SHL Rankings, Scores, and Standings Week #7
Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2011 4:18 pm
Last week saw the return of Fairfield's Chris Cox, and the most physical SHL game of the season in Peebles vs. Whiteoak. There's plenty to look forward to this week, as Manchester and Ripley look to continue their unbeaten league records. Sub-.500 teams like Whiteoak and Lynchburg are showing improvement, and are better than their records.
1. The Ripley Blue Jays (7-1, 4-0) may technically be 2nd in the SHL overall, but I'm ranking them above Manchester because of their difficult schedule. Nothing this week makes me think they'll drop out of the top spot, as they should handle North Adams and Lynchburg-Clay easily.
2. The Manchester Greyhounds (8-1, 5-0) have solidified their lead on the SHL Small School Division, dropping Whiteoak by 15 points. Difficult games still loom ahead of them (against Ripley, Ironton, and South Point), and this week they have their first of two matchups against Chris Cox and the Lions. It's always fun to see a Cox vs. Blevins showdown.
3. The Peebles Indians (6-1, 2-1) are coming off their most physical game of the season (40+ fouls called) against Whiteoak. This week they have their only game against Eastern Brown, in a rematch of one of last year's most competitive games. Given Eastern's weak offense, I can easily see the Indians full-court D holding them under 40.
4. The Wildcats of Whiteoak (4-6, 3-2) may seem a little high-ranking, because of their sub-.500 record. But if you look at the quality of teams they have played (Oak Hill, Hillsboro, Peebles, Manchester) you can see that they're better than their record. This is a team that's not afraid to get physical, and has some racehorses in the stable, as well. Their only game this week is Battle of the Cats II, when they face Fairfield.
5. The Fairfield Lions (2-7, 2-3) shoot up 5 spots in my rankings this week. The #5 spot may seem a bit rash, given that they're 5 games below sea level. HOWEVER, this is a new team, with senior Chris Cox back in action. Adding his defense point average (which I'm guessing is around 20) to Fairfield, their losses against Whiteoak, East Clinton, Vinton County, and Washington Courthouse could have easily been flipped around. They have a tough week ahead of them against Manchester and Whiteoak.
6. Eastern Brown (4-4, 1-4) stays put in the #6 spot, despite their abysmal league record. Apart from a 14-point bashing by North Adams in Week 3, they've beaten the mediocre teams (Fayetteville, Georgetown) and been beaten by the good teams (Ripley, Manchester, Whiteoak). They play good defense, but someone needs to step up and start scoring. They face St. Patrick's and Peebles this week. They are 3-0 against non-SHL teams.
7. The Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs (3-8, 2-2) beat North Adams by almost 40 on Friday, cementing their status of the best of the bottom in the SHL. They've been blown out by some tough competition (Ripley, Hillsboro, Blanchester), but lost their other 3 games by 4 points or less. Count on them breaking even this week, as they face West Union and Ripley.
8. I can't figure out North Adams (3-4, 2-2). The Green Devils start off the season on fire, going 3-1 (losing to Paint Valley by just 2 points and defeating Eastern by 14). Then Manchester obliterates them by 38 points in the Holiday Tournament, and they lose their next 2 games by a combined 75 points. This is a young team that mostly relies on one player for their scoring, so you can expect some inconsistency. Still, the margin of defeat against Lynchburg-Clay (37) and Fairfield (38) drops them on this list. Coach Young will no doubt right the ship, but look for another big defeat against Ripley.
9. The Rockets of Fayetteville (2-7, 1-4) picked up their first league win against West Union this week. Despite that, they dropped a spot to make room for Fairfield's ascension and North Adams' decline. This week they face powerhouses Peebles and Manchester, and I don't look for many Greyhound or Indian starters to play much in the 4th quarter.
10. The West Union Dragons (1-8, 0-5) have a pretty good 5th grade team, with a lot of height and speed. Their high school program continues to struggle, though. I was impressed with how hard the kids played when I saw them in the Holiday Tournament. These boys have a lot of heart. They face the Green Devils (who beat them by 25 in the ACT), Lynchburg-Clay, and Williamsburg this week.
This week's BIG GAME: Manchester@Faifield....Clash of the Titans.
The OTHER BIG GAME: Fairfield @ Whiteoak....be interesting to see how Battle of the Cats II pans out.
