Pfloyd's Elite 8 of Southern/SouthEast Ohio Week #1

[pfloyd]

... after all of the hype, all of the guesswork as to who would be, should be , will be in the Elite 8 - that's all over now , it's time for teams Below the Lancaster-Dixon Line to lace 'em up and get it done on the hardwood , to prove they belong on THE elite list , THE treehugger wannabee list or still yet on THE end table list keeping on the radar of the committee of one - me ... What a GREAT weekend of hoops! the Zane Trace Tip Off Classic with the BIG 3 games of Friday night - Piketon vs Hillsboro , Zane Trace vs Bloom Carroll followed by Waverly vs Logan Elm in the nightcap ... Saturday's action had preseason number one Wheelersburg opening on the road at the Peake ... Belpre taking on always tough Fort Frye ... Ironton crossing over the Ohio to taking on one of those foreign teams from Ashland, Ky ... no matter what games you went to see it is the time of the year that transitions us from that "other" high school money maker - football - to the friendly, warmth of the indoors and high school hoops ... all but a handful of teams have opened the 2009-10 season, all looking to get a baseline as to where they stand early in the season, looking to find the combinations of personnel that will be on the floor to start the games AND more importantly who will be on the floor at crunch time at the END of the game ... guess what??? It's ALL good !!!!!!! I spent Friday evening at the ZT Tipoff Classic - had the pleasure of seeing 5 teams in my preseason top 11 , then traveled 2 hours and 45 minutes down the "deer gauntlet" of Rt. 93 to Chesapeake to get a look at Chesapeake and Wheelersburg in the battle for the top spot on Week One's initial Elite 8 list of the season ... the basketball couldn't have been more exciting or the hospitality any better in either venue - got to talk with trojandave at ZT and "whollata" friendly seopsters from Chesapeake at the 'peake - I thank you all for some good conversation in letting an "outsider" feel right at home in the cheap seats ... without further babbling let's see how the committee of one - me - saw the teams shaking out in the week that IS Week #1 ...

... Pfloyd's Elite 8 of Southern/Southeastern Ohio Week #1...


1. Chesapeake ... (1-0) ... the 'Peake - my preseason #3 - hosted preseason #1 Wheelersburg in both teams opening game of 2009-10 ... the Burg started strong with an 8-0 run before CHS settled down following Nathan Copley's left side runner to take the lid off the basket at the home end of the floor starting a 8-4 run by the 'peake to end quarter number one 8-12 WHS ... quarter two saw the Peake take control of the game led by Austin McMaster's 7 points as CHS started working the ball inside out - better ball movement for the Panthers led to a 26-21 Panther lead at intermission ... Chesapeake showed flashes in the 3rd period of what those of us in the cheap seats are expecting from Coach Davis' squad in all 4 quarters of play - ball movement, pressure defense, finding players on the floor where they can get to the rim, scoring out of transition - in quarter 3 the boyz in White & Purple put on a show outscoring WHS 20-10 with all of the "pieces" contributing McMaster 7 points/Kennedy 6/Saunders 6/ Copley only 2 pts but controlled the boards in starting a handful of transition baskets by the 'Peake ... 46-31 the peake after 3 ... the final stanza had Wheelersburg close the gap in the last 5 and half minutes as both Kennedy and Copley fouled out for Chesapeake (Stegman picked up his 5th foul for the burg at the 3 minute mark as well) ... in the end it was Chesapeake going to 1-0 to start the season ... CHS takes on a very good Ironton team on the road Tuesday night before playing a very talented and physical Waverly Tiger team at the Convo on Saturday ... until then the 'Peake moves to the one spot after the first weekend of hoops in Southern/Southeastern Ohio ...

2. Warren Local ... (1-0) ... SEOAL contender the Warren Warriors picked up their first win of the season at the expense of the TVCs Meigs Marauders 63-48 ... fighting a slow start in this one - Coach Maddox's boyz did what we have become accustomed to - scoring in spurts, scoring out of transition ... the Warriors after trailing Meigs to open the first quarter went on a 21-4 run in quarter two to take an eight point first half advantage 32-24 ... the Blue opened the 3rd as they had ended the half - with a run - the Warriors started the second half 6-0 to push the lead to double digits 36-24 , one which they would add to with an 8-0 run in the 4th to close out Meigs 63-48 a final ... a key to the Warriors transition game is defensive pressure - WHS forced 21 MHS TOs ... offensively Warren Local was led by Austin Cunningham's 19 pts/5 rbs/3 stls/2 treys , Greg Venham added 19 pts/9 rbs/5 stls, Brandon Fivecoaite 11 pts/10 rbs to round out the 3 headed attack of the Warrior Blue ... Warren entertains Fort Frye Tuesday, before welcoming Maysville to the Warrior Dome Friday night ...

