SoutheasternOhioPreps.com

By Pfloyd

Great, great game ! it wasn't a "perfect" game by any means but as far as fan viewing pleasure it was AWESOME !!! - let's put the 'referee" issue to bed and not do this game an injustice ... there WERE sequences during this game that BOTH teams could have picked up 4 or 5 fouls on ONE play LOL ...the officials let them "git after it! - figuratively and literally ... in a couple of 10 second loose ball sequences I had pencil led flying trying to stay up with turnovers and body parts going one direction and another ... BUT there was no advantage gained by either team - the fouls called on the GCC players that fouled out - they were earned ... just as the fouls that the Clay players were called for - they were as well ...

... the stats for this one have been posted ... I got home last night and read the rundowns, the in game updates by everyone - great job LucasDavenport ... my 2 to 3 finger typing would never be able to do in game updates ... the folks who were not at the game I'm sure totally appreciate it ...

... there WERE some key points in the game - some were obvious ones others "you had to be in the Cheap Seats to see" ...


... Pfloyd's Official "unofficial" Napkin Stats - Grove City Christian ...

Scoring ... Brandon Baker 22, Matt Bailey 19, Brandon Balnoschan 17, Noah Tomlinson 13, Hunter Oda 12, Clayton Shoemaker 7, Stevie Whinham 5,
................. Alec Sliemers 2
3 Pointers ... 10/23 ... Brandon Balnoschan 5, Brandon Baker 3, Matt Bailey 1, Stevie Whinham 1
FTs ......... 17/28 ... 0/4 in the first OT was HUGH ... 3 missed FTs in the 4th by Bailey/Baker HUGH to allowing Clay to tie it in regulation ...
TO's ........ 17 ... Clay turned them over 11 times in the 3rd & 4th qtrs.
PntP ... 46
Points in Transition ... 10

... GCC had this one right where they wanted it in the 3rd ... getting separation at one point up 14 pts, Clay was in foul trouble , GCC players were feeling the "W" - #0 for GC drove baseline for a bucket & was fouled ... the GCC player did one of those "stare down looks at the Clay player as he stood over him" as I jotted it down on my napkin with an asterisk as I THOUGHT this was going to be a "moment" if clay could get back to win it - and they did ... at 3:51 in the 3rd GCC was up 51-40 ... at 2:24 55-45 GCC ... end of 3 60-50 Grove City ... the 4th quarter had GC going 6/9 from the FT line ... the key was they could not stop Cameron King (13 points in the 4th) and an unsung hero was Brody Riffe for Clay who dropped 14 points in the Clay run, 8/9 from the FT line as Riffe was bringing the Panthers back with the clock stopped ... the Hinze 3 ball from the corner ... Clay took the GCC hits for the first 3 quarters then punched GC in the mouth in the 4th ... 75-75 end of regulation ... GCC should have got the "W" in the 1st OT as Brandon Baker looked like a man possessed with 7 points in the OT but GC's 0/4 shooting from the line gave the Panthers ALL of the daylight needed to AGAIN extend the game - I have to give props to Caleb Kline as the young man came off the bench when Anthony Williams fouled out for Clay ... Kline had 2 BIG TIME FTs for Clay to tie this one up ... 84-84 at the end of OT numero uno ... Clay opened up a HUGE 86-91 lead with 2:35 to play only to see GC's Whinham/Balnoschan drop back to back treys ... enter Caleb Kline for a big time putback ! ... Clay 96 GCC 95 :42.4 to play ... the Panthers 98-95 :19 mark ... Gilliland for 2 FTs ... and appropriately Cameron King finished off the Panther scoring , pushed the winning point total to the century mark of 100 by dropping 2 FTs with :06 to play ... Clay 100 GCC 95 ... Grove City finished IT'S scoring with an uncontested layup to end their season ... Portsmouth Clay 100 Grove City Christian 97 double OT final ...


... Pfloyd's Official "unofficial" Napkin Stats - Portsmouth Clay ...

Scoring ...Cameron King 27, Cole Gilliland 23, Brody Riffe 20, Nate Hinze 18, Anthony Williams 8, Caleb Kline 4
3 Pointers ... 6/18 ... Nate Hinze 2, Cole Gilliland 2, Cameron King 1, Brody Riffe 1
FTs ..... 26/40 ... 5/5 in the 2nd OT ... 4/6 in OT #1 ...
TO's ..... 17 ... 16 were in the first 3 quarters ... the Panthers went qtr 4 with "0" TOs ... 1 TO in OT #1 and "0" TOs in the final 4 minute OT ...
PntP .... 50
Points in Transition .... 4

... great TEAM "W" ... at one point in the 4th Clay had 4 players with 4 personal fouls ... Williams eventually fouled out in the first OT that opened the door for Caleb Kline to be ONE OF the "prime time" players with 4 HUGE points ... Brody Riffe - OUTSTANDING as he along with King kept Clay in contact with GCC - hitting timely FTs and inside buckets ... Cameron King/Cole Gilliland/Nate Hinze ? they're three 1000 point guys - they can score the ball !!! and did !!! Best of Luck vs Wellington !!!

What do u clay fans think about this matchup?

Both teams with good point guards and shooters. Like the matchup. Expect very competitive game Tuesday.

