Guthrie leads Vikings over Nelsonville-York
IAN ABBOTT
Special to the Messenger
NELSONVILLE - Teams cannot expect to stop Dustin Guthrie. They can only hope to slow him down. Just ask Nelsonville-York.
The reigning Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division Player of the Year scored 20 first-half points to lead Vinton County past the Buckeyes Friday, 78-45.
Guthrie was more than Nelsonville-York could handle under the hoop. At 6-foot-5, he towered over and overpowered the smaller Buckeyes, who started no player taller than 6-foot-1.
"I thought Dustin worked real hard without the ball, down in the open areas," said Vinton County head coach Matt Combs. "It's also his teammates making a conscious effort to get it to him. Our guards gave up some shots of their own to get it to him, and he'd probably be the first to tell you that if it wasn't for them, he wouldn't get it. But his teammates did a great job setting screens and finding him."
His first-half contribution helped his team jump out to a 47-22 halftime lead. He finished with 24 points and five rebounds.
"We were able to get the ball inside early," Combs said. "We really got Dustin involved. I think he was 10 of 12 in the first half. That was big, getting that established for us."
He then spent most of the second half on the bench, watching his replacements continue to build the lead.
An impressive second-half performance by his sophomore brother, Dylan Guthrie, must have put a smile on his face. Combs is certainly smiling, at least.
"Dylan, he's in a tough spot this year," Combs said. "He'd probably start for a lot of teams and play a lot for a lot of teams. We just happen to be pretty deep at the post position right now. We're trying to find minutes for him, but he's really starting to produce for us."
Guthrie finished with eight points and a team-high eight rebounds off the bench. He invigorated the crowd in the midst of a blowout and earned himself the nickname "Airbus" from the Vinton County radio crew for his ability to come out of nowhere to nab the offensive rebound.
The Guthrie brothers led the charge in a dominant performance on the boards by Vinton County. The Vikings outrebounded Nelsonville-York, 36-15, including 16-4 on the offensive glass.
But the story of the game was Vinton County's trademark lock-tight, high-intensity defense. Vinton County ran the full-court press for the first half, and strong defense in the paint, combined with a high-octane offense, forced Nelsonville-York into 23 3-point shots in an attempt to get back in the game.
"We're typically a pressure team," Combs said. "We like to get after people. We go as far as our defense takes us. We have our off-and-on nights offensively, but defense is our bread and butter."
It was a solid game all around for Vinton County, who committed only eight fouls and seven turnovers. Following their undefeated regular season in 2006-07, the Vikings are looking good again at 4-0, but Combs isn't looking too far ahead.
"Right now, it sounds cliche, but we're just trying to get better every game," Combs said. "Over the next four games, our schedule gets real tough. We got Athens on Tuesday, then we've got Belpre away, a real good Chillicothe Huntington team. We're just trying to get better for this tough stretch we're getting ready to play."
GO VIKES
ARTICLE IN MESS. ON VCS GUTHRIE BRO'S; "AIRBUS"
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akwhitewater
- Freshman Team
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- Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2007 2:57 pm
akwhitewater wrote:Viked-Man; this article put a real smile on my face. I kinda feel sorry for Dylan, he is a great player in his own right, on one of the other post it said he and Dustin have two different styles. So, since you are related who do you choose for one on one....who wins?
FRANK
You put me in a tuff spot.
Dut is the man, he has experience and stamina over Dyl. On the other hand, if Dyl"s on he can shot 'till the net ignites.
So for those reasons; I go with the father!
GO GUTHRIE BOYS, DUT & AIRBUS
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akwhitewater
- Freshman Team
- Posts: 220
- Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2007 2:57 pm