Your Games:
Tuesday, January 11th
*Lynchburg Clay
West Union (PPD 1/22)
*Manchester
Fairfield (PPD 2/5)
*North Adams
Ripley (PPD 1/22)
*Peebles
Fayetteville (ppd 1/18)
St. Patrick's
Eastern Brown
Friday, January 14th
*Fairfield 71
Whiteoak 48
*Manchester 72
Fayetteville 60
*Peebles 73
Eastern Brown 54
*Ripley 73
Lynchburg Clay 53
*West Union 56
North Adams 64
Saturday, January 15th
Miami Trace 56
Fairfield 64
West Union 42
Williamsburg 59
*North Adams 59
Manchester 64 (from 12/21)
Eastern Brown 48
South Point 44 (BSE)
Southern Hills League Standings
OVERALL:
Team - W/L - GB - SHL - STREAK - PCT.
MN / 10-1 / - / 7-0 / W8 / .909
RIP / 8-1 / 1 / 5-0 / W6 / .889
PEB / 7-1 / 1.5 / 3-1 / W3 / .875
ESB /5-5 / 4.5 / 1-5 / W1 / .500
NA / 4-5 / 5 / 3-3 / L1 / .444
FRD / 4-7 / 6 / 3-3 / W2 / .363
WHK / 4-7 / 6 / 3-3 / L3 / .363
LYN / 3-9 / 7.5 / 2-3 / L2 / .250
FAY / 2-8 / 7.5 / 1-5 / L1 / .200
WU / 1-10 / 9 / 0-6 / L8 / .090
DIVISION 1
Team - SHL - PCT. - GB - W/L - PCT. - STREAK
RIP / 5-0 / 1.000 / - / 8-1 / .889 / W6
NA / 3-3 / .500 / 2.5 / 4-5 / .444 / L1
LYN / 2-3 / .400 / 3 / 3-9 / .250 / L2
ESB / 1-5 / .167 / 4.5 / 5-5 / .500 / W1
WU / 0-6 / .000 / 5.5 / 1-10 / .090 / L8
DIVISION 2
Team - SHL - PCT. - GB - W/L - PCT. - STREAK
MAN / 7-0 / 1.000 / - / 10-1 / .909 / W8
PEB / 3-1 / .750 / 2.5 / 7-1 / .875 / W3
FRD / 3-3 / .500 / 3.5 / 4-7 / .363 / W2
WHK / 3-3 / .500 / 3.5 / 4-7 / .363 / L3
FAY / 1-5 / .167 / 4.5 / 2-8 / .200 / L8
*League Game.
1. The Ripley Blue Jays (7-1, 4-0) may technically be 2nd in the SHL overall, but I'm ranking them above Manchester because of their difficult schedule. Nothing this week makes me think they'll drop out of the top spot, as they should handle North Adams and Lynchburg-Clay easily.
2. The Manchester Greyhounds (8-1, 5-0) have solidified their lead on the SHL Small School Division, dropping Whiteoak by 15 points. Difficult games still loom ahead of them (against Ripley, Ironton, and South Point), and this week they have their first of two matchups against Chris Cox and the Lions. It's always fun to see a Cox vs. Blevins showdown.
3. The Peebles Indians (6-1, 2-1) are coming off their most physical game of the season (40+ fouls called) against Whiteoak. This week they have their only game against Eastern Brown, in a rematch of one of last year's most competitive games. Given Eastern's weak offense, I can easily see the Indians full-court D holding them under 40.
4. The Wildcats of Whiteoak (4-6, 3-2) may seem a little high-ranking, because of their sub-.500 record. But if you look at the quality of teams they have played (Oak Hill, Hillsboro, Peebles, Manchester) you can see that they're better than their record. This is a team that's not afraid to get physical, and has some racehorses in the stable, as well. Their only game this week is Battle of the Cats II, when they face Fairfield.
5. The Fairfield Lions (2-7, 2-3) shoot up 5 spots in my rankings this week. The #5 spot may seem a bit rash, given that they're 5 games below sea level. HOWEVER, this is a new team, with senior Chris Cox back in action. Adding his defense point average (which I'm guessing is around 20) to Fairfield, their losses against Whiteoak, East Clinton, Vinton County, and Washington Courthouse could have easily been flipped around. They have a tough week ahead of them against Manchester and Whiteoak.
6. Eastern Brown (4-4, 1-4) stays put in the #6 spot, despite their abysmal league record. Apart from a 14-point bashing by North Adams in Week 3, they've beaten the mediocre teams (Fayetteville, Georgetown) and been beaten by the good teams (Ripley, Manchester, Whiteoak). They play good defense, but someone needs to step up and start scoring. They face St. Patrick's and Peebles this week. They are 3-0 against non-SHL teams.
