SoutheasternOhioPreps.com

Meigs 40
Fairfield Union 36 a final


I wanted to get eyes on my Preseason #1 Meigs early in the season, so I drove up Rte 33 to THE Lancaster-Dixon Line - Fairfield Union High School to watch the Falcons of Coach Shaeffer open their season vs Coach Davis' Marauders ... not sure what I expected to see - I take that back - I expected to see Meigs' bigs control the game - a starting lineup going 6-8, 6-6, 6-5, 6-4, 6-2 ... size, perimeter shooters Cayden Gheen/Carson Davis/Reed Brinager ... with the size MHS put on the floor I thought Fairfield Union with it's starting lineup of 3 seniors/2 sophs and undersized compared to Meigs would struggle on the boards, FU would have to shoot well to be IN the game ... after the game tipped off - all of my expectations were thrown out the window :

... in the opening quarter:

Fairfield Union hit 3 fgs/6 pts ... were 0/5 from behind the arc ...0 for 5 on layups at the rim ... getting 2 pts each from Keegan Arnett (putback)/ 6-4 freshman Isa Kline 2pts on the block / 2 pts from Jaxson Iser in the paint ... Meigs hit 4 fgs/9 pts ... 1/3 from behind the arc with the lone trey coming from Cayden Gheen 3pts/ Carson Davis had a pair of midrange jumpers 4pts/ Reed Brinager 2 pts on a jumper inside the arc ... 4 TOs in the quarter ... 0/3 from the FT line ... Meigs 9 Fairfield Union 6 after 1 ...

... FU was getting looks - good looks at the rim inside the paint and the 5 three point attempts - open looks ... from the get go Meigs looked lost offensively - lots of one on one basketball, no sets run ... PG Owen Tracy was missed ...

Quarter #2 :

... Fairfield Union hit 4 fgs/8 points ... 0/4 from three point land ... 0 for 4 on shots at the rim ... 0 turnovers ... 0/3 from the FT line ... Mason Ailes 2 pts on a transition bucket / Hunter Clark off the bench for 2pts on a putback bucket / Kline - the freshman - hit a nice midrange jumper 2pts/ sophomore Trevor Utzinger had a putback bucket for 2pts ... Meigs' offense ran more sets, scored less points - 3 fgs/6 pts in the qtr ... 0/3 from three ... didn't get to the line ... committed 4 more turnovers ... scoring for MHS - 4pts down low in the paint for Dustin Vance / 2 pts in the paint for Reed Brinager ... Meigs 15 Fairfield Union 14 at intermission ...

Quarter #3:

... Fairfield Union had already had an off night shooting the ball - felt like they should have been down by double digits the entire opening half - but they stayed in touch as Meigs struggled to score as well ... the 3rd quarter had the Meigs D step up, , FU continued to not find the bottom of the net - only 1 fg in the 3rd for FU - Asa Kline off the bench for 2pts in the paint - 1 for 2 each from the line for Dean Clark and Keaton Webb ... 4 pts in the quarter total for the team ... 0/4 from the arc ... 2/4 from the line ... 2 turnovers ... Meigs finally took advantage of FU's shooting woes - the Marauders put together a series of baskets - 19 pts in the quarter - Gheen hit a 3 ball & 1/2 from the line / Vance added 1/2 from the line and a nice drive for 2pts/ Landon Dewees 1/2 FTs/ Carson Davis put in 7pts (a putback 2pts/midrange 2pts and a trey)/ Brinager a transition bucket 2pts and Aaron Tobin 2 pts in the paint ... finally a quarter that looked like my #1 team had arrived - opening up a 16 point lead - FU had only 18 points in 3 quarters heading for the final 8 minutes Meigs 34 Fairfield Union 18 after 3 ...

