Jeff Shaw makes his mark in 1983-84 season
By
Bob Patton-
The 1983-84 SCOL basketball season promised to be an excellent race. Coach Larry Allen, at Miami Trace, was back for his second year at the helm. With three of his five starters returning, Allen was abandoning the run-and-gun game that he was known for in favor of a more controlled and deliberate game. He had turned the Panthers around the previous year. After they had lost 24 consecutive games, they won nine of the last 15. They would not be a pushover for anybody in the SCOL this season.
Circleville and Wilmington tied for the league title the previous year, and they figured to be the class of the league again this year. Most of the league coaches figured that Circleville might win it hands down this year. There had been another coaching change at Wilmington, which meant new offensive and defensive philosophies and a learning challenge for the players.
This would be the final season for Teays Valley in the SCOL. Madison-Plains would be leaving after the 1984-85 school year. Jackson and Logan had been mentioned as possible new members of the SCOL. But the league moguls had met and turned thumbs down on both, citing travel distance as the prime factor. Future league membership was still uncertain as the basketball season got under way.
The coaches expected McClain, Washington, Hillsboro, Miami Trace, Madison-Plains and Teays Valley to battle it out for the remaining rungs on the ladder.
Dick Heath had lasted only a year at Washington, as had his predecessor, Bob Jacoby. The Blue Lions now had their third head coach in three years, John Denen. Denen had moved up from his position as reserve coach. He knew all the kids in the program. He joined Norm Persin at Wilmington and Jim Hayes at Teays Valley as the “new kids on the block.”
Unlike Larry Allen, Denen saw McClain as a definite threat to win it all. “McClain may be better than a lot of people think,” he surmised.
Miami Trace opened their season in Portsmouth, against the Trojans – one of the better teams in the southern half of the state. The Trojans ran out to a 26-5 first quarter score. They did substitute a lot, but the Panthers, once they got settled into the flow of the game, played the much bigger and more talented Scioto Countians fairly tough. They lost, 82-65, but they trailed by 21 points after only one quarter. All in all, they didn’t do a bad job against incredible odds.
WCH played at McClain. At halftime, the Blue Lions led the McClain Tigers, 24-22, and Jeff Shaw had scored 22 of the team’s 24 points, shooting an incredible 11 for 13 from the field. But McClain countered with a box and one in the second half, which contained Shaw and forced some of the other Blue Lions to get more active. The Tigers came out on top 42-32. On Tuesday, Nov. 29, Wilmington downed Miami Trace, 62-54 on the Wilmington court. Junior Mike Reisinger led the scoring for the Panthers with 21 points, which was an encouraging sign for Coach Allen. Bill Ward had 20 and Greg Nared, 17 for the Hurricane.
On Friday, Dec. 2, the Blue Lions of WCH got their first SCOL win of the 1983-84 season when they trampled the Hillsboro Indians on the WSHS floor by a score of 77-52. Once again, senior Jeff Shaw stood out, canning 21 points, rebounding well and blocking three Indian shots.
Circleville downed Wilmington, 63-52; McClain clipped Teays Valley, 60-46; and Miami Trace took the measure of Madison-Plains, 63-56. McClain and Circleville remained atop the SCOL, when Circleville walloped Madison-Plains, 61-43, behind 25 points by Luke McConnell, the league’s leading scorer, and McClain dispatched the Hillsboro Indians, 63-52 on Dec. 5 at Hillsboro. McClain had four starters in double figures. This was a very good game until the third quarter, when the Tigers outscored the Indians, 24-2, and turned the game into a rout.
At Miami Trace, the Panthers had a 10-point lead at halftime and were able to maintain it until the final stanza when a mild Viking rally cut the final margin to 63-57. Guard David Hall continued his hot shooting for MT with 18 points. In Wilmington, the Hurricane jumped out to a 22-7 lead early in the second quarter against the visiting Blue Lions of Washington. The Lions rallied and cut the lead to six just before halftime. The black-and-orange held on to down the Lions, 72-57. Bill Ward led the Hurricane with 20 points, but Greg Nared recorded a triple-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Jeff Shaw played well for WCH in a losing effort.
McClain defeated Miami Trace, 67-63, Dec. 9, after leading by 10 with a minute and a half remaining. In other games, Hillsboro broke its losing streak by edging Teays Valley, 53-52; Circleville and Washington battled for 32 minutes before the Tigers took a 60-54 win, and Wilmington led Madison-Plains, 64-34, at the third-quarter break and cruised to a 76-57 victory.
