Cumberland, Stewart take All-State honors
By
Bob Patton-
(Continued from last week.)
Miami Trace, now 0-18, had a terrific chance to win their first game of the season on their home court, Friday, Feb. 3, 1989. The McClain Tigers came to town. The two teams heated the gymnasium with a torrid, bruising battle that was, eventually, won by the invaders from Greenfield, 84-78, in two overtimes.
Jason Moore, the Miami Trace scoring leader, posted a total of 27 points, while Brad Hanners and Jeff Henry tossed in 17 each to aid the cause. But McClain’s Shane Anderson was the game’s top scorer with 29 points, while Donnie Yates added 20 and Kile Cameron hit for 13. The struggling Panthers, now 0-19, had only one regular-season game remaining to try to get their first win. It would be with county rival Washington, who was playing red-hot basketball right now.
About five miles down the road, the Hillsboro Indians controlled the Blue Lions’ transition game and also controlled the boards en route to a convincing 64-52 win over Washington in the notorious Lions’ Den. Rob Pittser rolled up 24 points, and Aaron Kidney added 13.
Hillsboro’s inside-outside combination, Scott Cumberland and Tommy Stanforth, collected 22 and 17 points, respectively. Also, the Indians won the battle of the boards in decisive fashion, 37-22.
This win clinched the SCOL basketball championship for the Indians, now 19-0 and having only a Feb. 10 home game with Wilmington standing between them and the coveted gold basketball. Hillsboro had won outright SCOL basketball titles in 1938, 1948, 1949, 1981 and 1989 but had never gone undefeated in SCOL games. They also shared league titles in 1930, 1937 and 1957.
Also, Wilmington played at Circleville, where the Tigers upended the Hurricane by a score of 55-51.
On the final playing date of the 1988-89 season, the Hillsboro Indians struck gold by downing visiting Wilmington, 66-53 in a game that was really never in doubt. Scott Cumberland led the Indians’ scoring with 23 points, but Tommy Stanforth added 17 and Mike Nartker contributed 10. Brent Patton hit for 13 points for the Hurricane. He was their only double-figure scorer.
In Fayette County, Washington blasted Miami Trace, 88-52, leaving the hapless Panthers 0-20 for the season. At Greenfield, McClain grabbed a narrow two-point win over Circleville, 57-55.
The final standings for all regular-season games were:
Hillsboro – 10-0, 20-0
Washington – 8-2, 17-3
McClain – 6-4, 13-7
Circleville – 3-7, 9-11
Wilmington – 3-7, 6-14
Miami Trace – 0-10, 0-20
In the next-to-last AP Poll of the season, Hillsboro broke into the Top 10 in the state. They were ranked ninth in Ohio. State rankings are nice and the fans like them, but they really don’t tell you much. A team that plays a really murderous schedule and loses a game or two is probably not going to be ranked among the best teams in the state. But, it may be that they would beat some of the top-ranked teams without working up a sweat.
When one looks at the statistics for the 1988-89 season, it isn’t hard to see why the Indians compiled a perfect league record. The red-and-white were only outrebounded twice during the season. The Tribe had attempted fewer free throws than the opponent only three times, and their shooting percentage from the field was better than their opponent in 18 of the 20 games. The team boxed out well, and they were nearly always in good rebounding position. Both Scott Cumberland and Rhett Snyder were big, physical players who were not easy to push around underneath. They played excellent defense but did not usually commit dumb fouls. In addition, they used a conservative offense with very good shot selection, so their shooting percentage was usually very good. For the season, the Indians had made 516-of-1,031 field goal attempts for a 50-percent success rate. The opposition shot only 39.5 percent against them.
As a coach, you try to be as consistent as you possibly can be. But kids are human, and there are nights when they couldn’t throw it into Rocky Fork Lake, and nobody knows how to explain that. One of the problems was that the Indians had not played from behind very much during the season. That is why I have always been a proponent of playing a very tough schedule. It doesn’t hurt you to lose a game or two to really good teams. The old cliché says that whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It may be overused, but I think it is true.
The Chillicothe sectional opened, with West Union ending the misery for Miami Trace by walloping the Panthers, 86-65. The next night saw Waverly ending McClain’s season, 48-36. Shane Anderson and Donnie Yates scored 12 points each, but it wasn’t enough. Darrell Howard canned 15 for Waverly (now 19- 2).
As a result, top-seeded Hillsboro would take on West Union Feb. 15, and second-seeded Washington would tangle with Waverly.
Hillsboro’s dream season ended abruptly on the 15th, when they were defeated by West Union, 62-53, in the sectional tournament at Chillicothe. This was, by far, their worst shooting night of the entire season. Scott Cumberland scored Hillsboro’s first 15 points, but nobody else hit much. As a whole, the Indians appeared to be playing scared. They did not show the confidence that had been evident all season. Cumberland ended up with 23 points for the night. Snyder and Stanforth added 10 each. West Union got 17 from Shoemaker and 16 from Roush. Hazelbaker added 10 for the Dragons.
