Zane Trace 58 Fairland 59 a final ...

[pfloyd]

Zane Trace 58
Fairland 59 a final

...the final game on the opening night of the Zane Trace Tip Off Classic at Zane Trace High School in Kinnikinnick ...last years 20-1 regular season Fairland Dragons vs the host of the Classic the 18-4 Zane Trace Pioneers ... Fairland returns 2 players with varsity experience in 6-3 sr swing forward Cliff Fransen & G 6-1 sr Trevor Lochow ... the Dragons picked by those in the know in the OVC to finish this "rebuilding" year in the lower half of league action with some even having FHS not being a .500 ball club ... Fairland sports a new Head Coach in HC Scott Thomas with assistants Clayton Thomas and Luke Thomas - all 3 in their first game as varsity head/assistant coaches ... Zane Trace as well lost key players - Landen Jarrell/Noah Houston/Landon Robinson ... still in the fold Grady Stewart 6-3 sr 13 ppg & sr. 6-3 Gunnar McCullough 14 ppg/8 rpg with help on the perimeter coming from the JV team of last season in the form of 5-9 jr Roman Berry ... Coach Cassidy also welcomes from the ZT football team juniors 6-1 Brice Johnson/6-2 Hudson Williams to add to ZT's strength in the paint ...

... Fairland in a rebuild under new coaching staff/Zane Trace picked as fighting Unioto for the top spot in the SVC ... talking with the coaching staff of FHS in the pregame - the key phrases I took away were "we'll push the ball, get out in transition" ... "32 minutes of man D, that is geared to make teams uncomfortable for all 4 quarters" ..." we won't be afraid to shoot the 3" ... the Dragons looked the part as they forced the Pioneers into 6 turnovers in the opening 8 minutes ... each team had their "key players" get on the napkin stat sheet as ZT was led by it's seniors Grady Stewart with a pair of drive & finishes at the rim 4pts bookending a triple from beyond the arc ... in the paint Gunnar McCullough scored on the block for 2pts and finished on a curling drive to the rim for 2 pts ... the Dragons up tempo style had sr. Trevor Lochow leading the way with 6 pts - the 6-1 sr. showed his athletic quickness getting the rim & finishing 2pts/ scored in transition with a tough lefty drive & finish 2pts before knocking down a pull up midrange jumper 2pts/6 in the period ... Cliff Fransen added 2 pts with a putback bucket and a midrange jumper 2pts ...new on the scene for the Dragons varsity 5-10 jr Gerald Love dropped a deep corner rainbow trey 3 pts ... 6-2 sr. swing forward Maddox Gue added a 12 foot jumper for 2pts ... Fairland 15 Zane Trace 12 after 1 ... after the initial opening quarter dealing with the Dragon man to man, physical D pressure ... the Pioneers calmed down, went to their strength 6-3 sr Gunnar McCullough in the post ... the senior showed his strength while highlighting a Fairland weakness - rebounding the paint - McCullough pulled down 5 offensive boards in the qtr/putting back 3 for points (6) while scoring on 2 shots on the blocks 4pts when the dust cleared after 8 minutes the 6-3 senior had 12 points in the period/16 in the half ... ZT took better care of the ball with only 1 turnover in the 2nd ... 6-2 jr Lantz Stevens drained a deep triple 3pts, Stewart added ZTs second trey in the period 3pts ... the Pioneers were 2/5 from behind the 3 point line in the 2nd & 3/9 in the opening 2 qtrs ... Coach Cassidy got his 2 football players in the contest in the 2nd qtr getting quality minutes from 6-1 jr Brice Johnson as the junior had an immediate impact on the boards at both ends of the floor as he putback an offensive rebound for 2pts ... ZT outscored Fairland 21-15 in the 2nd ... Fairland leaned heavy on it's varsity experienced seniors Lochow and Fransen as neither left the floor ... Lochow leading the FHS offense again showing his quickness off the dribble as he got to the rim in