Not off the Press (Extra Edition): Previewing weekend boys basketball tournament games
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
With the delay in games for a couple days, this is a good time to take a closer look at upcoming boys basketball games that will take place on Friday and Saturday.
I'll get to the Whiteoak and Fairfield games this Monday in the regularly scheduled NOTP.
• Hillsboro Indians (15-5) vs. Fairland Dragons (15-5)
Friday, Feb. 24, 6 p.m. at Southeastern High School
Boys Basketball Division II Sectional Final
As I wrote earlier this week in Tuesday's NOTP, the Hillsboro Indians and Fairland Dragons (from Proctorville) each ended their regular season at 15-5 overall.
I honestly think this game has the potential to be the game of the weekend, especially since there is a trip to the Convocation Center for the winner.
The Dragons had losses of two, three and eight points and two 11-point losses. Three of those losses came to 19-1 Chesapeake, one loss was Oak Hill (14 wins) and one came from Ironton (14 wins) in the final game of the regular season.
The Dragons have three players that each average double figures in points per game, with their main scorer being Evan Salyers (No. 33), a 6-5 senior who averages 18.1 points per game, along with 9.6 rebounds per game. This season, he's scored 361 points (making 156 two-point field goals, 49 free throws). Speaking of free throws, Salyers is 49-of-71 (69 percent) this season.
"Evan is a really good player. We have seen quite a bit of film on him, and he will be a handful," HHS head coach Brett Prince said. "He's the best post player we've seen this year. He has great touch from 15-feet and really uses his body around the basket. He makes the players around him better."
The senior has seven games this season where he's scored at least 20 points, with the highest being a 29-point effort in the second game of the season against St. Joseph Central (WV) on Dec. 9 in an 81-59 win by Fairland.
[[In-content Ad]]Defensively, Salyers has 192 rebounds this season, 12 times grabbing at least 10 boards in a single game.
Against River Valley, Salyers scored his 1,000th career point, along with his 500th rebound on Jan. 27.
Also for Fairland, 6-3 senior Blaine Fuller (No. 23) is averaging 11.7 ppg in 20 games. The senior has 233 points, with 129 rebounds, 44 assists and 20 steals. From the free-throw line, Fuller is 64-of-108 (59 percent).
Then there is Fairland sophomore Evan Maddox, who stands at 5-10 and wears jersey No. 22. He has scored 193 points (10.2 ppg), with 4.6 rpg and 1.6 steals per game (31 this season, a team-high). In 19 games, his free-throw shooting stands out at 36-of-55 (65 percent) this season. He's made 17 3-pointers this season.
Others who stand out for the Dragons this season are freshman Nathan Campbell (No. 30), who leads FHS with 53 assists. For the season, FHS has 236 turnovers (11.8 per game).
"Fairland is a really good basketball team. They have three really good players in Salyers, Fuller and Maddox, and they do a lot of things well," Prince said. "They are an outstanding defensive team, and they really rebound the ball well on both ends of the court. They remind me a little of Western Brown with their size and personnel, but they have a little more firepower."
With all of that said … don't overlook the Indians, who are the reigning two-time South Central Ohio League champions.
The Indians are coming off an emotional 62-57 win last Friday against Clinton-Massie, clinching the outright SCOL title. The Indians have won four of their past five games and are eight points off from winning their final 10 games of the regular season.
Here are some averages about the Indians this past season …
- Total Points Scored: 1,191 (20 games)
- Points Per Game: 59.6
- Home Points (10 games): 597
- PPG at Home (10 games): 59.7
- Points as the away team (10 games): 624
- PPG as the away team (10 games): 62.4
- Points away from HHS (9 games): 543
- PPG away from HHS (9 games): 60.3
- Points in SCOL games (12 games): 718
- PPG in SCOL games (12 games): 59.8 ppg
- Total points in non-league games (8 games): 503
- PPG in non-league games (8 games): 62.9
Individually for the Indians, they are led by a core group in Chase Gilliland, Tyrand Cumberland, Jarrod Hart, Táron Captain and Christian Cundiff. Not to forget the spark plug of the team in sixth man Dévante Ames, along with post player Tyia Cumberland.
