Ironton at Gallipolis, Jan. 5

[jottings]

Ironton, (6-2 and 3-0) will visit Gallipolis (4-3 and 1-2) in a Southeastern Ohio Athletic League a triple-header Tuesday in the GAHS gym at Centenary, starting at 5 p.m.

Thoughts.

[85inside]

All road games are tough. Ironton needs to stay focused and not go through anymore lapses, such as the Manchester game. I look for Gallia Academy to give Ironton all they want. If Ironton plays the game correctly, I think the Fighting Tigers win this one by 8 points. Keep the ball rolling Fighting Tigers!

[ITOWN13]

Ironton fans don't forget, go to the new high school. Just out 141 a few miles on the right.

[BBallin fool]

Ironton

[bucking red]

The tigers play tough D that is why I say they will win by double digits.

[jottings]

Gallipolis will seek its first basketball victory over visiting Ironton Tuesday evening (weather permitting) in 25 years.

Last GAHS varsity win over the I-Tigers was 56-55 at home in 1984. In the second game that year at Ironton, IHS edged GAHS 51-50 to begin a long-time hex over the Gallians. After Ironton left the SEOAL in 1984, the two schools never played each other until the 1993-1994 campaign—that was in the District Finals at Ohio University. Ironton won, 59-53.

Ten years later, the Blue Devils and Tigers resumed their hardwood series. Ironton beat GAHS 60-42 at home in a 2004-05 non-league outing, and 57-41 in 2005-06, also a non-league game.

The Tigers rejoined the SEOAL in 2006-07 and have beaten GAHS six straight games. Overall, Ironton holds a 28-17 won-loss advantage over Gallipolis since the 1925-26 campaign.

GAHS-Ironton basketball series—1983 to 2010
Year G-Home G-Away

1983-1984 58-48-* 44-42-*
1984-1985 56-55-* 50-51-*
1985-1993 No games
1994 53-59 District finals at OU
1995-2005 No games
2005 42-60 Non-League
2005-2006 Non-League 41-57
2006-2007 40-46-* 56-63-*
2007-2008 47-54-* 38-41-*
2008-3009 31-49-* 34-54-*
2009-2010 ? ?
*-SEOAL games

[jottings]

Ironton Tigers Season Record

Ironton 55 Ashland, Ky. 67
Ironton 69 Chesapeake 66
Ironton 62 Manchester 66
Ironton 51 Chillicothe 48
Ironton 60 Africentric 35
Ironton 70 Warren Local 57
Ironton 67 Jackson 62
Ironton ? Gallipolis ?
Totals 505 451
Point Average 63.1 to 53.6
Won 6, Lost 2

Gallipolis Blue Devils Record
Gallipolis 50 Rock Hill 34
Gallipolis 46 River Valley 35
Gallipolis 31 Athens 56
Gallipolis 40 Marietta 37
Gallipolis 34 Logan 38
Gallipolis 44 Chillicothe 52
Gallipolis 60 Meigs 38
Totals 305 290
Point Average 43.6 to 41.4
Won 4, Lost 3

[Gray Fighting Tiger]

Gallipolis will seek its first basketball victory over visiting Ironton Tuesday evening (weather permitting) in 25 years.

Last GAHS varsity win over the I-Tigers was 56-55 at home in 1984. [snip]

I had no idea. I'm sure that if the teams had played on a regular basis, GAHS would have gotten some wins in that time span.

[85inside]

58-31 Ironton. Tigers were hot from the field and owned the boards and IMO are the best defensive squad we have seen thus far. GAHS has stayed in games/won games by hitting their perimeter shots and last night those shots were not dropping. GAHS only got to the free throw line twice all night and that was late in the fourth quarter. The perimeter game doesnt usually get you to the line many times.

The game was still on at halftime, but Ironton hit everything they threw up in the third quarter from all over the court, scoring 21 points in the first 4 1/2 minutes of the third and it was lights out for the rest of the game. Bench players played most of the fourth quarter for both teams. Im doing this from memory, but 13 kids played for the Blue Devils.

Ironton has a strange JV squad consisting of only three members. They dressed 14 however, as 11 players from the freshman team fill out the JV roster. It was a fun evening on the scorebook keeping an eye out for quarters remaining (you can play up to 5 quarters per night.)

Ironton won the freshman and varsity contests while the Blue Devils eked out a close win in the JV contest which was officiated in a very "interesting" way. I know I was confused along with the coaches and fans. There were a total of 62 free throws attempted by both teams with GAHS hitting 14/29 and Ironton 13/33.

Nice new school at Gallia Academy. I missed the sausage sandwiches from the football games. I also enjoyed seeing the "most interesting man in the world", as he was in the concession stand working all night.

Great game by the Fighting Tigers! It's nice to see this team get up on a team and put them away early.
The JV game was frustrating, as it was officiated by the Gallia Academy reunion committe of 1977. The last 45 seconds it was just evident that they were not going to permit a "sweep" last night.

I love the folks at Gallia Academy. It is always fun to go to Gallia County for a game. I look forward to our next football game out that way.

[85inside]

We will still be playing our football games at Memorial Field in town for the forseeable future. We hope to have our baseball and softball fields finished by spring time and the soccer field has been there for years.

The money has to be in hand before the new football stadium will be built. I am on record as saying that the money wont come in nearly as fast as inflation and whatever cost they are looking at now will be perhaps several millions more by the time we have money in hand.

I dont know about the refs being the Gallia Academy reunion committee. There wasnt anyone from either school who was happy with the officiating, and our kids inability to recognize the game situation allowed Ironton to make the final score interesting in the JV game IMO. There comes a point in every game where you want the ball and a running clock more than points and we just chucked up shot after shot that gave Ironton opportunities that they should have had to foul to get.

Anytime you go on the road and get 33 chances from the free throw line no one is calling the game "to permit a sweep." Again IMO.

It is a joke. A pretty good one too, I must say. You are correct, in spite of the Gallia Acadamy class rings on the officials, Ironton had many chances to win the game in the JV's. I will say that Gallia's JV coach entertained me the whole time and kept me in stitches with his "one liners" to the kids. It is a sad state when the varsity game takes half the time to play than the JV game.