transition 2pts and 2 drives to the bucket 4pts to go with 2/2 from the FT line to finish with 8 pts in the period/14 for the half ... Fransen hit a floater in the lane for 2 points and continued to be the only consistent rebounder getting a board & putback 2pts /4pts in the period/8pts in the half ... Gerald Love dropped his 2nd triple of the game from the left corner / 6pts in the half ... Zane Trace 33 Fairland 30 at the half ... Early games in the season, you never know what you are going to get ... consistency is fleeting at best early on ... what was a solid 2nd quarter for Zane Trace was the total opposite in the 3rd - nothing fell offensively for ZT ... the offense did not add a point to the scoreboard until 4:19 was left in the period when McCullough knocked down 1/2 from the free thrown line to stop a Fairland 8-0 run ... Fairland was doing what they struggle to do - they got rebounds at both ends of the floor ... holding ZT to but 5pts in the quarter/ 2 fgs - a putback by McCullough 2pts and 2 points in the paint for Stewart ... the 3rd was all Dragons by Dragons I mean all Cliff Fransen - the 6-3 sr dropped 11 pts /6 on offensive boards & putbacks/a triple for 3pts/ floater in the paint 2pts ... adding to the offensive effort for the Dragons 6-2 soph Ford Rickard 3pts on a 2 pter & one/ Trevor Lochow another drive & finish 2pts/ Gerald Love drained his 3rd triple of the night 3pts ... the Dragons opening an 11 pt lead heading to the 4th ... Fairland 49 Zane Trace 38 after 3 ... After 3 quarters watching teams, you get a feel for the strengths/weaknesses of each ... Fairland through 3 qtrs was the aggressor - pushing the ball, getting to the rim, had a consistent perimeter threat in Love (3 treys thru 3 qtrs) - his consistency kept the ZT defense honest by forcing the perimeter D out - opening up lanes for Lochow & Fransen in the paint - great combo ... ZT had shown board strength in McCullough/Johnson/Stewart with 11 of 15 fgs thru 3 qtrs coming in the paint ... 5 putback buckets off of offensive rebounds ... one area that was missing in consistency was on the perimeter - 3 point shooting other than Stewart ... the 4th had Coach Cassidy for ZT applying pressure in the full court - mainly to slow down the tempo created by the Dragons ... turning the tables and making Fairland "uncomfortable" handling on ball pressure/pushing the Fairland offense "out on the floor" and making the Dragons "run an offense" ... ZT outscored the Dragons 20 to 10 in the final period ... ZT's on ball pressure held Lochow & Fransen to 2 points each ... forced a frustration technical on FHS ... ZT controlled the boards at both ends in the 4th ... ZT got perimeter scoring from others not named Stewart & McCullough as Roman Berry 5-9 jr drained a pair of triples 6pts and a putback bucket 2 pts ... all to go with triples by Stewart & McCullough ... Fairland had at one point at the beginning of the period following Love's 4th triple of the game to make it 52-38 - a 14 point lead ... the ZT offense chipped away... 7:17 41-52 ... 4:47 on the clock Dragons led 54-46 ... 3:57 Fairland 54-48 ... Berry hit his first trey to make the score 54-51 ... technical on the Dragons ... Stewart with the make make ... 54-53 Fairland ... drive & score Fransen ... 56-53 Fairland at 2:18 to play ... rebound, putback 2pts Berry 56-55 FHS ... under a minute left ... Berry with the deep triple 58-56 Pioneers lead ... Fairland down court to Love in the right wing , no hesitation - drained the three ... 59-58 Fairland regained the lead...44.8 seconds to play...Zane Trace had 3 shots on goal in the final 14 seconds, 2 offensive boards, as the ball was on the floor in the final seconds ... Fairland hangs on for the W... Fairland 59 Zane Trace 58 a final ...

Pfloyd's official "UN-official" Napkin Stats - Zane Trace ...

