11/30 #8 Athens vs #2 Gallia Academy

[svac83]

This is not gallIs academy’s best team ever. In the starting 5 Gallia has 2 basketball players s blouir and loveday. Then they have just a hustling kid that every team would love to have in Henry and maybe staying off football field will help his game this winter and you have 2 athletes in mcellend and call. This team needs to find the Corey call they had his sophomore year. Last year he sort of fell in Love with the 3 and lost the best part of his game. This kid is a great 12 to 16 foot jump shooter and when he gets that game going he is almost unstoppable because if you come out from basket and n that range he will beat you to the whole.

I think this team goes as far as it’s bench will take it. You have 5 kids that can play. They are all not going to play 32 minutes a night. Look there are plenty of kids on the bench with talent but can they be good role players can they come through night in and night out.

[GalliaGrad78]

Congrats to The Blue Devils!

[Tri-StateYouthSports]

Loveday with 17pts for GA
Maxfield with 9pts for Athens

[Raider6309]

Gallia will be tough to beat in the OVC. They play tough defense. We really couldn’t get the offense going but mostly to do with Gallia’s defense

[Ironman92]

Final?

[Tri-StateYouthSports]

Gallia Academy (45) - (35) Athens -- Final

[noreply66]

Congrats to Gallia

[Ironman92]

Nice win Gallia Academy.

I was wrong.

[93Bulldog]

... a really good early season "barometer" type game for Gallia Academy - Athens doesn't have the BIG big man BUT they have 6-4, 6-4. 6-4 strength in the paint ... Chubb, Hynes, Butcher all in the 6-4 range AND strong in the paint, add an aggressive/strong Logan Maxfield to go with the quickness of Elijah Williams - this is a physically strong starting group for the Bulldogs ... Loveday WILL get "physically" challenged imo ... it will be interesting to see how he handles these big bodies for Athens putting bodies on him for 4 quarters ... for GAHS to win Loveday will need to establish himself in the paint, BE that dominating force that he CAN be in the paint at 7-1 if HE IS as dominant as he CAN be - GAHS wins ... IF Loveday ISN'T the dominant force in the paint AND the Blue Devils get the W on the road in Athens it means that the surrounding cast of Caleb Henry, Justin McClelland , Cory Call, Logan Blouir ARE even BETTER than advertised ! LOL ... in my mind because I have Gallia at #2 they have to show me those things : the 7-1 dominant BIG man because no one else has THAT in SEOhio, I want to read that the surrounding cast has improved over last year ... if we get those 2 things from this game along with a GAHS win ... Gallia would have something special going on in the French City ...

offense, offense, offense, blah, blah, blah ...

How will Loveday affect the game defensively? Athens loves to work inside out with Hines being option No. 1. Does the 7'1 height dictate how Athens operates offensively? It could be (or won't be) be a huge factor Friday night.

Pretty smart post by that 93Bulldog guy

Tough to score with a 7'1 guy roaming the paint. He changes what a team wants (or likes) to do offensively.

[Reds Fan]

watched the game tonight in The Plains and honeslty I thought the Bulldogs did not put up their best performance Against the Blue Devils. Didn't shoot the ball well and seemed kinda rattled. I know this Athens team is a whole lot better than what they showed tonight. The Bulldogs are still My favorite to win the TVC. when it comes to Galiia I was impressed with their guard play. Call got them off to a hot start and they didn't look back. I thought the guards rebounded and boxed out better than most teams in SEO. IMO they didn't use Loveday enough at all, but they still beat a good Athens team and thats a great way to start the season.

[D3VIL]

It’s tough listening over the internet, but this one seemed like a battle. Loveday’s biggest impact seemed to be on the boards and defending the rim. His 17 points came kind of quiet compared to his impact in other areas.

McClelland probably had a great game of ball control. These physical games, that get a bit chippy, need some solid guard play that doesn’t translate to a lot of radio broadcast love.

This Blue Devil team is going to be tough. I look forward to following them and catching a few games this season.