... the final quarter :

... the Fairfield Union Falcons under Coach Shaeffer/Coach Helber - solid fundamentals/good defense/ 100% effort ... quarter #4 was ALL FU ... pressure on the ball defense turned the "point guardless" Meigs team over 7 times in the period ... held MHS to 1 fg ... 4/7 from the line ... the lone fg for Meigs was Carson Davis posting up on the right block - easy 2 pts & 1 to open the quarter ... the rest of the quarter was Meigs hanging on going- 0/2 from the line with 28.9 on the clock ... Gheen going 2/2 from the line with 21.1 left ... Dustin Vance put Meigs up by 4 going 1/2 with 3.8 on the game clock ... in between the Davis & 1 and the 4/7 FT shooting the Falcons got a big shot in the arm from Isaiah Delong - the 6-2 senior dropped 4 pts at the rim on drives plus 2/2 from the line - showing the rest of the squad that there in fact was not a lid on the rim - Keegan Arnett added 4 points in the paint as FU finally strung together fgs ... the 6-4 freshman Asa Kline with another putback bucket 2pts/8 for the game ... Hunter Clark with 4 pts in the paint ... sophomore Mason Ailes a strip and score at the rim 2pts ... missing from the FU comeback was the deep ball as the Falcons went 0/5 from downtown in the 4th/ 0 for 18 on the game ... Meigs 40 Fairfield Union 36 a final



Pfloyd's official "UN-official" Napkin Stats - Fairfield Union

Scoring ... Asa Kline 8, Keegan Arnett 6, Isaiah Delong 6, Hunter Clark 6, Mason Ailes 4, Trevor Utzinger 2, Jaxson Iser 2, Dean Clark 1, Keaton Webb 1
3 Pointers ... 0/18 …
FTs ... 4/10
TOs ... 5
PnP ... 15 fgs/ 30 points in the paint
PnT ... 3 fgs/ 6 points in transition
Pbk ... 4 fgs/ 8 points on putback buckets

Pfloyd's official "UN-official" Napkin Stats - Meigs

Scoring ... Carson Davis 14, Cayden Gheen 9, Dustin Vance 8, Reed Brinager 6, Aaron Tobin 2, Landen Dewees 1
3 Pointers ... 3/11 ... Cayden Gheen 2, Carson Davis 1
FTs ... 7/16
TOs ... 18
PnP ... 8 fgs/ 16 points in the paint
PnT ... 1 fgs/2 points in transition
Pbk ... 1fg/ 2 points on putback buckets

... I suppose you can look at tonight's game if your Meigs - "as bad as we played" we still got the W, on the road vs a well coached FU Mid State League team ...props to Dustin Vance - the young man is as strong in the paint as you will find/got after it in the paint at both ends of the floor - outstanding effort ... offensively for MHS there was no continuity without Owen Tracy running the point ... players were forced to handle the ball out on the court, make passes from spots on the floor where they weren't comfortable ... the flow in the offense wasn't there tonight ... Meigs have a big matchup with Gallia Academy on Saturday night ... may have to make the trip to Meigs this weekend to give Meigs another look ...

That 3rd quarter sounds like the ceiling that many of us see for Meigs, but also some of the other possible issues coming up throughout the rest of the game.

The positive is that this was one of about 4 difficult games on the schedule for the Marauders, giving them plenty of time to tighten things up and get closer to that ceiling as far as consistency goes.

Pfloyd......it was good to have you in Falcon nation last night and to catch up with you. Wow....what a game! My Falcons are very young but they fought hard.....I mean 0 for 18 in 3s and they still had a chance to win the game.
For Meigs, I knew about the Davis kid, but I have to be honest and with ultimate respect to you, I don't think they are a #1 team. I know they were missing a pg, but they looked really shaky most of the night. I guess time will tell.
I believe my young Falcons will improve throughout the year and maybe by tourney time be ready to scare some teams.
It was great as always to see you pfloyd, and hope to see you later in the season.

Smeltzy wrote: Thu Dec 05, 2024 8:31 am Pfloyd......it was good to have you in Falcon nation last night and to catch up with you. Wow....what a game! My Falcons are very young but they fought hard.....I mean 0 for 18 in 3s and they still had a chance to win the game.
For Meigs, I knew about the Davis kid, but I have to be honest and with ultimate respect to you, I don't think they are a #1 team. I know they were missing a pg, but they looked really shaky most of the night. I guess time will tell.
I believe my young Falcons will improve throughout the year and maybe by tourney time be ready to scare some teams.
It was great as always to see you pfloyd, and hope to see you later in the season.

