SoutheasternOhioPreps.com

Gallia Academy 36
Fairfield Union 34 a final

... both teams entered the game with solid records GAHS sitting at 7-2, FU at 6-1 ... both teams have size and length ... both teams wanted to pound the ball down low, get into the paint where their bigs could get the quality "shot on goal" - Gallia Academy with Isaac Clary, Fairfield Union - Ted Harrah/Caleb Schmelzer/Caleb Redding ... BOTH teams get it done with on the ball defense ... both teams run deliberate offenses ... this one had "grind it out" written all over it before the opening tip even took place ...

... the opening quarter saw a combined 4 fgs/ 2 by each teams ... Caleb Schmelzer 4 pts at the rim /off the blocks for FU ... Jance Lambert for GAHS, knocked down a trey (3pts) , Isaac Clary added a bucket in the paint for Gallia plus 1/2 from the FT line ... Wesley Saunders went 2/2 from the line ... defensively neither team could get the ball inside effectively/ when they did both teams bigs altered and/or blocked shots ... FU turned the ball over 4 times in the 1st qtr while Gallia Academy 3 ... Gallia Academy 8 Fairfield Union 4 end of 1 ... the 2nd period played out much like the opening qtr. - possessions by both teams were deliberate, no one in a hurry, both looking inside ... if you count the points in the paint by bigs - Clary for GAHS had 4 more points in the 2nd period to go with 3 in the 1st - 7 points in the half ... for Fairfield Union Ted Harrah in the post was shutdown "0" pts in the half/Caleb Schmelzer 0 pts in the 2nd/4 pts for the half/ Caleb Redding added 4 points in the paint in the 2nd ... FU 10 PnP/ GAHS 6 PnP for the opening half ... Gallia Academy 16 Fairfield Union 13 at intermission ... neither team was consistently getting the ball inside ... it seemed that the team which could hit a few perimeter shots would be able to get separation ... in the 3rd the Blue Devils of Gallia took the largest lead of the game on a Jance Lambert triple 19-13 ... the "extended" lead was short lived as the Falcons answered with a 3 pointer of their own as Schmelzer hit a trey ... Fairfield Union closed the gap to 1 point with 3:09 on the clock 22-23 ... GAHS junior Kenyan Franklin finished the Blue Devil scoring with his first basket and trey of the game taking GAHS to 26 points ... Schmelzer rounded out the Falcons scoring in the 3rd with 1/2 FTs ... Gallia Academy 26 Fairfield Union 23 after 3 periods ... GAHS stretched the lead to 6 points again with 6:07 on the clock getting a 3 pointer from Carson Wamsley off the bench and a medium range jumper from Lambert ... for FU Ronnie Rowley hit a jumper on the baseline ... Gallia Academy was more than deliberate with their possessions - working the ball on the perimeter looking for Clary on the blocks ... FU played solid defense as the clock wound down ... after a Gallia miss, Redding for FU drained a 3 from behind the arc to make it 31-28 Gallia with 2:31 to play ... a pair of FTs by Clary and Franklin's 2nd triple of the game gave Gallia a 36-32 lead with :56 on the game clock ... Rowley with a strip steal/ basket taking it half court for 2 brought the score to 34-36 GAHS ... a quick foul, put Lambert at the line for a 1 and 1 - Lambert missed the front end, FU rebound ... TO with 12.8 on the clock ... defense travels and wins most games - Gallia forced the ball to the perimeter, quick hands kept the Falcons from getting a shot off as FU turned the ball over with .8 on the clock ... game over ... Gallia Academy 36 Fairfield Union 34 a final ...

... Pfloyd's official "UN-official" Napkin Stats - Fairfield Union

Scoring ... Caleb Schmelzer 13, Ronnie Rowley 7, Caleb Redding 7, Brennon Rowles 5, Ted Harrah 2
3 Pointers ... 4/14 ... Caleb Schmelzer 1, Brennon Rowles 1, Caleb Redding 1, Ronnie Rowley 1
FTs ... 2/3
TOs ... 13
PnP ... 8 fgs/ 16 points in the paint
PnT ... 1 fg/ 2 points in transition
Pbk ... 1 fg/ 2 points on putback buckets

... Pfloyd's official "UN-official" Napkin Stats -Gallia Academy

Scoring ... Isaac Clary 11,Jance Lambert 10, Wesley Saunders 6, Kenyan Franklin 6, Carson Wamsley 3
3 Pointers ... 5/15 ... Jance Lambert 2, Kenyan Franklin 2, Carson Wamsley 1
FTs ... 7/8
TOs ... 8
PnP ... 4 fgs/ 8 points in the paint
PnT ... 2 fgs/ 4 points in transition
Pbk ... 0

What a game Gallia beat a very good team on the road !!!

