OSU 77 wrote:All I can say Mark is the best Coach Ironton has in their system in any sport right now. He really gets the most out of his players every game.
I would guess that honet still belongs to Coach Lutz, untill he wins a state tournament or 2, and win a lot more games...
Lafon is a great coach though
I am glad to be an Ironton fan when we have to debate who is the better coach, because that means we have some outstanding people coaching our kids! I for one am glad both men are at the helm in their respective sports and wish them to stay a long, long time!
OSU 77 wrote:All I can say Mark is the best Coach Ironton has in their system in any sport right now. He really gets the most out of his players every game.
I would guess that honet still belongs to Coach Lutz, untill he wins a state tournament or 2, and win a lot more games...
Lafon is a great coach though
I am glad to be an Ironton fan when we have to debate who is the better coach, because that means we have some outstanding people coaching our kids! I for one am glad both men are at the helm in their respective sports and wish them to stay a long, long time!
GO TIGERS!!!
Yah, it could certainly be a lot worse. Just look at Portsmouth West.
After looking at some of the teams that I'm familiar with that Peebles has played this season... and the results of those games... I will have to go with Ironton... Peebles is playing better but Ironton seems to be comfortable with their system and LaFon seems to be very comfortable in his managment of the flow of the game... again, I look for Ironton to wear teams down and until they come up against a team of similar talent, depth, and style in the tournament they will continue to go deeper... who knows where it will end.
gotigers wrote:I am glad to be an Ironton fan when we have to debate who is the better coach, because that means we have some outstanding people coaching our kids! GO TIGERS!!!
That doesn't necessarily compute. Hypothetically, one of them COULD be horrible and the other one COULD be terrible and you could still debate which is the better of the two when in reality neither of them COULD POSSIBLY be all that great.
With that said (which seems to be the buzz phrase these days ) good luck to the Fighting Tigers !!
Last edited by TheMalteseFalcon on Tue Feb 19, 2008 12:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
with the like opponent being South Point i know a little about both teams.....I honestly believe Ironton will win this game by 15+....They are too quick and physical for Peebles.....If Ironton can play pressure D on Justice he will be out of his game much the way he was against South Point where he had just 2 fg's with Woody all over him all night long.....Ironton has the defenders to do this as well.....Coach Lafon is a good coach and will have Ironton prepared.....So I see Ironton by 16
I was at the game Peebles played against South Point and the Pointers did do a pretty good job of defending Justice. However, he was wide open on many of his shots and just struggled shooting the ball. Trust me when I say that normally he is going to hit many of the shots he missed against South Point. Ironton had better play much better defense against him Sunday than South Point did or he will have a big game. The other kids for Peebles have really been stepping it up lately also so if they focus too much on Justice then Andrew Seaman will have a lot of scoring opportunities. I think a big key in this game is Tyler Arnold for Peebles. He is due for a big game and has had several games this year of 20 + points and is a good shooter on the perimeter.
It is very obvious that Ironton has played a very good schedule against much larger schools than Peebles has and they should be favored to win this game. However, it only takes this one game for Peebles to be better for 32 minutes. They will show up and be ready to play.
... IF Peebles can keep focused - keep from being sucked into a "football" game by the lineups that Ironton will put on the court ... they will be in the game until the end ...IF on the other hand Ironton is able to turn this one into a "battle" for the line of scrimmage - the Tigers win going away ...
It's worked to Peebles' advantage of late, being the underdog. Being the #13 seed coming in and knocking off #4 and #5. Most of us have known all along though, that their record really isn't reflective of what they should be doing. I agree with bucknut22, tournament time, it's a whole new season. Anything can and often does happen. A lot of time it comes down to heart and who is willing to lay in on the line for 32 minutes and I see the Indians of Peebles being able to get it done! Go Indians!!
Man, not alot of people picking Peebles...but I do understand...there is alot of Ironton people on this website...Dont count of those Peebles Indians out, they might be young but they can play some very good basketball....GO PEEBLES!!
I agree, dont look past your opponent this game or any game especially this time of year. This Peebles team has nothing to lose, they are starting to click and I think it will be a close one, I'll take the tribe in this one by 3.
Does anyone on here remember a Western Team back in 79 or maybe 80 that was under 500 going into the sectionals and went on to reach the regional finals?
Don't count out those Tigers..With the exception of the Portsmouth game the Tigers are coming together at the right time..
Peebles will be ready no doubt about it, as should all teams at this point..Mathups will be very intersting. Ironton will bring several guys off the bench to contribute..
After seeing Peebles and Ironton play against SP I think the Tigers are capable of winning. I don't think Peebles can handle Ironton's defense. Peebles didn't handle the defense of SP so I am going with the Lawrence County team.
i doubt peebles has seen a team as athletic or that plays that tough of a defense...... if south points defense is your idea of pressure defense then peebles may be in for a long game......im takin ironton by 10+
When I saw the Peebles and South Point game I came away very unimpressed with South Point. I know that they had a game the night before against Ironton St. Joseph, but even with that I was expecting to see a little more from them. I'm sure they were a better team than they showed that night and they would have to be to complete a perfect 20 - 0 regular season. However, that night they played Peebles the Indians just missed way too many wide open shots. If they hit those shots against Ironton it will be a game. If not, then Ironton wins.
Hard to figure out this Ironton team. At times they have looked pretty decent, but at other times they have looked pretty dreadful. One can fairly say that these guys have some athletic ability, but so far, have not been able to maintain a consistent focus and intensity from game to game, especially on the defensive end of the floor. It seems like when they start feeling good about themselves, they lose that edge and take a step or two back. The big wins over Rock Hill and South Point are a cause for concern, since the Ironton guys might be thinking that they have finally "arrived," and that they just need to show up and win. I worry about just how mentally focused they will be for the Peebles game. Lafon is a good enough coach to realize this, and will hopefully have his guys primed for their best effort.
I have always enjoyed watching SHL teams because, in general, kids in that league have a good basketball IQ. Those are the kinds of teams that have given the Tigers some problems this year. But Peebles will have to face a very fast and aggressive Ironton team that will speed the game up. The Tigers make you play, think, shoot, and pass faster than most D-III teams are used to, and some teams can handle that better than others. The big floor at the Convo just accentuates Ironton's speed advantage. If Peebles can "think" its way through the furious pace, and do the fundamental things, then they can win. But if they get rattled and give up too many points in transition to Ironton, it could be a tough night for the Indians.
The wildcard with any Lafon-coached Ironton team is the officiating. Last year North Adams was awarded 53 free throws in the district finals, and that helped them eke out a 3 point victory over the Tigers. If we get a closely officiated game with a parade to the foul lines on Sunday, that will definitely favor Peebles. Not saying here that the officials will be biased for or against either team, just that different officials employ different philosophies and styles. If Peebles does not get to the line over 20 times in the game, I think that it will be tough for them to win.
I'll be rooting for my Tigers and the rest of Lawrence County on Sunday. It's a great time of year to be alive - Baketball 30 at the Convo!
Obviously some people have not been able to watch Peebles play or just do not know much about their kids. Peebles would much rather push the ball up the floor to pressure the defense. They have 4 kids that finish shots off the break as well as any kids around. So I would not think that a fast paced game or style of play is going to worry Coach McFarland. I believe during the season the Justice boys highest scoring games were in up tempo style games.
) good luck to the Fighting Tigers !!
