Ironton @ Portsmouth tonight.

[Hoopie74]

Someone giving scores?

[Tri-StateYouthSports]

Ironton(16) - (11)Portsmouth -- End 1st qtr
Ironton(23) - (21)Portsmouth -- Halftime

[Hoopie74]

Sounds like a good one so far.

[Beergogglebluez]

43-28 ironton after 3

[Beergogglebluez]

53-33 ironton.

[Hoopie74]

Sounds like Ironton cranked up the D

[trojandave]

Ironton was clearly the better team last night, no doubt, but the Trojans' inconsistent play reared its ugly head again. Trailing only 23-21 at the half, Portsmouth went stone cold in the final 16 minutes, mustering only 12 points. Strange turnaround from the first time the two teams met, as PHS only lost 62-61 at Ironton with a chance to win at the buzzer.

I guess the silver lining from last night is that the Trojans next season have all but one player back in their rotation, with Matthew Fraulini being the only senior. Ironton has 8 seniors on their roster, and 4 started last night. Seniors vs. mostly sophomores made a difference last night. Ironton will be a really tough out in the tournament because they play a physical brand of basketball, and will guard hard.

Portsmouth's loss pretty much assured a 2nd consecutive losing season. Now 8-12, the Trojans would have to win 5 more games just to break even, and that is highly unlikely, with only 1 regular season game remaining. Also, PHS (5-8 OVC) will most likely have to win at Coal Grove to stay out of a tie for 6th in the OVC, as Gallia Academy (4-9) hosts winless Rock Hill (0-12).

Ironton has won 4 in a row in the series, with Portsmouth still leading 92-70. The Fighting Tigers have been a pesky opponent in tournament play vs. the Trojans, as PHS only has an 8-7 lead.