... 2 quality teams , prior to the game last night I felt Fairfield Union needed to find a way to "score points" if they were going to get the W over Gallia Academy ... after the game? I still feel that FU needs to trust the perimeter scoring more ... 4/14 from beyond the arc, not horrible, but the perimeter scorers don't look confident in their shots - seem to take the shot BUT with that "dang, I shoulda looked inside" look to the shot ... Harrah didn't look like he was "looking" to score - although he spent a lot of time on the bench in foul trouble ... the looks were there last night for FU, Rowles got into the lane - shots didn't fall (whether that was shooting with a question in the back of his mind - where's the 6-8 guy?) ... FU plays outstanding D ... crash the boards ... they WILL struggle with teams who can and do put points on the board ... on a side note - the Falcons were missing one of the rotation players due to an ankle injury, and one suffering from the "crud" that has been making its way around SEOhio ...

... Gallia can play vs anyone - the size inside from Clary ... a solid starting group with Franklin/Fullure as veterans of varsity hoops... Jance Lambert is a game changer for GAHS - can play all 32 minutes, consistent threat from beyond the arc, has the length to be disruptive on the perimeter defensively ... he adds energy/consistency to the Blue Devil lineup ...solid role players in Saunders/Wamsley - know their roles and play within themselves and TEAM ... Franklin has put on size/bulk over last season - improved deep threat/ always able to get to the hole on drives - he will keep getting better and better through his jr/sr years ... Fullure/Franklin however aren't THAT guy imo - they both take/get what the opposition gives them ... Lambert is THE guy that forces the game (in a positive way) - doesn't over think the game while having the skill set to recognize what the opposition gives him without thinking about it/has the skill set to make the opposition pay outside/inside ... Clary is still the man in the paint - doesn't see the ball as much as HE would like, but has the size/strength to take the physical play opponents dish on him every night as he moves from block to block ... his presence in the paint alone changes shots/gets into the oppositions head as they get into the paint - changes shots by his presence alone ... Gallia too has a hard time scoring the ball - if the opposition has a "player" ie. Lovely for South Point - scored 38 on GAHS in that loss ... GAHS is not a team that can real an opponent in ... in a close game where the GAHS offense has control of the tempo - GAHS will get the W more times than not ... the Gallia Academy future looks bright even after this season - a solid JV team highlighted by 6-6 Cade Mock/6-3 Blake Caldwell/6-1 freshman Alex Blair/ perimeter scorer in Dylan Sheets ... Caldwell is already getting time at the varsity level - look for Mock/Blair to see varsity minutes as the season goes along in 2023 as well ...

Fairfield Union jumps right back into the fray as they host Sheridan Friday night ... talked to Coach Wes Markin (Asst Varsity Coach for Sheridan) last night as the Sheridan staff was on hand scouting FU last night - said Sheridan was struggling, not the size they usually have in their lineup ... Coach Fisher/Coach Markin will get "buy in" and SHS will be fine as we head into the 2023 portion of the season ... good talking to both Coach Shaeffer/Coach Helber of Fairfield Union prior to the game - we'll see how FU bounces back Friday night vs Sheridan , Alexander & Kyle D'Augustino visit FU next Tuesday, followed by the Falcons traveling up Rte 33 to take on a Coach Ryan Davis led, undefeated Bloom Carroll team ...

... Chief02! good talking to you before the game last night! they will take care of your future "PGs" for the Falcons @ FU ... glad everything is working out in a positive way all around ...

Historically, the kid suffering from the “crud” for FU is one of their more consistent perimeter shooters. Everything he tried to put up last night was about an inch or two short.