Not off the Press: Previews for more boys basketball, teams eliminated and wrestlers headed to Columbus
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
This weekend saw the end of the road for four Highland County basketball teams but also saw five Hillsboro wrestlers battle their way to the upcoming state championships that will take place, starting this Thursday in Columbus.
Congratulations to those five wrestlers.
As for the basketball slate … Highland County is down to two basketball teams in the Fairfield Lions and Whiteoak Wildcats. Fairfield has yet to play in a tournament game, and Whiteoak won their lone tournament game last week in a 70-41 rout of Western Latham at Valley High School.
Let's take a closer look at each tournament game with Fairfield playing on Tuesday and Whiteoak on Wednesday, with both games taking place at Valley High School in Lucasville.
• Fairfield Lions (11-9) vs. Manchester Greyhounds (12-8)
Tuesday, Feb. 28, 6:15 p.m. at Valley High School
Boys Basketball Division IV Sectional Final
By the time the Fairfield Lions and Manchester Greyhounds take the court on Tuesday, it will be the first time in 11 days that either team has played in an actual game.
In their regular-season finales, Manchester lost 82-53 to Ripley, and Fairfield lost to West Union 56-50.
So it would seem, both teams will be playing with even more motivation than they normally would in a tournament opener.
This season, the two Southern Hills League rivals split their season series with Manchester winning the first meeting at MHS 58-53. In the rematch, the Lions won 59-52 on Saturday, Feb. 11 at FHS.
"I think it was very important that we were able to defeat them in our most recent meeting, so that we knew that our hard work and execution could pay off," Fairfield head coach Matt Carson said Sunday. "We played them down at their place in January and came up just a little short. It was a game we had marked on our schedule coming towards the end of the season.
"It's just a really hard-fought, scrappy game anytime that we've played them in the last five years, so we feel it's always good to get a win over them because they are a quality ball club who is well-coached."
Another factor about Manchester that stands out is their athleticism and their overall style of play.
"Manchester is an athletic, hard-working team that likes to get the ball up and down the floor and attack the paint on offense," Carson said. "They have the ability to put points on the board in a hurry, if they can attack the rim and find the open man on offense. Defensively, they are very fundamentally sound and play a lot of man-to-man."
The Greyhounds have three seniors who lead their team in Travis Combs, Dalton West and Dylan Ricketts. Combs is the leading scorer for the Greyhounds, scoring 20.4 points per game, followed by West at 11.9 ppg and Ricketts with 9.1 ppg.
This season, Combs has scored 407 points, making 159 field goals, including 18 3-pointers. From the free-throw line this season, Combs was 71-of-108 (66 percent). Combs also has 205 rebounds (62 offensive), 60 assists and 85 steals.
One stat on Combs that stands out … he's fouled out just once this season and has over two fouls in a game just five times this season.
As for West, he has scored 227 points, along with 5.7 rebounds per game this season. His highest scoring game came against Augusta (Ky.) on Jan. 10 with 19 points. Overall this season, West is shooting 46 percent from the field, along with stats of the following: 43 assists, four blocked shots, 109 rebounds and 51 steals.
Ricketts has scored 187 points, with his highest-scoring performance being 18 points against Peebles on Dec. 30. He's made 12 3-pointers but has the ability to find the open teammate with 109 assists. Ricketts also added 64 rebounds and 49 steals.
"Ricketts is their point guard who leads their fast break and is a great slasher and makes things happen on the offensive end," Carson said. "All three have a lot of varsity experience and are what make this group go. They (MHS) also have nice complementary players in junior Braxton Gaffin, who is a great rebounder and finisher in the post, and senior guard Kyle Adams, who is a good outside shooter and handles the ball well."
As for the Lions … they ended the regular season at 11-9, but the ninth loss was one of the toughest, losing to West Union 56-50.
"Ending the regular season the way we did, we tried to focus on our body of work throughout the whole 20 games and not on the one bad night for us," Carson said. "We were able to use it as a positive and talk about not taking anything for granted, being focused on our goal and having tunnel vision heading into this tournament game.
"The kids have responded with great practices and have worked hard since that game."
Carson and his team are just looking forward to getting back onto the court.
