Indians win first four to start '94-95

(Continued from last week.)

As the 1994-95 high school basketball season approached, head coach Thom Snyder of Hillsboro had six returning lettermen on the team and was hoping to challenge for the SBAC crown.

Brett Barton and Brad Beatty were defensive leaders for the Indians the previous season but both graduated in June.

So, one of Coach Snyder’s priorities would be to come up with a defensive scheme that would be effective in containing the opposition.

Guards Adam McGinnis, C.J. Captain and Jason Barton, centers Tyler Watson and Brian Burba and forwards Kyle McConnaughey and T.J. Turner would all be contending for starting positions.

Most people who followed high school basketball in the area felt that Western Brown, Bethel-Tate and Clermont Northeastern would be in the thick of the fight for the league title in 1994-95. Some thought that Felicity would pull some big upsets as well.

However, Coach Snyder believed that the Indians would be right in the middle of the fight. “If we can build the kind of team chemistry that is needed,” he said, “We could be very successful.”

McClain, still playing as an independent, finished 18-3 in 1993-94. Coach Rick Van Matre had some formidable talent returning for the 1994-95 season.

However, several offseason developments threatened the beginning of the Tigers’ season this year.

Center Chris Toney would not play his senior season. Additionally, 6’ 4” junior Blaine Bergstrom would be out for at least part of the season due to a broken foot that he suffered during football season. Worst of all, 6’ 3” senior guard Andy Smith was trying to battle back from a knee injury that occurred during the off season. He would miss at least a month, and perhaps more.

As usual, the Tigers would stress defense and would be very difficult to score on. Co-captains Andy Smith and Richie Price were both blue-collar players who worked very hard and ground it out. They would provide the leadership that was needed in a winning program.

McClain athletic department officials and school administrators were working overtime searching for a league that McClain could join. “We’ve petitioned five leagues,” the veteran coach said, “So far, we haven’t had a bite.”

The purple-and-gold would open with Jamestown Greeneview, at Jamestown, Dec. 2.

Hillsboro opened their season Dec. 2, by entertaining the Wilmington Hurricane. The Indians’ relentless defense and a red hot junior guard, C.J. Captain, were just way too much for the ’Cane.

Captain wore out a brand new set of nets, scoring 41 points on 11 field goals (four 3-pointers) and 7 of 8 at the charity line.

The Tribe blasted to a 47-28 halftime advantage. The entire bench played in the second half, and the final score was Hillsboro 77, Wilmington 55.

A week later, (Dec. 9) Felicity Franklin came to town and put up a game battle against the Indians, before dropping a 62-54 SBAC decision.

The Tribe got much better scoring balance in this one, as T.J. Turner led the scoring with 15 markers, followed by Captain’s 11, McGinnis’ 10 and Burba’s 9. Hillsboro led all the way in this one, but the Indians were never able to pull away enough to get a comfortable lead over the Cardinals.

The Indians played their first road game Dec. 13 at Clermont Northeastern. Captain scored 12 first-half points to help the Tribe bust out to a 32-18 lead over the Rockets. Captain finished the game with 18, but practically everyone scored and the offensive output was quite balanced. The Indians were now 3-0 for the young season.

The Tribe made it 4-0 on Dec. 16 on the Bethel-Tate court, when they roared to a 39-13 halftime lead, and coasted to an easy 81-42 SBAC win on the road. Caudill’s 14 points led the Tigers, but Captain, McConnaughey and Turner all scored in double figures for Hillsboro, and Kaleb Kelch and Ben Middleton added eight each.

McClain visited Hillsboro on Dec. 17. Once again, in this game, the Indians led nearly the entire game, but were never able to quite put the Tigers away. Andy Smith hit one of two free throws with only 14 seconds remaining in the game, to tie the score, forcing the contest into overtime. The Tigers scored the first five points of the overtime and held on for a 70-62 win. Smith ripped the nets for 27 points for the winners, while Captain racked up 18 for Hillsboro.

(Continued next week.)

Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.