I think this will be a pretty solid game. I have seen both teams play, so here's what I think:

Guard play: like Gold and Blue stated, this will be a great battle of the guards. Matt Bailey from GCC is a really solid athlete and a good general. Between him and Cameron King, I think King is better but I think GCC doesn't drop off that much if Bailey gets into foul trouble. Both players are really top notch for D4 level of play.

Defense: I've only seen Clay once this season, so the takeaway I have from that is mixed. I think GCC has a better defense. I'm not totally familiar with all of the teams Clay has played and what their styles are, but I'm inclined to believe GCC has played more quality opponents and more diverse styles (the half court of DeSales, the track meet/uptempo of Harvest Prep.) I can tell you that GCC is pretty well conditioned and if they can control the tempo then Clay will need to eliminate mistakes and force turnovers to keep themselves in play.

Other factors/intangibles: #1 for GCC, big man, is solid. May not necessarily be a double/double player, but he's got size and footwork. I was impressed with how well of an effort the player for Clay (believe it's #24... last name Williams?) had. If I heard correctly, he's not a starter; but he looked impressive in his ability to cut free down low and get into position in the minutes he had. If he can turn in a good performance then Clay will be in a good position to stay in 32 minutes.

My guess is GCC 71-67, but my only exposure to Clay this season is yesterday and it's tough to draw much from a game where the team has an off game and where one of the best players is in foul trouble most of the game. I will say if Clay has another game like yesterday, then GCC is more than capable of shutting the door on them.

GCC has Bailey and Baker two thousand point scorers along with deep bench. This game will be over early. Clay goes home.

Clay has 3 thousand point scores and limited bench. Would be shocked if over early. This senior class will compete and expect to win. Looking forward to the game.

Clay stays out of foul trouble, it should be a good game. They have 5 seniors that will do what they can to win. They have proven all season that they can put points on the board and this is a game that they will need to. Will be cheering them on from the cheap seats hoping they bring home the win.

Clay should play much relaxed in this game as now they are playing with house money. Clay had not won a district championship since 1969. While SW played good physical defense they couldn't defend free throws and Clay missed more free throws than usual and didn't make a 3 point shot all game which might be a first for them all year. Being all seniors and in a small community I'm sure they felt a lot of pressure not to mention being the higher seed and having beaten SW earlier added pressure as well. Got to remember these are still young men - one of the parents told me the Gilliland kid while a senior is only 17 and won't be 18 until May. Clay not having football (nor does SW- although older Blevins brother looked older and played older like a man amongst boys) tends to have younger aged seniors. If Clay can score 54 points and win without their top 2 scorers having their usual game, I like their chances Tuesday night if King and Gilliland score their usual amount and Hinze and Williams play and score like they did against SW. Now pressure swings back to GCC as they are expected to win even though they will be a lower seed and wearing their road uniforms. Clay was also ranked higher at #10 vs #12 for GCC in final AP poll. I will be the first to pick Clay to win 73-70.

I think the top team on the bracket wears the home uniforms for the simple reason that they are the top team on the bracket.

Clay will be in the road uniforms in this case. Seeding doesn't matter at this level.

Clay is going to have to knock down some triples. I know nothing about GCC. But I'd rather be playing them than Harvest Prep. Good luck to Clay

Clay needs to avoid foul trouble and shoot the ball well, but who didn't know that? Good luck to the Panthers.

Good luck Clay, make all of Scioto County proud

GOOD LUCK CLAY.

Good luck to Clay tomorrow night. Looking at Grove City Christian's results, they are obviously a solid team and will be favored tomorrow night, but they won't overwhelm Clay with athleticism like Harvest Prep or Africentric typically do to SeOhio schools at Regionals. Hoping for Clay to spring the upset here*

GCC by 10+. I could be completely wrong and hope the SE team gets the win, but GCC is really really good.

I found this website it's USA today high school predictor,it says.
Grove City Christian. 70
Ports.Clay. 67
See how close it is,to predicting the game and score

With the streak that Clay is on right now, 18 or 19 in a row, and beating good teams by 20+ on a consistent basis, I think this will be a competitive game from start to finish. Clay has a senior heavy team that knows how to play. With a lot of people on here not giving them much of a chance, they can play loose and enjoy the ride. And if they play their game, the ride could bring them back to the Convo for 1 more. Good luck to the Clay Panthers and keep the streak going.

First of all, I wish I could go to the Convo tomorrow night and cheer for our SE district representatives!!

And, I hope I am dead wrong with this prediction. Truly want clay to pull off the upset!!

GCC 72
Clay 50

GCC is similar to Clay in that they have a handful of starters who are seniors, two of them starting since they were freshmen. Both Clay and GCC's starters have racked up many miles and any more wins over their illustrious careers. I had the privilege of following the GCC boys as they play in my school's league, and I know they're excited to have made their schools' first ever Regionals appearance. Excited for themselves, their coaches, classmates, and their community. I'm sure the same can be said for the young men from Clay.

This will be a great game for many reasons. Two similar styles, firepower on both teams, and two programs that have been hungry for the Sweet 16 for a <very> long time.

GCC is pretty well tested, but they've never played in the Convo. Generally I'm not one to buy too much into the "experience on a court", and I don't think if GCC were to lose it would be a result of playing in unfamiliar territory, but psychologically I think Clay has the edge. Costanza made mention of GCC not being as athletically over-whelming, which is true; however, the Eagles are a team that's pretty well conditioned.

Hope to make it down for this one to cheer on GCC and future league compatriot Wellington.

This will be a classic!