... Smeltzy! always good to run into you at FU, talks some hoops, catch up on life ! ... Meigs - their 2nd game of the season ... mismatches EVERYWHERE due to their size advantage literally at every position ... the PG position IS the most important position in high school hoops as literally and figuratively everything starts with the pg - he dictates the flow of the game, controls defensive pressure, setups up the offense, runs the offense, distributes the ball -gets it to the role players in spots on the floor where they are comfortable and able to be the most effective offensively ... last night? there was no flow to the Meigs offense ... every player looked uncomfortable with the ball, where they were getting the ball, what they were trying to do with the ball ... I've seen the Meigs players when they got the ball on the floor where they WERE comfortable - they are scoring machines - Gheen/Dewees can shoot the ball as well as anyone in SE Ohio on the perimeter - last night - trying to CREATE their shots - uncomfortable ... Carson Davis - a threat at all levels - last night his main job was handling the ball (handling the ball and dribbling at the 25-30 ft level is NOT the same as getting the ball on the FT line and getting to the bucket, at 6-8 he has lots of skills but dribbling vs guards the length of the court vs pressure not the 1st option) - which vs quicker guards - uncomfortable ... Brinager from past "eye tests" may just be the most talented player on the court - last night he looked uncomfortable in not getting the ball where he could do "Brinager" things ... Dustin Vance in the post is a beast, may be the strongest inside player in SEOhio - got the ball outside of his comfort zone imo where he had to put the ball on the floor in order to get to HIS spots on the floor - uncomfortable ... in the 3rd quarter - they looked better offensively Brady Davis got in the game - handled the ball more - Davis got down on the blocks a couple of times - at 6-8 whoever guards him it's a mismatch down low - he scored easily both times ... Gheen in the 3rd got to his spot- Brady Davis found him - easy 3 pointer from the right foul line extended ... I don't know when Owen Tracy went down with his injury but Meigs having practiced in the preseason with Tracy as PG, all summer with Tracy at PG - it allowed everyone else on the team to play from spots where they were/are most effective and comfortable ... without the floor leader - everyone has NEW roles or at least has to do things that they are not comfortable doing in order to get to "their spots" ... all of this is just my opinion from the cheap seats ... last night Meigs was not a #1 team ... but they got the W vs a Fairfield Union team who struggled themselves in their 1st game of the season - scoring - 0/18 from 3, missed what had to be 8-10 shots literally "at the rim" ... FU LOOKED to be getting blown out the entire 1st half of play yet the scoreboard showed "down by 3, down by 4, one or two possession game" ... Meigs imo didn't take advantage of the multiple mismatches they had on the floor ... might have to get a more "true" guard on the floor to just run the offense ie. Brady Davis on the floor to run the point/handle the ball/distribute the ball to the 4 scorers who ARE IN the spots on the floor where they are comfortable and score the ball - until Tracy gets back ... Meigs vs Gallia Academy Saturday night - the good teams learn from games like the one at Fairfield Union - as they say "the tape don't lie" ... going to go to Meigs Saturday night to see what the Marauders learned from the FU game ...

0/18 is crazy

Would they shoot 0/18 from 1/2 court I wonder?

Ironman92 wrote: Thu Dec 05, 2024 11:47 am 0/18 is crazy

Would they shoot 0/18 from 1/2 court I wonder?

I92, and they were for the most part ALL GOOD looks !!!

Hard way for Gallia to open up with Warren and Meigs but should pay off in the long run.

Geronimo wrote: Thu Dec 05, 2024 12:47 pm Hard way for Gallia to open up with Warren and Meigs but should pay off in the long run.

... absolutely Geronimo LOL ... you play Warren, one of the most fundamental/structured systems anywhere that put more pressure on the ball than GAHS will see from any team all season , then a Meigs team on the road with more size top to bottom of any team in SEOhio - after Weeks 1.5 Coach Harrison will have a "teaching" video from 2 games that will benefit his youngsters for the rest of the season - more importantly the youngsters will have "lived to fight another day" through it - I'm not counting out GAHS in the game at Meigs this Saturday ... so you are absolutely right - it will pay dividends all season - I totally agree ...

I like Gallia Academy's roster this season ... it's one that WILL improve every time they go out on the floor ... the key will be putting into practice what is learned each time out ... Ty Reed will be one of the best PGs in SEOhio as he adds to his knowledge/ skills set/ each year ... the two bigs in Hammons and Mock are a really good duo of bigs (6-5, 6-7 respectively) ... Cade Mock can score at all 3 levels, score at the rim, score off the dribble, plays hard - crashes the boards - I'm a fan of the big senior ... GAHS has perimeter scoring from Grant Owens(fr)/Rees Toler (soph)/ Josh Watts (sr) ... they will improve - learn to handle pressure, find/get/hit their shots ...