West Union would advance to meet Washington, who downed 12th-ranked Waverly, 70-64. Waverly’s season ended with a 19-3 mark, including tourney games. Midway through the third quarter of this game, the Blue Lions led the Tigers by a score of 54-28. But the Tigers mounted a fierce comeback. With only two minutes remaining in the contest, Waverly cut the margin to only 65-60. But the Lions were able to hold on long enough to get the win. They would face red-hot West Union Saturday, Feb. 18. Rob Pittser, who would have liked to play Waverly 20 times each season, led all scorers with 33 points, down from last year’s WCH vs. Waverly game, in which he scored 40 points.
West Union was just playing torrid basketball at this time of the season, and they were too big and too hot for the Lions. The Dragons took a convincing 88-70 win over the Blue Lions to win the sectional.
The Dragons had five men in double-figure scoring, led by Hazelbaker’s 26 and Roush’s 24. Washington was led by Pittser’s 20 points, but Delmar McCrary was the only other Lion in double figures, as he added 12. West Union would be a tough out for anybody in this section of the state. The Dragons had lost four games but had played a rugged schedule, crossing the Ohio River to take on several tough Kentucky teams, including Mason County, annually one of the best teams in Kentucky.
The South Central Ohio League’s annual Winter Sports Banquet was held at Miami Trace High School. The Boys Basketball All-SCOL team was announced. The players named to the team were Wendell Crosby and Eric Wunsch of Circleville, Scott Cumberland, Tom Stanforth and Rhett Snyder of Hillsboro, Shane Anderson and Kile Cameron of McClain, Robb Pittser and Aaron Kidney of Washington and Jason Moore of Miami Trace. Cumberland and Anderson were named honorary co-captains.
When the Southeast District All-Star teams were named, Cumberland was named Player of the Year, and McClain’s Anderson joined Cumberland on the first team. Pittser, of WCH, was named to the second team. Coach Stewart of Hillsboro was Southeast District Coach of the Year. On March 15, 1989, the AP named Cumberland first team All-State, and Stewart Div. II Ohio Coach of the Year. Both Cumberland and Stewart were recognized by the AP sportswriters and broadcasters as the outstanding performers in the district.
Stewart’s two years as coach of the Indians had resulted in a record of 39-5. This had been a truly memorable season, which had produced Hillsboro’s first-ever gold basketball. But it had ended much too soon.
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]
Miami Trace, now 0-18, had a terrific chance to win their first game of the season on their home court, Friday, Feb. 3, 1989. The McClain Tigers came to town. The two teams heated the gymnasium with a torrid, bruising battle that was, eventually, won by the invaders from Greenfield, 84-78, in two overtimes.
Jason Moore, the Miami Trace scoring leader, posted a total of 27 points, while Brad Hanners and Jeff Henry tossed in 17 each to aid the cause. But McClain’s Shane Anderson was the game’s top scorer with 29 points, while Donnie Yates added 20 and Kile Cameron hit for 13. The struggling Panthers, now 0-19, had only one regular-season game remaining to try to get their first win. It would be with county rival Washington, who was playing red-hot basketball right now.
About five miles down the road, the Hillsboro Indians controlled the Blue Lions’ transition game and also controlled the boards en route to a convincing 64-52 win over Washington in the notorious Lions’ Den. Rob Pittser rolled up 24 points, and Aaron Kidney added 13.
Hillsboro’s inside-outside combination, Scott Cumberland and Tommy Stanforth, collected 22 and 17 points, respectively. Also, the Indians won the battle of the boards in decisive fashion, 37-22.
This win clinched the SCOL basketball championship for the Indians, now 19-0 and having only a Feb. 10 home game with Wilmington standing between them and the coveted gold basketball. Hillsboro had won outright SCOL basketball titles in 1938, 1948, 1949, 1981 and 1989 but had never gone undefeated in SCOL games. They also shared league titles in 1930, 1937 and 1957.
Also, Wilmington played at Circleville, where the Tigers upended the Hurricane by a score of 55-51.
On the final playing date of the 1988-89 season, the Hillsboro Indians struck gold by downing visiting Wilmington, 66-53 in a game that was really never in doubt. Scott Cumberland led the Indians’ scoring with 23 points, but Tommy Stanforth added 17 and Mike Nartker contributed 10. Brent Patton hit for 13 points for the Hurricane. He was their only double-figure scorer.
In Fayette County, Washington blasted Miami Trace, 88-52, leaving the hapless Panthers 0-20 for the season. At Greenfield, McClain grabbed a narrow two-point win over Circleville, 57-55.