[NoPain23]

Gallia a good team, gonna have to find role players off bench if they wanna great season. Loveday met my expectations tonight. Athens is gonna have to find a main scorer but they are a good team.

[SEOAL74]

I thought neither team played their best game. Both of these teams will be a lot better down the road. Loveday did control the paint on defense and got a lot of boards. the starting 5 for Gallia had all the points, the bench for them played ok but didn't score. After watching this game I felt like Gallia had control of this game from start to finish and never was in any trouble. They are 20 points better than Athens. Call got into early foul trouble and kind of hurt them setting out the whole second quarter. All of Gallia starters handle themselves well. They will be a hard team to beat by anyone in this area!

[Truth&fiction]

Looks more like a Football score . Gallia will be a tough game for most . I cannot imagine setting up an offense around a 7FT in High Schooler . Coaches dream for sure . I will try and see them this year. They will need some more scoring from the rest to go deep in tourney. Athens has the talent to compete . We will see quick how they respond to a L against a good Tiger Squad . Good luck to both teams .

[pfloyd]

Excellent Road "W" for Gallia Academy ! McAfee is not an easy place to play vs a good Athens ball club this season ...

[svac83]

Thing that impressed me most was Gallia defense and physical play. They are going to get lay a lot of games that teams are going to want to make ugly.

I still say Gallia starting 5 changes over the next few weeks. The 5 they have starting is the 5 you want on floor in the big minutes. But I think this team would be better suited if Blouir and and Henry came off the bench. Both of these kids can come off the bench and be in flow of game from 1st possession.

Most of there most productive kids on bench really need a few possessions to get into a flow. I think this could be the formula they need to really up it to next level.

[Blue22]

Thing that impressed me most was Gallia defense and physical play. They are going to get lay a lot of games that teams are going to want to make ugly.

I still say Gallia starting 5 changes over the next few weeks. The 5 they have starting is the 5 you want on floor in the big minutes. But I think this team would be better suited if Blouir and and Henry came off the bench. Both of these kids can come off the bench and be in flow of game from 1st possession.

Most of there most productive kids on bench really need a few possessions to get into a flow. I think this could be the formula they need to really up it to next level.

Wow I disagree. I think those two kids deserve to be starters.

[svac83]

I think your missing the point. I am not suggesting either of those kids play one less minute then what they are getting now. I am just saying I think if you want to be productive past the top 5. This is going to be the best flow to this team bailey walker, blain carter and I am missing another one need a few trips up and down floor to get in flow of the game.

You bring those kids in about 6 minute mark of 1st quarter they will be both ready to go and you will have a much better flow. Both Henry and Blouir can flow either way.

It is sort of the opposite of the situation the blue devils had with miles Cornwall. Cornwall would be so hyped up starting at tip that he would get off to horrible starts and be a turnover machine for entire quarter. Took him out of starting line up a lot of times he was at scores bench with over 7 minutes left in 1st quarter he played much better. And was a force from first possession.

The kids you have on the bench this year. You don’t really have any one there that has ever really been a role player. Blain carter is closest you have to it. But not really because he was getting loose playing a few quarters of JV and then was effective off of varsity bench.

Blouir, call, Henry and mcellend have all been role players at one time you could rotate through all four of those kids setting the first couple of minutes each night and your role players would perform much better.

I get a lot of people won’t agree with me. And I am in no way suggesting the 5 kids that are starting are not the hardest working and best players this team has. Because they are.

But if your asking how this team will preform best as a team. I think you mix up the rotation in the first couple of minutes and you will see those roll players play much better.

[Geronimo]

Athens is a very hard place to get a W. !

[SEOAL74]

This Gallia Academy team I think will be find with the five starters they have. It takes time for teams to jell and 4 of the five starters are back from last year and Blouir was the first kid off bench last year so same as all five starters being back. They don't need any changes just keep improving week by week. the Players coming off the bench just need to learn their rolls on this team.