When the Indians are "on," so to speak, I see them as a very dangerous team, capable of scoring 20-plus points in a quarter. Look at their scoring against CM, who in their own right are a quality team with some good athletes. HHS opened the game with an 18-point quarter and ended it with a 21-point quarter as their starters played sparingly in the fourth quarter last Friday.
"We've had plenty of time to get over our game last Friday. There will be no hangovers or lack of intensity or preparation," Prince said. "We've been focused on this game since last Friday night.
"There is still a lot of work left to be done. We want to play at the Convo, so we'll be ready to play. We've prepared well all week, and we know what it takes to get the job done on Friday. It will be a tall task, but we have a good basketball team. We're hoping to score one more point than they do."
I've seen the Indians play more than any team this year (I think). I've seen them at home, on the road and even at home as the away team, and if the Tribe can get off to a solid start in the opening frame, I feel they have the skills and athletes to play with anyone on a given night.
Could be the game of the weekend.
• McClain Tigers (6-15) vs. Waverly Tigers (15-5)
Saturday, Feb. 25, 8 p.m. at Southeastern High School
Boys Basketball Division II Sectional Final
Now this game will be very interesting for the fact it is no secret the No. 10-seeded McClain Tigers (I still don't understand how that happened) will play the No. 2-seeded Waverly Tigers for the sectional title on Saturday night at SEHS.
Waverly is the favorite with their 15-5 overall record and their school's all-time leading scorer 6-7 senior Jake Kretzer on the court. In his final regular season game, a Waverly 65-64 win over Lucasville Valley, the senior scored 28 points. In one game this season, Kretzer scored 43 points against Piketon.
Kretzer, who has over 1,100 points in his high school career, has committed to play Division I college basketball at the University of Akron.
In a release by Akron at the start of the season, they describe Kretzer as "one of the top-ranked players in the state of Ohio." As a junior last season, Kretzer averaged 21.1 ppg and 10.1 rpg.
"(Jake) Kretzer really has no weakness. He has great range on his jump shot," McClain head coach Brent Eaton said in describing the two-time All-Ohio player. "He can post with his size (6-7). He is strong and can get to the rim. He does an excellent job of getting his own misses, and he's a fantastic talent, which is why he was the district player of the year."
This season, the Waverly Tigers finished second in the Southern Ohio Conference Division II. Eaton and his MHS squad have great respect for their opponent.
"I would describe Waverly as a quick action team. They love to trap, provide full-court pressure, and offensively, they run a ton of sets for Kretzer," Eaton said. "The second options are geared around their two guards, who can really shoot the basketball."
Asked which teams MHS has played this season that are comparable to Waverly, Eaton said a mixture of Hillsboro and Unioto.
"Waverly would be a mixture of Unioto and Hillsboro," he said. "They have size, length and athleticism with the ability to shoot from the perimeter."
Now for the McClain Tigers.
This season has been one of "learning in the line of fire," so to speak, for the team from Greenfield. As I wrote earlier this week … when you look at the Tigers' overall record … six of their losses came by three points or fewer. Seven of their losses came by five points or fewer. A basket here or a basket there, an extra defense stop in the middle of the game, and possibly the Tigers have more than five regular-season wins this season.
Then came Tuesday, and the Tigers got even with the Miami Trace Panthers, winning their third meeting against each other in the postseason, which not only is good for McClain of this season, but for their future as all but one player on MHS is either a junior, sophomore or freshman.
"There is no question winning breeds confidence," Eaton said. "Getting a tournament win under these kids' belts is huge going forward in the future."
Tough defense and not very high scoring is a Spark Notes version of the MHS season.