After only four league contests, McClain and Circleville stood at 4-0, while Wilmington was 3-1, Miami Trace was 2-2, Teays Valley, Hillsboro and Washington were all 1-3 and Madison-Plains was 0-4. Hillsboro entertained Madison-Plains Dec. 16 in a battle of the have-nots. The Indians squeezed out a two-point 61-59 win over the Golden Eagles. In Greenfield, the McClain Tigers took advantage of some clutch foul shooting down the stretch to take a 59-53 victory over Wilmington, while Circleville was blowing out the Panthers of Miami Trace 89-61. WCH took an easy 57-37 win over Teays Valley. These games left Circleville and McClain on the top rung of the SCOL, with identical 5-0 league records.
At the Christmas vacation, Luke McConnell of Circleville stood at the head of the list of individual scorers in the SCOL with a 22.4 ppg average. He was closely followed by Todd Brayfield of Madison-Plains and Jeff Shaw of Washington, both of whom averaged 21.8 ppg.
Over the holidays, McClain dropped their first game of the season, when they traveled to Gallipolis and fell victim to long time coach Jim Osborne and the Gallia Academy Blue Devils by a score of 51-47. Also, Washington participated in the Kings Mills Holiday Basketball Tournament. The Blue Lions lost their first round game to host Kings 56-47, but came back to win the next night in the consolation game. The blue-and-white outdueled Clermont Northeastern 54-45. At Miami Trace, the Panthers walloped non-league guest Chillicothe 80-67.
As the SCOL reopened hostilities in January of 1984, the Hillsboro Indians hosted Miami Trace. It was a good game, and a relatively well-played game, which the Panthers won 62-58. McClain entertained the other Tigers (the Circleville Tigers). The red and black Tigers led for three quarters. They held a narrow 5-point lead at the third quarter rest. But McClain came roaring back in the fourth stanza, to take a 13-point win, the final score being 54-41. Luke McConnell led Circleville with 18 points, but John Turner totaled 21 markers for the purple-and-gold.
Meanwhile, at Ashville, Wilmington held a 12-point halftime advantage over Teays Valley, and held the Vikings at bay throughout the second half, to gain a 59-46 win. Washington trounced Madison-Plains, 62-48, as Jeff Shaw racked up 25 points. Todd Brayfield totaled 20 markers for MP, but no other Eagle scored in double figures.
(Continued next week.)
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]
Circleville and Wilmington tied for the league title the previous year, and they figured to be the class of the league again this year. Most of the league coaches figured that Circleville might win it hands down this year. There had been another coaching change at Wilmington, which meant new offensive and defensive philosophies and a learning challenge for the players.
This would be the final season for Teays Valley in the SCOL. Madison-Plains would be leaving after the 1984-85 school year. Jackson and Logan had been mentioned as possible new members of the SCOL. But the league moguls had met and turned thumbs down on both, citing travel distance as the prime factor. Future league membership was still uncertain as the basketball season got under way.
The coaches expected McClain, Washington, Hillsboro, Miami Trace, Madison-Plains and Teays Valley to battle it out for the remaining rungs on the ladder.
Dick Heath had lasted only a year at Washington, as had his predecessor, Bob Jacoby. The Blue Lions now had their third head coach in three years, John Denen. Denen had moved up from his position as reserve coach. He knew all the kids in the program. He joined Norm Persin at Wilmington and Jim Hayes at Teays Valley as the “new kids on the block.”
Unlike Larry Allen, Denen saw McClain as a definite threat to win it all. “McClain may be better than a lot of people think,” he surmised.
Miami Trace opened their season in Portsmouth, against the Trojans – one of the better teams in the southern half of the state. The Trojans ran out to a 26-5 first quarter score. They did substitute a lot, but the Panthers, once they got settled into the flow of the game, played the much bigger and more talented Scioto Countians fairly tough. They lost, 82-65, but they trailed by 21 points after only one quarter. All in all, they didn’t do a bad job against incredible odds.
WCH played at McClain. At halftime, the Blue Lions led the McClain Tigers, 24-22, and Jeff Shaw had scored 22 of the team’s 24 points, shooting an incredible 11 for 13 from the field. But McClain countered with a box and one in the second half, which contained Shaw and forced some of the other Blue Lions to get more active. The Tigers came out on top 42-32. On Tuesday, Nov. 29, Wilmington downed Miami Trace, 62-54 on the Wilmington court. Junior Mike Reisinger led the scoring for the Panthers with 21 points, which was an encouraging sign for Coach Allen. Bill Ward had 20 and Greg Nared, 17 for the Hurricane.
