Indians climb to 4th in Ohio after 12-0 start
By
Bob Patton-
(Continued from last week.)
The improving Miami Trace Panthers got their second win of the season in early January 1990 when they met the East Clinton Astros on the East Clinton court.
Sophomore Tobin Hoppes scored eight of the Panthers’ 10 points in overtime and the game-winning shot with 5 seconds remaining, as the Panthers clawed the Astros, 64-63, in overtime. Hoppes totaled 20 for the game to lead the Trace squad. Blake Baker led the Astros with 25 markers.
On Jan. 9, Washington traveled to Madison-Plains, where they overcame a two-point halftime deficit to defeat the Golden Eagles, 62-50.
Ben Davis led the Lions in scoring with 23 points, as Kidney was held to three. Trimble and Stoughton were tops for the Eagles with 14 and 11, but a lot of players dented the scoring column for the green-and-gold.
The Blue Lions visited Hillsboro Jan. 12, where the Indians had three men in double figures and two more with nine points each and outrebounded the blue-and-white on the offensive boards, 17-8 on their way to a 56-44 SCOL win.
Davis again led the Lions, this time with 20. WCH also turned the ball over 19 times, which didn’t help their effort much.
In other games, Circleville’s pressure defense caused many problems for Miami Trace, and the Tigers cruised to a 71-55 win over the Panthers at Trace. Also, McClain downed Wilmington, 56-47.
The next night, Jan. 13, Miami Trace played host to West Union. The Panthers put up a good battle, holding a 38-35 halftime lead. But West Union shot the ball very well in the second half and took a 76-66 win over Trace.
The AP, a state panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, issued the state rating for high school teams for games through Jan. 14, 1990. The Hillsboro Indians, with their 12-0 record, climbed to fourth in the state.
At this stage in the season, the top five scorers in the SCOL were Ben Davis of WCH (17.6); Aaron Kidney of WCH (15.9); Kile Cameron of McClain (15.7); Brian Cellio of Circleville (14.2); and Rhett Snyder of Hillsboro (13.8).
Some key SCOL games took place Friday night, Jan. 19, 1990, when Miami Trace invaded the “Lions’ Den” in Washington C.H.
The blue-and-white had trounced Trace by 38 points early in the season at Miami Trace. The Panthers played much better on the 19th, but it still wasn’t enough, as the Lions took a 71-52 win, thanks to a 25-point effort by Aaron Kidney. Guthrie’s 14 was best for Trace.
Hillsboro grabbed their 13th consecutive win at Greenfield when they took a 56-48 win over the McClain Tigers. The Indians hit 50 percent from the field compared to McClain’s 35 percent and also won the battle of the boards by a decisive margin.
Ashley Rannells and Kile Cameron scored 19 and 18, respectively, for McClain. Kevin Gale led Hillsboro with 18 markers in a balanced Indian attack.
Wilmington was on the road at Circleville, where the ’Cane improved their SCOL record to 2-3 and their overall mark to 5-7, when they peeled the Tigers, 74-62. Holding a slim 19-18 lead in the middle of the second stanza, the orange-and-black went on a 15-3 tear. The rest of the game was just a formality. Chris Patton’s 24 points led the Hurricane, while Ashley Hoskins racked up 18 for the Tigers.
Washington downed Bishop Hartley, 64-51, on Saturday evening, while Miami Trace was blown away by Pickerington, 72-46. Also, Canal Winchester edged Circleville, 68-65, and McClain clipped Greeneview, 49-42.
On Jan. 25, Miami Trace announced the resignation of their head football coach, Al Riffey, who cited “internal philosophical differences,” meaning he didn’t win enough games. Riffey’s won-lost record was 24-16 for four years, but his SCOL record was 18-2. Trace school officials indicated that the search for a new coach would begin immediately, although certain sportswriters said it had started some time previously.
On Jan. 26 at Washington C.H., the Blue Lions got revenge for their earlier defeat at Circleville when they walloped the red-and-black 75-62 without Aaron Kidney, who was ill. The game was very close in every quarter except the second, in which Washington outscored the visitors, 21-6. That put the Tigers behind the eight-ball, and they never really made up for it. Hoskins was Circleville’s top scorer with 23, while the Lions had four men in double figures, led by Rose’s 18.
Hillsboro blasted Wilmington, 85-64, but ever-improving Miami Trace pushed the McClain Tigers to two overtime periods before Kile Cameron drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Tigers a tough 46-43 win. Cameron hit for 19 and Coleman for 14 to pace McClain. Trace had very balanced scoring, with Henry leading with 10.
The next night, Saturday, Jan. 27, McClain hosted the Circleville Tigers. The visitors were unable to contain Kile Cameron, who racked up 24 points. Ashley Rannells collected 19 points to help the cause, as McClain smacked Circleville, 64-53.
On Tuesday, Jan. 30, Hillsboro played a terrific game on their home court and edged the G-Men of Georgetown High School and 6’8” star Brian Grant (later of Xavier University and NBA fame), 66-62. Senior forward Rhett Snyder, giving up at least seven inches in height, did an outstanding job on Grant, who still rolled up 24 points.
The Indians used a balanced scoring attack, with four players in double figures and Snyder totaling nine. This was a rugged game where one bad pass or one missed shot could easily make a huge difference. This win allowed the undefeated Indians to go into February with a perfect 16-0 record.