3. Logan Elm ... (1-0)... the Braves of Coach Stiverson traveled to their "home away from home" for their season opening contests - the Zane Trace Tip Off Classic - to take on the "upstart" Waverly Tigers ... the Tigers entered the game with the hopes of making a statement by knocking off one of THE "Programs" in Southern/Southeastern Ohio - Logan Elm ............................... and then they woke up ......... Logan Elm "schooled" Waverly in every phase of the game - ball movement, pressure defense, basketball fundamentals, rebounding position, on court communication, offensive spacing - you name it ... the Red and White played at a level in this first game of the season that , imo, Waverly "hopes" to be by seasons END ... the Braves looked that good ... Logan Elm taking this one going away 55-38 ... remember the names Adam Blake 11 pts (2 treys on an off shooting night)/Pritchard 17 pts/ Whaley 6 (2 treys)/Hauserman (6pts) /Elswick 7 pts with a trey/ Fulton/Thomas( 6pts) ... no super stars BUT the best TEAM I watched play this weekend ... Amanda Clear Creek comes calling Thursday night , with Saturday setting up for a rematch of last years D2 Semi Final vs the Cavs of Chillicothe ...

4. Piketon ... (1-0) ... the Streaks coaching staff had to be pleased with the Piketon performance vs a very good Hillsboro squad as the PHS boyz took control early on in this one taking a 16-9 lead to open the 1st quarter, 28-20 at intermission, 48-32 after three before adding 20 more points in the 4th to put the boro away 68-50 ... Piketon is a very solid ball club - good defensive club especially with Brush on the floor, balanced scoring Evan Legg 17/Jamie Helton 17/ Caleb Southworth 14/Lewis 8/Vulgamore 5/ Brush 3 (7+ blocked shots) ... pfloyd imos - Southworth/Brush outstanding defensive duo when both are on the floor, Brush HAS TO not only STAY ON THE FLOOR (as in stay out of foul trouble) but has to STAY ON THE FLOOR when playing defense ... Evan Legg is one of if not THE best pg in Southern Ohio ... he separates himself from all others by not only being able to distribute the ball, handle the ball, shoot the deep ball , he shoots the medium range shot as well as anyone I've seen - a lost art at all levels of the game ... Piketon takes on their #1 contender in the SVC Zane Trace Tuesday night at home before hitting the road vs a scrappy Huntington Ross ball club on Friday night ...

5. Chillicothe ... (1-0)... Coach Kellough's Cavs hosted Xenia HS this weekend at the Hat ... the Cavs were led by Michael Turners 23 points ... not much to complain about in the shooting department as CHS shot a blistering 78% from 2 point range on the night ... Malik London 12 pts/Ragland 10/Johnson 9/ Brandon Beverly 7 pts ... Cavs win 67-53 ... on the negative side CHS turned the ball over 29 times on the game while shooting just 6/17 from the free throw line ... Cavs will need to take care of the ball as they travel to Logan Elm Saturday night 12/12 - should be a dandy ...

6. Peebles ... (1-0) ... defeated Southeastern Ross 77-38 led by Blake Justice's 21 points ... the Indians take on Ripley Friday night before traveling to the Convo to play Zane Trace Saturday evening ...

7. Zane Trace ... (0-1) ... the Pioneers played good enough to win their opener vs the Bulldogs of Bloom Carroll but after 4 quarters and 3 over time periods ZT ended up on the short end of the 69-73 score Friday evening at the Zane Trace Tip Off Classic ... ZTHS was led by Kirk Maxwell's 24 pts/ Derek Cochenour 15 pts, 4 treys/Rick Chamberlin 12 pts ... Trace was 8/27 from behind the 3 point line on the game ... but shot themselves in the foot with untimely TO's and 17/27 from the foul line (missing 4 of 5 FTs in the first OT period ... not much time to lick their wounds from the opening game loss as the Pioneers travel to Piketon Tuesday night before taking on their 2nd top 8 foe of the young season playing Peebles on Saturday at the Convo ...

8. Wheelersburg ... (0-1) ... the Pirates looked very UN-burglike in losing their opening game to Chesapeake 62-53 ... a very anemic offensive performance - showcased by "one on one" basketball, very little TEAM play at either end of the floor , poor to no ball movement that never got the ball into the hands of their returning big man 6-6 Andy Stegman ( Stegman 11 pts in the first half/ 2 FTs in the last 2 qtrs) , newcomer to the Orange & Black Andrew Bendolph led the scoring for the Burg with 15 points ... WHS will look to rebound as the TVCs Federal Hocking Lancers visit the Burg Tuesday night before local SOC foe Northwest comes calling Friday ...