From my point of view, there has been improvement, and winning six games with just one senior is a feat in itself. I like what the MHS Tigers bring to the table for future seasons, especially with sophomore Evan Mustard and freshman Ryan Faulconer. Those two, along with the effort of junior Brent Shannon, plus with Thomas Schrader on the court for a majority of the time … I really like what MHS can not only possibly achieve on Saturday, but in future regular seasons to come.
What will the MHS Tigers need to do to compete with Waverly Saturday night?
"For us, rebounding, handling pressure and getting to the free-throw line will be critical," Eaton said. "We have been fortunate to get to the line 29, 24, and 29 times in the last three games, so that will need to continue.
"Defensively, we are going to have be at our best. They are a very, very good team, but if we can make some shots and get some confidence, you never know."
• Lynchburg-Clay (11-10) vs. Piketon Redstreaks (13-7)
Saturday, Feb. 25, 8 p.m. at Waverly High School
Boys Basketball Division II Sectional Final
The Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs will enter their sectional final game with one tournament win already under their belt, as they defeated the West Union Dragons (1-20) Tuesday at Waverly.
Now to reach the Convocation Center, along with the district tournament, is the No. 3-seeded Piketon Redstreaks, who ended the regular season with 13 wins.
Some quick facts on the Redstreaks are they average 59.4 ppg this season, along with scoring 1,188 points this season.
"They are a big athletic group of kids who defend well and shoot the ball well," Lynchburg-Clay head coach Jason McLaughlin said, "They remind me of a Hillsboro team but only with some taller kids. They want to play a transition game and use their athleticism to their advantage."
As for their athletes, PHS junior Craigen Moore (No. 22) leads Piketon with 17 ppg, scoring 339 points in 20 games this season, as PHS finished tied with Unioto for first place in the Scioto Valley Conference at 11-3. Craigen was a first-team All Scioto Valley Conference this season.
Moore has six games where he's scored 21-plus points in a game this season, with his game-high coming on Dec. 29 in a 66-53 win over Eastern Meigs, where he scored 28 points.
Defensively, Moore has 93 rebounds and 43 steals.
Other leading scorers for PHS include junior Zach Farmer (second-team All-SVC)with 308 points (15.4 ppg) and junior Isaac Brabson (third-team All-SVC) with 234 points (11.7 ppg).
In one game this season (Dec. 30 vs. Waverly), Farmer was 10-of-10 from the free-throw line. This season, Farmer is 62-of-90 (69 percent) from the free-throw line. He also averages 7.7 rpg (154 total), along with 25 blocked shots in 20 games.
Brabson has a team-high 87 assists this season (4.4 apg).
"Farmer is 6-3 and can shoot and also get to the rim off the dribble," McLaughlin said. "Brabson is their point guard who can pass, but also score, and Moore is a very good shooter."
For the Mustangs … they are a very balanced team in terms of individual scoring with four players averaging around 10 ppg.
Gage Waits leads LC with 10.9 ppg (228 total points), followed by Tyler Davidson (10.6 ppg) with 223 points, Ryan Inman (10.0 ppg) and Alec Smith 9.4 ppg.
That is what I like most about this team … their overall balance as the Mustangs have scored 1,120 points for an average of 50.9 ppg in 21 games.
Including their tournament game, LC has won five of their past seven games.
"We had a trio of tough offensive games to end the season in North Adams, West Union and Eastern," McLaughlin said. "I think we were able to use those games to fix some issues with our offense.
"Being able to get a tournament win is important no matter who you are playing against, and I think it gave our kids some confidence playing in a tournament environment. They realized how hard you have to play to win big games."
Looking back at the LC season, I still say their most impressive win was against the Hillsboro Indians for the fact the game was against a Division II opponent, along with a win against an eventual league champion.