"We've had 11 days since our last game when we tip it up on Tuesday, and I know the kids and the staff are all looking forward to the chance to get back out there and play again," he said. "The kids know what we're playing for and know what is on the line and have worked hard the past week in practice in preparation for that. This time of year is exciting, and it will be fun to get tournament play under way on Tuesday."
As for my opinion … I watched their most recent meeting at FHS, and if Tuesday's game is half as exciting and competitive as that one, fans in attendance will be in for a treat.
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• Whiteoak Wildcats (7-14) vs. South Webster Jeeps (11-9)
Wednesday, Feb. 29, 8 p.m. at Valley High School
Boys Basketball Division IV Sectional Final
The Whiteoak Wildcats broke a five-game skid in their opening-round tournament game, putting them one win away from heading to the Convocation Center for the second straight year. Getting there will be a tough task as they will face the South Webster Jeeps, who have at least 11 wins this season.
The last time SW played, they defeated Valley, 63-53 in what the Portsmouth Daily Times described as a "shocker."
Whiteoak head coach Tom Wessner spoke about the Wildcats' most recent win and the end of the regular season.
"We needed a win," he said. "Our team never sulked, and we had fairly competitive practices the last few days.
"As for South Webster as a team … their record is around .500, but they play in a very good league. They play a lot of Division II and Division III schools. They have been competitive all year."
One player that stands out for SW is Austin Loop, who averages 17 ppg and six rpg.
"Austin plays inside and outside," Wessner said. "At 6-4, he is a hard matchup for most teams."
SW has wins against Northwest, Oak Hill, Wheelersburg, Portsmouth West, Minford, Portsmouth Clay, Green and Valley.
This season, WHS has wins against North Adams, West Union, Clermont NE, Manchester, Ripley, Fayetteville and Western Latham.
Wessner even spoke about what they need to do to advance to the district round.
"We need to focus on our rebounding against a much bigger team," he said. "We also need to take care of the ball better to give us more scoring opportunities."
My take with this game is this … I don't know too much about the Jeeps, but if Whiteoak can play with the energy they played with in their first tournament game against Western Latham, the Wildcats will be a tough outing for any team they face from here on out.
• The Weekend in Review
It was a tough weekend for the basketball teams with four teams being eliminated in the boys basketball teams of Hillsboro, McClain and Lynchburg-Clay, along with the girls McClain team as well.
I had the opportunity to watch three of those four games, and all were played at a high level; it just happened a few things didn't go the way of Highland County teams.
I want to congratulate the Hillsboro Indians on their league championship season, along with congratulating the productive seasons of both McClain teams and LC.
As for the MHS and LC boys teams … I honestly believe these two teams have a tremendous upside headed into next season with a lot of talented players returning. They each battled their opponent tough in the postseason, and I see better seasons from both of these teams next season.
• Quote of the Week
"I told the kids in the locker room … one game doesn't define a team. One game doesn't define a season, and one game doesn't define you as a player. Just because we didn't get it done (Friday), doesn't mean we didn't have a good season because we had a good season." — Brett Prince, head coach, Hillsboro boys basketball.
• (A second) Quote of the Week
"As a group, they've been together since the third grade, and they are probably different than a lot of groups. Here they are … they are all here. They all stayed together, they are a close group. Hopefully the younger kids learned from them. They took in our younger kids and made them a part of their group." — Dennis Overstake, head coach, McClain girls basketball, speaking about his seniors.
• (A third) Quote of the Week
"We have improved each of the past four seasons. This year, our players bought in to what we were trying to do, and we made some big strides as a program. We had some big wins against quality teams this year, and over the summer, our young kids have to get in the gym and improve their skills to continue what we have been able to accomplish this past season." — Jason McLaughlin, head coach boys basketball, speaking about the LC season.
• Stat of the Week
Against the McClain Lady Tigers, Marietta's Erica Dawson scored 24 points, but 16 of those points came from the free-throw line.
• (A second) Stat of the Week
Hillsboro is sending five wrestlers to the state tournament. In the two-day Goshen district event, a district championship went to sophomore Kordell Ford, winning the 160-pound weight class, finishing a combined 4-0.