Scoring ... Gunnar McCullough 22, Grady Stewart 19, Roman Berry 9, Lantz Stevens 4, Brice Johnson 4
3 Pointers ... 7/24 ... Grady Stewart 3, Roman Berry 2, Lantz Stevens 1, Gunnar McCullough 1
FTs ... 7/11
TOs ... 12
PnP ... 14 fgs/ 28 pts in the paint
PnT ... 0
Pbk ... 6 fgs/ 12 pts on putback buckets

... Coach Cassidy's Pioneers will be fine, they had the ball with 44.8 on the clock down 1 ... had 3 shots on goal in the final 14 seconds ... with the ball on the ground as time ran out ... I was impressed with the rebounding/scoring contributions of Brice Johnson 6-1 jr. football player who hadn't played BB since the 8th grade - did an outstanding job on the boards ... excellent overall floor presence for his first varsity start ... McCullough/Stewart are the real deal scoring inside/outside both solid players ... Roman Berry can be that 3rd scorer from the perimeter ... Lantz Stevens 6-1 had solid minutes for ZT has a good perimeter stroke & can put it on the floor ... ZT will be a solid team in the SVC ...

Pfloyd's official "UN-official" Napkin Stats - Fairland ...

Scoring ... Cliff Fransen 21, Trevor Lochow 18, Gerald Love 15, Ford Rickard 3, Maddox Gue 2
3 pters ... 6/17 ... Gerald Love 5, Cliff Fransen 1
FTs ....... 3/3
TOs ...... 11
PnP ...... 16 fgs/ 32 pts in the paint
PnT ..... 2 fgs/ 4 pts in transition
Pbk ..... 5 fgs/ 10 pts on putback buckets

... Congratulations to Coach Scott Thomas & Asst. Coaches - Coach Luke Thomas & Coach Clayton Thomas - all picking up their 1st varsity W's as coaches for Fairland ... I'm a fan of the "new" Fairland style - pressure defense for 32 minutes - physical in the right way - bodying up on ball, showing the hands with the on ball pressure, turning the ball handler, making the opposition "uncomfortable" for 4 quarters ... Lochow is so athletic/as quick as I've seen getting by defenders & finishing at the rim ... Cliff Fransen is going to be special this his senior year - scores at all 3 levels, has the length and SEOhio size at 6-3 to be effective on the boards, great hands & finishes around the rim with a nice soft touch ... 8 deep off the bench ... defense travels - Kiyan Page/Ford Rickard/Owen Burcham/Stephen Jones give them good defensive minutes ... Gerald Love will be a key player to the Dragon success offensively - great 3 point shooter (5 treys -15 pts on the game) ... he has the ability to just be a deep threat - nothing rushed, no hesitation , great stroke and no conscience - it won't go in if I'm not shooting, if I have a look - I'm shooting the rock ... make or miss each look is a new one with 3 points written all over it ... Lochow/Fransen/Love - going to be a special threesome to follow this season ...

[ZTPMM88]

It was nice to meet you for the first time PFloyd! Once again, thanks for all you do. You are a great ambassador for high school basketball in the SE district. Great write-up! We were all provided an outstanding ballgame to cap off the first night. Although my Pioneers fell short, I came away impressed with the way they crashed the boards and didn't "fold up the tent" after an AWFUL 3rd qtr. They showed a lot of fight in that final period but fell one bucket short in the end. McCullough has to work on his free-throw shooting. I know he missed at least 4 or 5 I believe if my memory is correct. In a game like this one, every point is big. Congrats to Fairland and Coach Thomas on his first victory of the season and best of luck in the OVC this winter. Wouldn't mind seeing a rematch of both teams come March. Basketball season is underway and we couldn't have asked for a better game on the opening night! Hope to see you back in Kinnikinnick land sometime soon. Probably see you in a gym somewhere in the hills of southern/Southeast Ohio in the near future...

[Bozo]

A terrible 3rd Quarter cost Zane Trace in this game. Also, lack of help side defense. Fairland scored numerous layups in the half court. Bad enough when you get beat off the dribble, even worse when others don't have the "man-you-ball" going on.