If LC plays like I've seen them play at times this season, controlling the post with their sophomores, rebounding will not only limit second chance opportunities of their opponents, but the second chance opportunities on the offensive side could become a big difference in this game.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.
I'll get to the Whiteoak and Fairfield games this Monday in the regularly scheduled NOTP.
• Hillsboro Indians (15-5) vs. Fairland Dragons (15-5)
Friday, Feb. 24, 6 p.m. at Southeastern High School
Boys Basketball Division II Sectional Final
As I wrote earlier this week in Tuesday's NOTP, the Hillsboro Indians and Fairland Dragons (from Proctorville) each ended their regular season at 15-5 overall.
I honestly think this game has the potential to be the game of the weekend, especially since there is a trip to the Convocation Center for the winner.
The Dragons had losses of two, three and eight points and two 11-point losses. Three of those losses came to 19-1 Chesapeake, one loss was Oak Hill (14 wins) and one came from Ironton (14 wins) in the final game of the regular season.
The Dragons have three players that each average double figures in points per game, with their main scorer being Evan Salyers (No. 33), a 6-5 senior who averages 18.1 points per game, along with 9.6 rebounds per game. This season, he's scored 361 points (making 156 two-point field goals, 49 free throws). Speaking of free throws, Salyers is 49-of-71 (69 percent) this season.
"Evan is a really good player. We have seen quite a bit of film on him, and he will be a handful," HHS head coach Brett Prince said. "He's the best post player we've seen this year. He has great touch from 15-feet and really uses his body around the basket. He makes the players around him better."
The senior has seven games this season where he's scored at least 20 points, with the highest being a 29-point effort in the second game of the season against St. Joseph Central (WV) on Dec. 9 in an 81-59 win by Fairland.
[[In-content Ad]]Defensively, Salyers has 192 rebounds this season, 12 times grabbing at least 10 boards in a single game.
Against River Valley, Salyers scored his 1,000th career point, along with his 500th rebound on Jan. 27.
Also for Fairland, 6-3 senior Blaine Fuller (No. 23) is averaging 11.7 ppg in 20 games. The senior has 233 points, with 129 rebounds, 44 assists and 20 steals. From the free-throw line, Fuller is 64-of-108 (59 percent).
Then there is Fairland sophomore Evan Maddox, who stands at 5-10 and wears jersey No. 22. He has scored 193 points (10.2 ppg), with 4.6 rpg and 1.6 steals per game (31 this season, a team-high). In 19 games, his free-throw shooting stands out at 36-of-55 (65 percent) this season. He's made 17 3-pointers this season.
Others who stand out for the Dragons this season are freshman Nathan Campbell (No. 30), who leads FHS with 53 assists. For the season, FHS has 236 turnovers (11.8 per game).
"Fairland is a really good basketball team. They have three really good players in Salyers, Fuller and Maddox, and they do a lot of things well," Prince said. "They are an outstanding defensive team, and they really rebound the ball well on both ends of the court. They remind me a little of Western Brown with their size and personnel, but they have a little more firepower."
With all of that said … don't overlook the Indians, who are the reigning two-time South Central Ohio League champions.
The Indians are coming off an emotional 62-57 win last Friday against Clinton-Massie, clinching the outright SCOL title. The Indians have won four of their past five games and are eight points off from winning their final 10 games of the regular season.
Here are some averages about the Indians this past season …
- Total Points Scored: 1,191 (20 games)
- Points Per Game: 59.6
- Home Points (10 games): 597
- PPG at Home (10 games): 59.7
- Points as the away team (10 games): 624
- PPG as the away team (10 games): 62.4
- Points away from HHS (9 games): 543
- PPG away from HHS (9 games): 60.3
- Points in SCOL games (12 games): 718
- PPG in SCOL games (12 games): 59.8 ppg
- Total points in non-league games (8 games): 503
- PPG in non-league games (8 games): 62.9
Individually for the Indians, they are led by a core group in Chase Gilliland, Tyrand Cumberland, Jarrod Hart, Táron Captain and Christian Cundiff. Not to forget the spark plug of the team in sixth man Dévante Ames, along with post player Tyia Cumberland.