• One final item of business
It is hard to believe there are just two basketball teams remaining in Highland County. I just want to thank all of those who have helped me this season.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.
Congratulations to those five wrestlers.
As for the basketball slate … Highland County is down to two basketball teams in the Fairfield Lions and Whiteoak Wildcats. Fairfield has yet to play in a tournament game, and Whiteoak won their lone tournament game last week in a 70-41 rout of Western Latham at Valley High School.
Let's take a closer look at each tournament game with Fairfield playing on Tuesday and Whiteoak on Wednesday, with both games taking place at Valley High School in Lucasville.
• Fairfield Lions (11-9) vs. Manchester Greyhounds (12-8)
Tuesday, Feb. 28, 6:15 p.m. at Valley High School
Boys Basketball Division IV Sectional Final
By the time the Fairfield Lions and Manchester Greyhounds take the court on Tuesday, it will be the first time in 11 days that either team has played in an actual game.
In their regular-season finales, Manchester lost 82-53 to Ripley, and Fairfield lost to West Union 56-50.
So it would seem, both teams will be playing with even more motivation than they normally would in a tournament opener.
This season, the two Southern Hills League rivals split their season series with Manchester winning the first meeting at MHS 58-53. In the rematch, the Lions won 59-52 on Saturday, Feb. 11 at FHS.
"I think it was very important that we were able to defeat them in our most recent meeting, so that we knew that our hard work and execution could pay off," Fairfield head coach Matt Carson said Sunday. "We played them down at their place in January and came up just a little short. It was a game we had marked on our schedule coming towards the end of the season.
"It's just a really hard-fought, scrappy game anytime that we've played them in the last five years, so we feel it's always good to get a win over them because they are a quality ball club who is well-coached."
Another factor about Manchester that stands out is their athleticism and their overall style of play.
"Manchester is an athletic, hard-working team that likes to get the ball up and down the floor and attack the paint on offense," Carson said. "They have the ability to put points on the board in a hurry, if they can attack the rim and find the open man on offense. Defensively, they are very fundamentally sound and play a lot of man-to-man."
The Greyhounds have three seniors who lead their team in Travis Combs, Dalton West and Dylan Ricketts. Combs is the leading scorer for the Greyhounds, scoring 20.4 points per game, followed by West at 11.9 ppg and Ricketts with 9.1 ppg.
This season, Combs has scored 407 points, making 159 field goals, including 18 3-pointers. From the free-throw line this season, Combs was 71-of-108 (66 percent). Combs also has 205 rebounds (62 offensive), 60 assists and 85 steals.
One stat on Combs that stands out … he's fouled out just once this season and has over two fouls in a game just five times this season.
As for West, he has scored 227 points, along with 5.7 rebounds per game this season. His highest scoring game came against Augusta (Ky.) on Jan. 10 with 19 points. Overall this season, West is shooting 46 percent from the field, along with stats of the following: 43 assists, four blocked shots, 109 rebounds and 51 steals.
Ricketts has scored 187 points, with his highest-scoring performance being 18 points against Peebles on Dec. 30. He's made 12 3-pointers but has the ability to find the open teammate with 109 assists. Ricketts also added 64 rebounds and 49 steals.
"Ricketts is their point guard who leads their fast break and is a great slasher and makes things happen on the offensive end," Carson said. "All three have a lot of varsity experience and are what make this group go. They (MHS) also have nice complementary players in junior Braxton Gaffin, who is a great rebounder and finisher in the post, and senior guard Kyle Adams, who is a good outside shooter and handles the ball well."
As for the Lions … they ended the regular season at 11-9, but the ninth loss was one of the toughest, losing to West Union 56-50.
"Ending the regular season the way we did, we tried to focus on our body of work throughout the whole 20 games and not on the one bad night for us," Carson said. "We were able to use it as a positive and talk about not taking anything for granted, being focused on our goal and having tunnel vision heading into this tournament game.
"The kids have responded with great practices and have worked hard since that game."
Carson and his team are just looking forward to getting back onto the court.