On Friday, Dec. 2, the Blue Lions of WCH got their first SCOL win of the 1983-84 season when they trampled the Hillsboro Indians on the WSHS floor by a score of 77-52. Once again, senior Jeff Shaw stood out, canning 21 points, rebounding well and blocking three Indian shots.
Circleville downed Wilmington, 63-52; McClain clipped Teays Valley, 60-46; and Miami Trace took the measure of Madison-Plains, 63-56. McClain and Circleville remained atop the SCOL, when Circleville walloped Madison-Plains, 61-43, behind 25 points by Luke McConnell, the league’s leading scorer, and McClain dispatched the Hillsboro Indians, 63-52 on Dec. 5 at Hillsboro. McClain had four starters in double figures. This was a very good game until the third quarter, when the Tigers outscored the Indians, 24-2, and turned the game into a rout.
At Miami Trace, the Panthers had a 10-point lead at halftime and were able to maintain it until the final stanza when a mild Viking rally cut the final margin to 63-57. Guard David Hall continued his hot shooting for MT with 18 points. In Wilmington, the Hurricane jumped out to a 22-7 lead early in the second quarter against the visiting Blue Lions of Washington. The Lions rallied and cut the lead to six just before halftime. The black-and-orange held on to down the Lions, 72-57. Bill Ward led the Hurricane with 20 points, but Greg Nared recorded a triple-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Jeff Shaw played well for WCH in a losing effort.
McClain defeated Miami Trace, 67-63, Dec. 9, after leading by 10 with a minute and a half remaining. In other games, Hillsboro broke its losing streak by edging Teays Valley, 53-52; Circleville and Washington battled for 32 minutes before the Tigers took a 60-54 win, and Wilmington led Madison-Plains, 64-34, at the third-quarter break and cruised to a 76-57 victory.
After only four league contests, McClain and Circleville stood at 4-0, while Wilmington was 3-1, Miami Trace was 2-2, Teays Valley, Hillsboro and Washington were all 1-3 and Madison-Plains was 0-4. Hillsboro entertained Madison-Plains Dec. 16 in a battle of the have-nots. The Indians squeezed out a two-point 61-59 win over the Golden Eagles. In Greenfield, the McClain Tigers took advantage of some clutch foul shooting down the stretch to take a 59-53 victory over Wilmington, while Circleville was blowing out the Panthers of Miami Trace 89-61. WCH took an easy 57-37 win over Teays Valley. These games left Circleville and McClain on the top rung of the SCOL, with identical 5-0 league records.
At the Christmas vacation, Luke McConnell of Circleville stood at the head of the list of individual scorers in the SCOL with a 22.4 ppg average. He was closely followed by Todd Brayfield of Madison-Plains and Jeff Shaw of Washington, both of whom averaged 21.8 ppg.
Over the holidays, McClain dropped their first game of the season, when they traveled to Gallipolis and fell victim to long time coach Jim Osborne and the Gallia Academy Blue Devils by a score of 51-47. Also, Washington participated in the Kings Mills Holiday Basketball Tournament. The Blue Lions lost their first round game to host Kings 56-47, but came back to win the next night in the consolation game. The blue-and-white outdueled Clermont Northeastern 54-45. At Miami Trace, the Panthers walloped non-league guest Chillicothe 80-67.
As the SCOL reopened hostilities in January of 1984, the Hillsboro Indians hosted Miami Trace. It was a good game, and a relatively well-played game, which the Panthers won 62-58. McClain entertained the other Tigers (the Circleville Tigers). The red and black Tigers led for three quarters. They held a narrow 5-point lead at the third quarter rest. But McClain came roaring back in the fourth stanza, to take a 13-point win, the final score being 54-41. Luke McConnell led Circleville with 18 points, but John Turner totaled 21 markers for the purple-and-gold.
Meanwhile, at Ashville, Wilmington held a 12-point halftime advantage over Teays Valley, and held the Vikings at bay throughout the second half, to gain a 59-46 win. Washington trounced Madison-Plains, 62-48, as Jeff Shaw racked up 25 points. Todd Brayfield totaled 20 markers for MP, but no other Eagle scored in double figures.
(Continued next week.)
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]