"Could" be a good group come T-Time how good yet to be seen. ?

pfloyd wrote: Thu Dec 05, 2024 11:41 am

Smeltzy wrote: Thu Dec 05, 2024 8:31 am Pfloyd......it was good to have you in Falcon nation last night and to catch up with you. Wow....what a game! My Falcons are very young but they fought hard.....I mean 0 for 18 in 3s and they still had a chance to win the game.
For Meigs, I knew about the Davis kid, but I have to be honest and with ultimate respect to you, I don't think they are a #1 team. I know they were missing a pg, but they looked really shaky most of the night. I guess time will tell.
I believe my young Falcons will improve throughout the year and maybe by tourney time be ready to scare some teams.
It was great as always to see you pfloyd, and hope to see you later in the season.

... Smeltzy! always good to run into you at FU, talks some hoops, catch up on life ! ... Meigs - their 2nd game of the season ... mismatches EVERYWHERE due to their size advantage literally at every position ... the PG position IS the most important position in high school hoops as literally and figuratively everything starts with the pg - he dictates the flow of the game, controls defensive pressure, setups up the offense, runs the offense, distributes the ball -gets it to the role players in spots on the floor where they are comfortable and able to be the most effective offensively ... last night? there was no flow to the Meigs offense ... every player looked uncomfortable with the ball, where they were getting the ball, what they were trying to do with the ball ... I've seen the Meigs players when they got the ball on the floor where they WERE comfortable - they are scoring machines - Gheen/Dewees can shoot the ball as well as anyone in SE Ohio on the perimeter - last night - trying to CREATE their shots - uncomfortable ... Carson Davis - a threat at all levels - last night his main job was handling the ball (handling the ball and dribbling at the 25-30 ft level is NOT the same as getting the ball on the FT line and getting to the bucket, at 6-8 he has lots of skills but dribbling vs guards the length of the court vs pressure not the 1st option) - which vs quicker guards - uncomfortable ... Brinager from past "eye tests" may just be the most talented player on the court - last night he looked uncomfortable in not getting the ball where he could do "Brinager" things ... Dustin Vance in the post is a beast, may be the strongest inside player in SEOhio - got the ball outside of his comfort zone imo where he had to put the ball on the floor in order to get to HIS spots on the floor - uncomfortable ... in the 3rd quarter - they looked better offensively Brady Davis got in the game - handled the ball more - Davis got down on the blocks a couple of times - at 6-8 whoever guards him it's a mismatch down low - he scored easily both times ... Gheen in the 3rd got to his spot- Brady Davis found him - easy 3 pointer from the right foul line extended ... I don't know when Owen Tracy went down with his injury but Meigs having practiced in the preseason with Tracy as PG, all summer with Tracy at PG - it allowed everyone else on the team to play from spots where they were/are most effective and comfortable ... without the floor leader - everyone has NEW roles or at least has to do things that they are not comfortable doing in order to get to "their spots" ... all of this is just my opinion from the cheap seats ... last night Meigs was not a #1 team ... but they got the W vs a Fairfield Union team who struggled themselves in their 1st game of the season - scoring - 0/18 from 3, missed what had to be 8-10 shots literally "at the rim" ... FU LOOKED to be getting blown out the entire 1st half of play yet the scoreboard showed "down by 3, down by 4, one or two possession game" ... Meigs imo didn't take advantage of the multiple mismatches they had on the floor ... might have to get a more "true" guard on the floor to just run the offense ie. Brady Davis on the floor to run the point/handle the ball/distribute the ball to the 4 scorers who ARE IN the spots on the floor where they are comfortable and score the ball - until Tracy gets back ... Meigs vs Gallia Academy Saturday night - the good teams learn from games like the one at Fairfield Union - as they say "the tape don't lie" ... going to go to Meigs Saturday night to see what the Marauders learned from the FU game ...

Pfloyd, that's why I come to you for your expertise. I know I was just seeing them for the first time and without the PG. I'm sure they will be one of the best teams in the district by years end. Thanks for the insight as always.

I had been wondering why the Davis boy had been bringing the ball up the court during the Waterford game, missing your starting pg will do that to you.