7. The Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs (3-8, 2-2) beat North Adams by almost 40 on Friday, cementing their status of the best of the bottom in the SHL. They've been blown out by some tough competition (Ripley, Hillsboro, Blanchester), but lost their other 3 games by 4 points or less. Count on them breaking even this week, as they face West Union and Ripley.
8. I can't figure out North Adams (3-4, 2-2). The Green Devils start off the season on fire, going 3-1 (losing to Paint Valley by just 2 points and defeating Eastern by 14). Then Manchester obliterates them by 38 points in the Holiday Tournament, and they lose their next 2 games by a combined 75 points. This is a young team that mostly relies on one player for their scoring, so you can expect some inconsistency. Still, the margin of defeat against Lynchburg-Clay (37) and Fairfield (38) drops them on this list. Coach Young will no doubt right the ship, but look for another big defeat against Ripley.
9. The Rockets of Fayetteville (2-7, 1-4) picked up their first league win against West Union this week. Despite that, they dropped a spot to make room for Fairfield's ascension and North Adams' decline. This week they face powerhouses Peebles and Manchester, and I don't look for many Greyhound or Indian starters to play much in the 4th quarter.
10. The West Union Dragons (1-8, 0-5) have a pretty good 5th grade team, with a lot of height and speed. Their high school program continues to struggle, though. I was impressed with how hard the kids played when I saw them in the Holiday Tournament. These boys have a lot of heart. They face the Green Devils (who beat them by 25 in the ACT), Lynchburg-Clay, and Williamsburg this week.
This week's BIG GAME: Manchester@Faifield....Clash of the Titans.
The OTHER BIG GAME: Fairfield @ Whiteoak....be interesting to see how Battle of the Cats II pans out.
Your Games:
Tuesday, January 11th
*Lynchburg Clay
West Union (PPD 1/22)
*Manchester
Fairfield (PPD 2/5)
*North Adams
Ripley (PPD 1/22)
*Peebles
Fayetteville (ppd 1/18)
St. Patrick's
Eastern Brown
Friday, January 14th
*Fairfield 71
Whiteoak 48
*Manchester 72
Fayetteville 60
*Peebles 73
Eastern Brown 54
*Ripley 73
Lynchburg Clay 53
*West Union 56
North Adams 64
Saturday, January 15th
Miami Trace 56
Fairfield 64
West Union 42
Williamsburg 59
*North Adams 59
Manchester 64 (from 12/21)
Eastern Brown 48
South Point 44 (BSE)
Southern Hills League Standings
OVERALL:
Team - W/L - GB - SHL - STREAK - PCT.
MN / 10-1 / - / 7-0 / W8 / .909
RIP / 8-1 / 1 / 5-0 / W6 / .889
PEB / 7-1 / 1.5 / 3-1 / W3 / .875
ESB /5-5 / 4.5 / 1-5 / W1 / .500
NA / 4-5 / 5 / 3-3 / L1 / .444
FRD / 4-7 / 6 / 3-3 / W2 / .363
WHK / 4-7 / 6 / 3-3 / L3 / .363
LYN / 3-9 / 7.5 / 2-3 / L2 / .250
FAY / 2-8 / 7.5 / 1-5 / L1 / .200
WU / 1-10 / 9 / 0-6 / L8 / .090
DIVISION 1
Team - SHL - PCT. - GB - W/L - PCT. - STREAK
RIP / 5-0 / 1.000 / - / 8-1 / .889 / W6
NA / 3-3 / .500 / 2.5 / 4-5 / .444 / L1
LYN / 2-3 / .400 / 3 / 3-9 / .250 / L2
ESB / 1-5 / .167 / 4.5 / 5-5 / .500 / W1
WU / 0-6 / .000 / 5.5 / 1-10 / .090 / L8
DIVISION 2
Team - SHL - PCT. - GB - W/L - PCT. - STREAK
MAN / 7-0 / 1.000 / - / 10-1 / .909 / W8
PEB / 3-1 / .750 / 2.5 / 7-1 / .875 / W3
FRD / 3-3 / .500 / 3.5 / 4-7 / .363 / W2
WHK / 3-3 / .500 / 3.5 / 4-7 / .363 / L3
FAY / 1-5 / .167 / 4.5 / 2-8 / .200 / L8
*League Game.