The final standings for all regular-season games were:
Hillsboro – 10-0, 20-0
Washington – 8-2, 17-3
McClain – 6-4, 13-7
Circleville – 3-7, 9-11
Wilmington – 3-7, 6-14
Miami Trace – 0-10, 0-20
In the next-to-last AP Poll of the season, Hillsboro broke into the Top 10 in the state. They were ranked ninth in Ohio. State rankings are nice and the fans like them, but they really don’t tell you much. A team that plays a really murderous schedule and loses a game or two is probably not going to be ranked among the best teams in the state. But, it may be that they would beat some of the top-ranked teams without working up a sweat.
When one looks at the statistics for the 1988-89 season, it isn’t hard to see why the Indians compiled a perfect league record. The red-and-white were only outrebounded twice during the season. The Tribe had attempted fewer free throws than the opponent only three times, and their shooting percentage from the field was better than their opponent in 18 of the 20 games. The team boxed out well, and they were nearly always in good rebounding position. Both Scott Cumberland and Rhett Snyder were big, physical players who were not easy to push around underneath. They played excellent defense but did not usually commit dumb fouls. In addition, they used a conservative offense with very good shot selection, so their shooting percentage was usually very good. For the season, the Indians had made 516-of-1,031 field goal attempts for a 50-percent success rate. The opposition shot only 39.5 percent against them.
As a coach, you try to be as consistent as you possibly can be. But kids are human, and there are nights when they couldn’t throw it into Rocky Fork Lake, and nobody knows how to explain that. One of the problems was that the Indians had not played from behind very much during the season. That is why I have always been a proponent of playing a very tough schedule. It doesn’t hurt you to lose a game or two to really good teams. The old cliché says that whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It may be overused, but I think it is true.
The Chillicothe sectional opened, with West Union ending the misery for Miami Trace by walloping the Panthers, 86-65. The next night saw Waverly ending McClain’s season, 48-36. Shane Anderson and Donnie Yates scored 12 points each, but it wasn’t enough. Darrell Howard canned 15 for Waverly (now 19- 2).
As a result, top-seeded Hillsboro would take on West Union Feb. 15, and second-seeded Washington would tangle with Waverly.
Hillsboro’s dream season ended abruptly on the 15th, when they were defeated by West Union, 62-53, in the sectional tournament at Chillicothe. This was, by far, their worst shooting night of the entire season. Scott Cumberland scored Hillsboro’s first 15 points, but nobody else hit much. As a whole, the Indians appeared to be playing scared. They did not show the confidence that had been evident all season. Cumberland ended up with 23 points for the night. Snyder and Stanforth added 10 each. West Union got 17 from Shoemaker and 16 from Roush. Hazelbaker added 10 for the Dragons.
West Union would advance to meet Washington, who downed 12th-ranked Waverly, 70-64. Waverly’s season ended with a 19-3 mark, including tourney games. Midway through the third quarter of this game, the Blue Lions led the Tigers by a score of 54-28. But the Tigers mounted a fierce comeback. With only two minutes remaining in the contest, Waverly cut the margin to only 65-60. But the Lions were able to hold on long enough to get the win. They would face red-hot West Union Saturday, Feb. 18. Rob Pittser, who would have liked to play Waverly 20 times each season, led all scorers with 33 points, down from last year’s WCH vs. Waverly game, in which he scored 40 points.
West Union was just playing torrid basketball at this time of the season, and they were too big and too hot for the Lions. The Dragons took a convincing 88-70 win over the Blue Lions to win the sectional.
The Dragons had five men in double-figure scoring, led by Hazelbaker’s 26 and Roush’s 24. Washington was led by Pittser’s 20 points, but Delmar McCrary was the only other Lion in double figures, as he added 12. West Union would be a tough out for anybody in this section of the state. The Dragons had lost four games but had played a rugged schedule, crossing the Ohio River to take on several tough Kentucky teams, including Mason County, annually one of the best teams in Kentucky.
The South Central Ohio League’s annual Winter Sports Banquet was held at Miami Trace High School. The Boys Basketball All-SCOL team was announced. The players named to the team were Wendell Crosby and Eric Wunsch of Circleville, Scott Cumberland, Tom Stanforth and Rhett Snyder of Hillsboro, Shane Anderson and Kile Cameron of McClain, Robb Pittser and Aaron Kidney of Washington and Jason Moore of Miami Trace. Cumberland and Anderson were named honorary co-captains.
When the Southeast District All-Star teams were named, Cumberland was named Player of the Year, and McClain’s Anderson joined Cumberland on the first team. Pittser, of WCH, was named to the second team. Coach Stewart of Hillsboro was Southeast District Coach of the Year. On March 15, 1989, the AP named Cumberland first team All-State, and Stewart Div. II Ohio Coach of the Year. Both Cumberland and Stewart were recognized by the AP sportswriters and broadcasters as the outstanding performers in the district.
Stewart’s two years as coach of the Indians had resulted in a record of 39-5. This had been a truly memorable season, which had produced Hillsboro’s first-ever gold basketball. But it had ended much too soon.
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]