... there you have it - the first installment of Pfloyd's Elite 8 in Southern/SouthEast Ohio Week 1 ... as for the rest of the teams looking to position themselves to move into the top 8 as the season goes along - let's look at the Treehugger Wannabees List ...


Treehugger Wannabees

Vinton County (1-0)
Hillsboro (1-1)
Waverly (0-1)
Oak Hill (1-0)
Logan DNP
Ironton (0-1)
Athens (1-0)
Belpre (1-0)
Southern (1-0)
Marietta (1-0)
Lucasville Valley (2-0)
Reedsville Eastern (2-0)
South Point (0-1)
Washington CH (0-1)
Manchester (1-0)
Federal Hocking (1-0)
Greenfield McClain (1-1)
Fairfield Union (1-0)
Alexander (1-0)
Fairland (1-0)
Symmes Valley (0-1)
Northwest (1-0)
Jackson (1-0)
Gallia (1-0)
Circleville (0-1)
Coal Grove (1-0)
Huntington (1-0)
Ironton St. Joe (1-0)
White Oak (1-1)
Sheridan (1-0)




Teams on the End Table

Portsmouth (0-0) DNP
Meigs (1-1)
Westfall (0-1)
North Adams (0-1)
Trimble (0-1)
Portsmouth Clay (0-2)
South Gallia (1-1)



... (let me know if there are any corrections that need to be made or any glaring omissions from the lists ... the committee of one -me - thanks you)...

[Futurebkstar]

South Gallia is 1-1 and Reedsville Eastern is the real deal....

[pfloyd]

... thanks futurebkstar ... who did SG get their first W against?

[biggdowgg]

I knews the Peake would take over that 1 spot,after saturday night


and even the JV game was worth your drive?

[pfloyd]

... let's not forget -

The annual Holzer Clinic Invitational will be held @ the Convo on December 12,2009. Below is the schedule:

9:00 Federal Hocking vs Oak Hill (Girls)
10:45 Eastern Brown vs Fairland (Boys)
12:30 Chesapeake vs Waverly (Boys)
2:15 Alexander vs Amanda Clearcreek (Girls)
4:00 Alexander vs North Adams (Boys)
5:45 John Glenn vs Vinton County (Boys)
7:30 Peebles vs Zane Trace (Boys)
9:15 Eastern (Meigs) vs Huntington Ross (Boys)

[Ironman92]

Whiteoak is 1-1

Lost 70-51 @ Williamsburg on Saturday

[Cameron34Crazie34]

Portsmouth Clay is 0-2. The got smoke by Northwest and South Webster. They should be off your list because I believe they are not that good. IMO

[avalanche]

I always enjoy reading your rankings. I hope you enjoyed your stay at Persin Court.

I posted after the game that Burg fans need to dial back their expectations for this years team because they are just not the quality of team that I have come to expect from Barrick coached teams. They will get better but this is not in my opinion a Regionals type of team.

I think Chesapeake has the potential to be a Regional type of team. Hard to say what will happen the rest of the season, but if they can stay healthy then this Chesapeake team reminds me a lot of the 2004 team with Brennan Hall (6'6), Ransbottom (6'5), and A. Stapelton (6'3), PJ Rase (6'2), and Thompson (6'0). Kennedy is a much better athlete then Hall and has all the tools, while McMasters is the same type of player as Stapelton with the athleticism of Ransbottom. Rase and Copley are very similar players but Copley attack the boards much harder. The difference between the two is point guard play. Chesapeake still needs a PG. Hintz is a good player but nowhere near Thompson.

I am very excited about this team and it should be Regionals or bust.

I do have to say that Piketon may be my #1 at this point, but I will take #1 of course

[bman]

Pfloyd, it was a great night to be at Zane Trace on Friday with some good matchups, especially Carroll's triple-OT win over a nice Zane Trace ballclub. Maxwell was impressive for Trace and Ireland is a nice player for the Tom Petty Heartbreakers. Also got to check out Greenfield on Saturday back at ZT. The Tigers had good ball pressure in the first half, rebounding and a balanced scoring attack. Still some work to do but teams like Greenfield, Logan Elm, Chillicothe, etc. play their best ball typically going into the tournament.