When the Indians are "on," so to speak, I see them as a very dangerous team, capable of scoring 20-plus points in a quarter. Look at their scoring against CM, who in their own right are a quality team with some good athletes. HHS opened the game with an 18-point quarter and ended it with a 21-point quarter as their starters played sparingly in the fourth quarter last Friday.
"We've had plenty of time to get over our game last Friday. There will be no hangovers or lack of intensity or preparation," Prince said. "We've been focused on this game since last Friday night.
"There is still a lot of work left to be done. We want to play at the Convo, so we'll be ready to play. We've prepared well all week, and we know what it takes to get the job done on Friday. It will be a tall task, but we have a good basketball team. We're hoping to score one more point than they do."
I've seen the Indians play more than any team this year (I think). I've seen them at home, on the road and even at home as the away team, and if the Tribe can get off to a solid start in the opening frame, I feel they have the skills and athletes to play with anyone on a given night.
Could be the game of the weekend.
• McClain Tigers (6-15) vs. Waverly Tigers (15-5)
Saturday, Feb. 25, 8 p.m. at Southeastern High School
Boys Basketball Division II Sectional Final
Now this game will be very interesting for the fact it is no secret the No. 10-seeded McClain Tigers (I still don't understand how that happened) will play the No. 2-seeded Waverly Tigers for the sectional title on Saturday night at SEHS.
Waverly is the favorite with their 15-5 overall record and their school's all-time leading scorer 6-7 senior Jake Kretzer on the court. In his final regular season game, a Waverly 65-64 win over Lucasville Valley, the senior scored 28 points. In one game this season, Kretzer scored 43 points against Piketon.
Kretzer, who has over 1,100 points in his high school career, has committed to play Division I college basketball at the University of Akron.
In a release by Akron at the start of the season, they describe Kretzer as "one of the top-ranked players in the state of Ohio." As a junior last season, Kretzer averaged 21.1 ppg and 10.1 rpg.
"(Jake) Kretzer really has no weakness. He has great range on his jump shot," McClain head coach Brent Eaton said in describing the two-time All-Ohio player. "He can post with his size (6-7). He is strong and can get to the rim. He does an excellent job of getting his own misses, and he's a fantastic talent, which is why he was the district player of the year."
This season, the Waverly Tigers finished second in the Southern Ohio Conference Division II. Eaton and his MHS squad have great respect for their opponent.
"I would describe Waverly as a quick action team. They love to trap, provide full-court pressure, and offensively, they run a ton of sets for Kretzer," Eaton said. "The second options are geared around their two guards, who can really shoot the basketball."
Asked which teams MHS has played this season that are comparable to Waverly, Eaton said a mixture of Hillsboro and Unioto.
"Waverly would be a mixture of Unioto and Hillsboro," he said. "They have size, length and athleticism with the ability to shoot from the perimeter."
Now for the McClain Tigers.
This season has been one of "learning in the line of fire," so to speak, for the team from Greenfield. As I wrote earlier this week … when you look at the Tigers' overall record … six of their losses came by three points or fewer. Seven of their losses came by five points or fewer. A basket here or a basket there, an extra defense stop in the middle of the game, and possibly the Tigers have more than five regular-season wins this season.
Then came Tuesday, and the Tigers got even with the Miami Trace Panthers, winning their third meeting against each other in the postseason, which not only is good for McClain of this season, but for their future as all but one player on MHS is either a junior, sophomore or freshman.
"There is no question winning breeds confidence," Eaton said. "Getting a tournament win under these kids' belts is huge going forward in the future."
Tough defense and not very high scoring is a Spark Notes version of the MHS season.