[pfloyd]

It was nice to meet you for the first time PFloyd! Once again, thanks for all you do. You are a great ambassador for high school basketball in the SE district. Great write-up! We were all provided an outstanding ballgame to cap off the first night. Although my Pioneers fell short, I came away impressed with the way they crashed the boards and didn't "fold up the tent" after an AWFUL 3rd qtr. They showed a lot of fight in that final period but fell one bucket short in the end. McCullough has to work on his free-throw shooting. I know he missed at least 4 or 5 I believe if my memory is correct. In a game like this one, every point is big. Congrats to Fairland and Coach Thomas on his first victory of the season and best of luck in the OVC this winter. Wouldn't mind seeing a rematch of both teams come March. Basketball season is underway and we couldn't have asked for a better game on the opening night! Hope to see you back in Kinnikinnick land sometime soon. Probably see you in a gym somewhere in the hills of southern/Southeast Ohio in the near future...

ZTPMM88- thank you for the kind words ... it was my pleasure to meet up with you as well - always a good thing to talk hoops/Southern/SEOhio hoops with fellow fans of the game ... as I posted ZT will be fine ... they are always full of athletes on the roster which showed in Brice Johnson - hadn't played bb since the 8th grade but got quality minutes 4 pts & a bunch boards for the Pioneers - HE IS GOING to be a big contributor for Coach Cassidy & the Pio's ... McCullough went 3/5 from the line - those bigs who are in the paint, who get boards & putbacks ARE GOING TO THE LINE - a lot ... got to be a good free throw shooter if you're going to live in the paint for sure ... thanks again for stopping by and introducing yourself! I will definitely see you in a gym somewhere Below the Lancaster-Dixon Line ...

[WonderNova]

Forgive my question. Im on the far Western edge of the region and I am out of the loop until hoops begin. Where did coach Speed of Fairland move on to? With his successful program I am assuming he relocated on his own volition.i missed this news completely.

[pfloyd]

Forgive my question. Im on the far Western edge of the region and I am out of the loop until hoops begin. Where did coach Speed of Fairland move on to? With his successful program I am assuming he relocated on his own volition.i missed this news completely.

Coach Speed is still at Fairland, took an administrative position in the district…

[ZTPMM88]

It was nice to meet you for the first time PFloyd! Once again, thanks for all you do. You are a great ambassador for high school basketball in the SE district. Great write-up! We were all provided an outstanding ballgame to cap off the first night. Although my Pioneers fell short, I came away impressed with the way they crashed the boards and didn't "fold up the tent" after an AWFUL 3rd qtr. They showed a lot of fight in that final period but fell one bucket short in the end. McCullough has to work on his free-throw shooting. I know he missed at least 4 or 5 I believe if my memory is correct. In a game like this one, every point is big. Congrats to Fairland and Coach Thomas on his first victory of the season and best of luck in the OVC this winter. Wouldn't mind seeing a rematch of both teams come March. Basketball season is underway and we couldn't have asked for a better game on the opening night! Hope to see you back in Kinnikinnick land sometime soon. Probably see you in a gym somewhere in the hills of southern/Southeast Ohio in the near future...

ZTPMM88- thank you for the kind words ... it was my pleasure to meet up with you as well - always a good thing to talk hoops/Southern/SEOhio hoops with fellow fans of the game ... as I posted ZT will be fine ... they are always full of athletes on the roster which showed in Brice Johnson - hadn't played bb since the 8th grade but got quality minutes 4 pts & a bunch boards for the Pioneers - HE IS GOING to be a big contributor for Coach Cassidy & the Pio's ... McCullough went 3/5 from the line - those bigs who are in the paint, who get boards & putbacks ARE GOING TO THE LINE - a lot ... got to be a good free throw shooter if you're going to live in the paint for sure ... thanks again for stopping by and introducing yourself! I will definitely see you in a gym somewhere Below the Lancaster-Dixon Line ...

I also look for Brice Johnson to improve his game as the season progresses. He is built like a tank! I wasn't too familiar with Coach Cassidy prior to him coming to ZT, but after watching ZT his first season and after just one game this season, it seems as if the admin found the right guy to replace Coach Kellough. He had big shoes to fill for sure, but has done a great job in my opinion. Seems to be a great motivator of young men and knows the game well.