This Logan Elm team has the chance to be one of the best defenses Stiverson has had. Very good ball pressure, trapping, communication and doing those little things that count in March. The offense was a little off but there was good balance for having eight practices together.

BTW...The Chillicothe game is on the reservation on Saturday night.

[eaglegrad]

Valley was down 14 with 4:00 left in the game against South Point and came back to win by 2. Then at the Zane Trace Classic they were down 17 in the 3rd quarter to Washington CH and came back to win by 4. They held WCH to 11 second half points. Valley has not been hitting shots but they are a very gutsy team and have been finding ways to win.

[pfloyd]

I92, CC34 ... thanks for helping me stay "up to date" with the teams records - not easy to find ALL of the scores - greatly appreciated ... by the way I92 - sure liked it when YOU kept all of the records current LOL ...

... avalanche thanks for the input ... the committee of one - me - HAD to go with the 'peake after their big W Saturday night ... Piketon IS an excellent ball club HOWEVER they DO have issues "defensively" in the middle - keeping Brush out of foul trouble looks to be a major area of concern for the Streaks coaching staff imo ... bman - always good to get input from the Northwest Territories my friend ... with the game being played AT Logan Elm Saturday night I am going to make the trip to the Reservation to catch this one ... the way it looks now I will be at the Convo for Eastern Brown vs Fairland and Chesapeake vs Waverly then I will head back to Logan before making the trip down 180 to catch this early season special between Logan Elm and Chilli - should be a great game ... I've seen 5 of my top 8 teams - with the schedule of games at the Convo I can give Waverly and the Peake a second look while getting a chance to watch Coach Kellough's boyz in action vs Coach Stiverson and the boyz in red & white ...

[pfloyd]

... eaglegrad - the Indians picked up 2 quality W's vs South Point and Washington CH over this past weekend ... the boyz in Purple and Gold will continue to get their just rewards as they work their way through the schedule - you pick up W's you move up the lists - very simple really ...

[Dundas]

Maybe if VC can get a big win over John Glenn at the Convo this Saturday...theyll move up in the 8 spot!! With the cold finally here...lets hope for some good weather on Saturday...be lots of people in Athens that day!

[bucking red]

Pfloyd unfortunately the dragons will be shorthanded the next two weeks with Bloomfield out most likely for at least 2 weeks.

[pfloyd]

bucking red - sorry to hear that ... he's a very good ballplayer ... don't see the dragons able to replace his quicks, defense, and offensive output ... going to be a long 2 weeks or so for FHS ...

[datchillicav]

You are a busy man Floyd...

[LetsGoPSU]

I honestly feel that Portsmouth will be an improved team this season. Lots of potential last year but a team of individuals I believe the Team aspect that Coach Collins will instill will get the Trojans on the right track. Im hoping for that .500 season Trojandave has been predicting for three years

[trojandave]

Let's go PSU: No .500 predictions for this season......in fact, no prediction at all.........with a new coach and new players, I am laying low for 2009-2010.......but I think that Eugene Collins will do a fine job for us.......I sure have liked the full court press that he has used in all the scrimmages. I have noticed that the kids really enjoy playing for him and at the same time respect him.

I keep hoping that this will be the year we can get this thing turned around.........

[LoganElm_grad09]

nice thread pfloyd; keep up the good work!

[pfloyd]

... wow ONLY day one of Week #2 and we had some great games tonight ...

Ironton 66
Peake 63 OT ... I'town is a tough road game for any team ...

Warren 35
Fort Frye 32 ... always a knockdown drag out rivalry , not surprised by the low score at all

Piketon 63
Zane Trace 43 ... the Streaks get W number 2 vs another quality opponent ... Legg & Co. know what it takes to get W's

Wheelersburg 73
Federal Hocking 38 ... sounds like the burg got the ball into Stegman's hands tonight ...more burglike it is ...

South Webster 53
Portsmouth 42 ... SOC takes down SEOAL in this one ... PHS still needing to prove itself on the court

Bloom Carroll 62
Logan 54 ... Logan was 16 for 60 from the field ouch , 17 TO's in the first half, 11 points in the first half

Jackson 70
Athens 44 ... thought this one would be MUCH closer ... JHS under Coach Jordan is the real deal ...

Westfall 55
Paint Valley 44

Unioto 62
Adena 32

Portsmouth East 76
Portsmouth West 71 OT

Minford 69
Portsmouth Clay 39 ... Clay drops to 0-3 to start the season...

Rock Hill 65
Ironton St Joe 39

Manchester 62
Eastern Brown 71

Coal Grove 51
Boyd County 47 OT

Belpre 72
Waterford 67 ...