the first quarter and the score was 23-22 at halftime in favor of JHS. Even after three frames, the score was close at 40-34 with MHS trailing by just six points, and by the time the game was over Jackson won by eight points.
For Friday, McClain’s leading scorers were Dalton Mischal with 18 points and Garrison Banks with 15 points. For the FAC — at least for this season — both meetings have been very competitive, and I don’t believe either fan base can be too disappointed with a season split to the two games.
• A LOOK AHEAD
This week features some exciting conference and non-conference games for Highland County teams, including on Tuesday (Jan. 15) when the Fairfield Lions host the Hillsboro Indians, plus there is an old-school South Central Ohio League matchup as well with the McClain Tigers hosting the Circleville Tigers.
Another game of interest for the week is also on Tuesday with Whiteoak hosting North Adams, as they will go a long way in determining the SHAC standings.
This Wednesday (Jan. 16), there is a matchup between Hillsboro girls hosting the Jackson Ironladies as the two teams match up well, though Jackson won the first meeting earlier in the season. The rematch of the McClain Lady Tigers against Miami Trace takes place this Wednesday, too.
Other games this week that we’ll talk about as they get closer are for Thursday (Jan. 17) Fairfield vs. Fayetteville girls basketball, and for Friday (Jan. 18) is Lynchburg-Clay boys at Fairfield, along with McClain vs. Miami Trace boys basketball and Whiteoak vs. Manchester, also in boys basketball.
Again, more on all of those games later in the week, but just remember those are some very interesting match-ups to look forward to.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. Game information and stats can be emailed to sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter @HCPSportsEditor.
On Friday night before all the snow fell, the Fairfield Lions hosted the Whiteoak Wildcats, and what an atmosphere both fan bases brought as it added to the intensity and solid play by both rival schools. Just by watching the game, it is always easy to tell when the game means just a little bit more. There was very little if any space left in the stands, both teams played hard and it was just an exciting scene to see.
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Though the Lions pulled away for a 13-point win over the Wildcats by a 78-65 score, the first half saw a much closer score with the Wildcats leading by one point (19-18) at the end of the first quarter and both teams scoring 12 points in the second for a halftime score of 31-30.
The second half was favored to the Lions as they scored 24 points in each of the final two frames, while Whiteoak had a 16-point third frame and 18-point fourth quarter. Here is what sticks out the most from this game for me … how the Lions just play so well as a balanced-scoring team. The Lions share the basketball, talk to each other on the court and even though it is said a lot, but it is true when I say you never know who will be their leading scorer.
On this particular Friday night, the game Sam Buddelmeyer played offensively was excellent with a 32-point output, not only making 13 two-point baskets but he also was 6-of-9 from the free-throw line. In all, the Lions had four players in double figures with Wyatt Willey with 12, Bryson Simmons with 15 and James Bentley with 14 points.
My favorite play of the game was a behind-the-back pass from Simmons to Buddelmeyer while in transition for two points. Teamwork like that, and seeing players enjoy the game and reap the success, is fun to watch.
Whiteoak has some quality basketball players as well with three players in double figures as Ryan Roberts and Zach Rand each had 13 points and Deavin Cumberland scored 12 points. Whiteoak has hit a rough parch in recent games, plus not having Traeten Hamilton on the court makes a big difference, but Whiteoak will get back on the winning track and should make things difficult for whomever they eventually play in the tournament.
• TODAY’S SCHEDULE
(Monday, Jan. 14, 2019)
Girls Basketball
Frontier Athletic Conference (FAC)
- Jackson at Waverly
- Miami Trace at Minford
- Washington at Hillsboro (makeup game from Jan. 12)
Southern Hills Athletic Conference (SHAC)
- Lynchburg-Clay at Goshen
- Portsmouth Clay at Whiteoak
- Eastern at Fayetteville
- Manchester at Valley
- North Adams at West Union
For Highland County teams, one of the games to keep an eye on is Lynchburg-Clay at Goshen as the Lady Mustangs are putting their 13-0 record on the line against a Goshen team that is 8-4 overall on the season (2-2 in the American Conference of the SBAAC). This game also features two very high-quality players who stand out the most in Lynchburg-Clay’s Peyton Scott (signed to Miami University) and Goshen’s Paige Garr (signed to Cedarville University), as both seniors are having very good seasons. Both have scored well past the 1,000-point mark in their careers, both earning that feat before their senior seasons. Scott is averaging 26.5 points per game, while stats for Garr are unavailable.
The non-conference game should be a good matchup between Division II Goshen (of the Southwest District) and Division III Lynchburg-Clay (of the Southeast District).
• MORE FROM THE WEEKEND
Though all of games for Saturday in the area were postponed — at least for Highland County — Friday night had the following results for boys basketball from Friday, Jan. 11.
Frontier Athletic Conference (FAC)
- Hillsboro 39, Washington 51
- McClain 48, Jackson 56
- Chillicothe 62, Miami Trace 53
Southern Hills Athletic Conference (SHAC)
- North Adams 67, Lynchburg-Clay 42
- Whiteoak 65, Fairfield 78
- Fayetteville 47, Manchester 54
- Eastern Brown 42, Ripley 48
Games that sounded interesting from what I heard and saw online was the Jackson victory over McClain, as now both teams split their FAC meetings for the season as MHS won earlier this season at 50-48 in a game played at McClain High School.
This past Friday night, though the Tigers lost, they played a close game with the Ironmen as JHS led by a 17-14 score at the end of the first quarter and the score was 23-22 at halftime in favor of JHS. Even after three frames, the score was close at 40-34 with MHS trailing by just six points, and by the time the game was over Jackson won by eight points.
For Friday, McClain’s leading scorers were Dalton Mischal with 18 points and Garrison Banks with 15 points. For the FAC — at least for this season — both meetings have been very competitive, and I don’t believe either fan base can be too disappointed with a season split to the two games.
• A LOOK AHEAD
This week features some exciting conference and non-conference games for Highland County teams, including on Tuesday (Jan. 15) when the Fairfield Lions host the Hillsboro Indians, plus there is an old-school South Central Ohio League matchup as well with the McClain Tigers hosting the Circleville Tigers.
Another game of interest for the week is also on Tuesday with Whiteoak hosting North Adams, as they will go a long way in determining the SHAC standings.
This Wednesday (Jan. 16), there is a matchup between Hillsboro girls hosting the Jackson Ironladies as the two teams match up well, though Jackson won the first meeting earlier in the season. The rematch of the McClain Lady Tigers against Miami Trace takes place this Wednesday, too.
Other games this week that we’ll talk about as they get closer are for Thursday (Jan. 17) Fairfield vs. Fayetteville girls basketball, and for Friday (Jan. 18) is Lynchburg-Clay boys at Fairfield, along with McClain vs. Miami Trace boys basketball and Whiteoak vs. Manchester, also in boys basketball.
Again, more on all of those games later in the week, but just remember those are some very interesting match-ups to look forward to.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. Game information and stats can be emailed to sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter @HCPSportsEditor.