From my point of view, there has been improvement, and winning six games with just one senior is a feat in itself. I like what the MHS Tigers bring to the table for future seasons, especially with sophomore Evan Mustard and freshman Ryan Faulconer. Those two, along with the effort of junior Brent Shannon, plus with Thomas Schrader on the court for a majority of the time … I really like what MHS can not only possibly achieve on Saturday, but in future regular seasons to come.
What will the MHS Tigers need to do to compete with Waverly Saturday night?
"For us, rebounding, handling pressure and getting to the free-throw line will be critical," Eaton said. "We have been fortunate to get to the line 29, 24, and 29 times in the last three games, so that will need to continue.
"Defensively, we are going to have be at our best. They are a very, very good team, but if we can make some shots and get some confidence, you never know."
• Lynchburg-Clay (11-10) vs. Piketon Redstreaks (13-7)
Saturday, Feb. 25, 8 p.m. at Waverly High School
Boys Basketball Division II Sectional Final
The Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs will enter their sectional final game with one tournament win already under their belt, as they defeated the West Union Dragons (1-20) Tuesday at Waverly.
Now to reach the Convocation Center, along with the district tournament, is the No. 3-seeded Piketon Redstreaks, who ended the regular season with 13 wins.
Some quick facts on the Redstreaks are they average 59.4 ppg this season, along with scoring 1,188 points this season.
"They are a big athletic group of kids who defend well and shoot the ball well," Lynchburg-Clay head coach Jason McLaughlin said, "They remind me of a Hillsboro team but only with some taller kids. They want to play a transition game and use their athleticism to their advantage."
As for their athletes, PHS junior Craigen Moore (No. 22) leads Piketon with 17 ppg, scoring 339 points in 20 games this season, as PHS finished tied with Unioto for first place in the Scioto Valley Conference at 11-3. Craigen was a first-team All Scioto Valley Conference this season.
Moore has six games where he's scored 21-plus points in a game this season, with his game-high coming on Dec. 29 in a 66-53 win over Eastern Meigs, where he scored 28 points.
Defensively, Moore has 93 rebounds and 43 steals.
Other leading scorers for PHS include junior Zach Farmer (second-team All-SVC)with 308 points (15.4 ppg) and junior Isaac Brabson (third-team All-SVC) with 234 points (11.7 ppg).
In one game this season (Dec. 30 vs. Waverly), Farmer was 10-of-10 from the free-throw line. This season, Farmer is 62-of-90 (69 percent) from the free-throw line. He also averages 7.7 rpg (154 total), along with 25 blocked shots in 20 games.
Brabson has a team-high 87 assists this season (4.4 apg).
"Farmer is 6-3 and can shoot and also get to the rim off the dribble," McLaughlin said. "Brabson is their point guard who can pass, but also score, and Moore is a very good shooter."
For the Mustangs … they are a very balanced team in terms of individual scoring with four players averaging around 10 ppg.
Gage Waits leads LC with 10.9 ppg (228 total points), followed by Tyler Davidson (10.6 ppg) with 223 points, Ryan Inman (10.0 ppg) and Alec Smith 9.4 ppg.
That is what I like most about this team … their overall balance as the Mustangs have scored 1,120 points for an average of 50.9 ppg in 21 games.
Including their tournament game, LC has won five of their past seven games.
"We had a trio of tough offensive games to end the season in North Adams, West Union and Eastern," McLaughlin said. "I think we were able to use those games to fix some issues with our offense.
"Being able to get a tournament win is important no matter who you are playing against, and I think it gave our kids some confidence playing in a tournament environment. They realized how hard you have to play to win big games."
Looking back at the LC season, I still say their most impressive win was against the Hillsboro Indians for the fact the game was against a Division II opponent, along with a win against an eventual league champion.
If LC plays like I've seen them play at times this season, controlling the post with their sophomores, rebounding will not only limit second chance opportunities of their opponents, but the second chance opportunities on the offensive side could become a big difference in this game.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.