"We've had 11 days since our last game when we tip it up on Tuesday, and I know the kids and the staff are all looking forward to the chance to get back out there and play again," he said. "The kids know what we're playing for and know what is on the line and have worked hard the past week in practice in preparation for that. This time of year is exciting, and it will be fun to get tournament play under way on Tuesday."
As for my opinion … I watched their most recent meeting at FHS, and if Tuesday's game is half as exciting and competitive as that one, fans in attendance will be in for a treat.
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• Whiteoak Wildcats (7-14) vs. South Webster Jeeps (11-9)
Wednesday, Feb. 29, 8 p.m. at Valley High School
Boys Basketball Division IV Sectional Final
The Whiteoak Wildcats broke a five-game skid in their opening-round tournament game, putting them one win away from heading to the Convocation Center for the second straight year. Getting there will be a tough task as they will face the South Webster Jeeps, who have at least 11 wins this season.
The last time SW played, they defeated Valley, 63-53 in what the Portsmouth Daily Times described as a "shocker."
Whiteoak head coach Tom Wessner spoke about the Wildcats' most recent win and the end of the regular season.
"We needed a win," he said. "Our team never sulked, and we had fairly competitive practices the last few days.
"As for South Webster as a team … their record is around .500, but they play in a very good league. They play a lot of Division II and Division III schools. They have been competitive all year."
One player that stands out for SW is Austin Loop, who averages 17 ppg and six rpg.
"Austin plays inside and outside," Wessner said. "At 6-4, he is a hard matchup for most teams."
SW has wins against Northwest, Oak Hill, Wheelersburg, Portsmouth West, Minford, Portsmouth Clay, Green and Valley.
This season, WHS has wins against North Adams, West Union, Clermont NE, Manchester, Ripley, Fayetteville and Western Latham.
Wessner even spoke about what they need to do to advance to the district round.
"We need to focus on our rebounding against a much bigger team," he said. "We also need to take care of the ball better to give us more scoring opportunities."
My take with this game is this … I don't know too much about the Jeeps, but if Whiteoak can play with the energy they played with in their first tournament game against Western Latham, the Wildcats will be a tough outing for any team they face from here on out.
• The Weekend in Review
It was a tough weekend for the basketball teams with four teams being eliminated in the boys basketball teams of Hillsboro, McClain and Lynchburg-Clay, along with the girls McClain team as well.
I had the opportunity to watch three of those four games, and all were played at a high level; it just happened a few things didn't go the way of Highland County teams.
I want to congratulate the Hillsboro Indians on their league championship season, along with congratulating the productive seasons of both McClain teams and LC.
As for the MHS and LC boys teams … I honestly believe these two teams have a tremendous upside headed into next season with a lot of talented players returning. They each battled their opponent tough in the postseason, and I see better seasons from both of these teams next season.
• Quote of the Week
"I told the kids in the locker room … one game doesn't define a team. One game doesn't define a season, and one game doesn't define you as a player. Just because we didn't get it done (Friday), doesn't mean we didn't have a good season because we had a good season." — Brett Prince, head coach, Hillsboro boys basketball.
• (A second) Quote of the Week
"As a group, they've been together since the third grade, and they are probably different than a lot of groups. Here they are … they are all here. They all stayed together, they are a close group. Hopefully the younger kids learned from them. They took in our younger kids and made them a part of their group." — Dennis Overstake, head coach, McClain girls basketball, speaking about his seniors.
• (A third) Quote of the Week
"We have improved each of the past four seasons. This year, our players bought in to what we were trying to do, and we made some big strides as a program. We had some big wins against quality teams this year, and over the summer, our young kids have to get in the gym and improve their skills to continue what we have been able to accomplish this past season." — Jason McLaughlin, head coach boys basketball, speaking about the LC season.
• Stat of the Week
Against the McClain Lady Tigers, Marietta's Erica Dawson scored 24 points, but 16 of those points came from the free-throw line.
• (A second) Stat of the Week
Hillsboro is sending five wrestlers to the state tournament. In the two-day Goshen district event, a district championship went to sophomore Kordell Ford, winning the 160-pound weight class, finishing a combined 4-0.
• One final item of business
It is hard to believe there are just two basketball teams remaining in Highland County. I just want to thank all of those who have helped me this season.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.