(Continued next week.)
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]
The improving Miami Trace Panthers got their second win of the season in early January 1990 when they met the East Clinton Astros on the East Clinton court.
Sophomore Tobin Hoppes scored eight of the Panthers’ 10 points in overtime and the game-winning shot with 5 seconds remaining, as the Panthers clawed the Astros, 64-63, in overtime. Hoppes totaled 20 for the game to lead the Trace squad. Blake Baker led the Astros with 25 markers.
On Jan. 9, Washington traveled to Madison-Plains, where they overcame a two-point halftime deficit to defeat the Golden Eagles, 62-50.
Ben Davis led the Lions in scoring with 23 points, as Kidney was held to three. Trimble and Stoughton were tops for the Eagles with 14 and 11, but a lot of players dented the scoring column for the green-and-gold.
The Blue Lions visited Hillsboro Jan. 12, where the Indians had three men in double figures and two more with nine points each and outrebounded the blue-and-white on the offensive boards, 17-8 on their way to a 56-44 SCOL win.
Davis again led the Lions, this time with 20. WCH also turned the ball over 19 times, which didn’t help their effort much.
In other games, Circleville’s pressure defense caused many problems for Miami Trace, and the Tigers cruised to a 71-55 win over the Panthers at Trace. Also, McClain downed Wilmington, 56-47.
The next night, Jan. 13, Miami Trace played host to West Union. The Panthers put up a good battle, holding a 38-35 halftime lead. But West Union shot the ball very well in the second half and took a 76-66 win over Trace.
The AP, a state panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, issued the state rating for high school teams for games through Jan. 14, 1990. The Hillsboro Indians, with their 12-0 record, climbed to fourth in the state.
At this stage in the season, the top five scorers in the SCOL were Ben Davis of WCH (17.6); Aaron Kidney of WCH (15.9); Kile Cameron of McClain (15.7); Brian Cellio of Circleville (14.2); and Rhett Snyder of Hillsboro (13.8).
Some key SCOL games took place Friday night, Jan. 19, 1990, when Miami Trace invaded the “Lions’ Den” in Washington C.H.
The blue-and-white had trounced Trace by 38 points early in the season at Miami Trace. The Panthers played much better on the 19th, but it still wasn’t enough, as the Lions took a 71-52 win, thanks to a 25-point effort by Aaron Kidney. Guthrie’s 14 was best for Trace.
Hillsboro grabbed their 13th consecutive win at Greenfield when they took a 56-48 win over the McClain Tigers. The Indians hit 50 percent from the field compared to McClain’s 35 percent and also won the battle of the boards by a decisive margin.
Ashley Rannells and Kile Cameron scored 19 and 18, respectively, for McClain. Kevin Gale led Hillsboro with 18 markers in a balanced Indian attack.
Wilmington was on the road at Circleville, where the ’Cane improved their SCOL record to 2-3 and their overall mark to 5-7, when they peeled the Tigers, 74-62. Holding a slim 19-18 lead in the middle of the second stanza, the orange-and-black went on a 15-3 tear. The rest of the game was just a formality. Chris Patton’s 24 points led the Hurricane, while Ashley Hoskins racked up 18 for the Tigers.
Washington downed Bishop Hartley, 64-51, on Saturday evening, while Miami Trace was blown away by Pickerington, 72-46. Also, Canal Winchester edged Circleville, 68-65, and McClain clipped Greeneview, 49-42.
On Jan. 25, Miami Trace announced the resignation of their head football coach, Al Riffey, who cited “internal philosophical differences,” meaning he didn’t win enough games. Riffey’s won-lost record was 24-16 for four years, but his SCOL record was 18-2. Trace school officials indicated that the search for a new coach would begin immediately, although certain sportswriters said it had started some time previously.
On Jan. 26 at Washington C.H., the Blue Lions got revenge for their earlier defeat at Circleville when they walloped the red-and-black 75-62 without Aaron Kidney, who was ill. The game was very close in every quarter except the second, in which Washington outscored the visitors, 21-6. That put the Tigers behind the eight-ball, and they never really made up for it. Hoskins was Circleville’s top scorer with 23, while the Lions had four men in double figures, led by Rose’s 18.
Hillsboro blasted Wilmington, 85-64, but ever-improving Miami Trace pushed the McClain Tigers to two overtime periods before Kile Cameron drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Tigers a tough 46-43 win. Cameron hit for 19 and Coleman for 14 to pace McClain. Trace had very balanced scoring, with Henry leading with 10.
The next night, Saturday, Jan. 27, McClain hosted the Circleville Tigers. The visitors were unable to contain Kile Cameron, who racked up 24 points. Ashley Rannells collected 19 points to help the cause, as McClain smacked Circleville, 64-53.
On Tuesday, Jan. 30, Hillsboro played a terrific game on their home court and edged the G-Men of Georgetown High School and 6’8” star Brian Grant (later of Xavier University and NBA fame), 66-62. Senior forward Rhett Snyder, giving up at least seven inches in height, did an outstanding job on Grant, who still rolled up 24 points.
The Indians used a balanced scoring attack, with four players in double figures and Snyder totaling nine. This was a rugged game where one bad pass or one missed shot could easily make a huge difference. This win allowed the undefeated Indians to go into February with a perfect 16-0 record.
(Continued next week.)
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]