Pfloyd's Elite 8 of Southern/SouthEast Ohio Week #5

[pfloyd]

... Game, set , match - the 2011 portion of the hoops season is officially in the books ! ... lots of question marks going into this years campaign - Would Portsmouth live up to the hype of returning nearly their entire Final Four team of last season? Would the Ironton Tigers takeover as THE TEAM Below the Lancaster-Dixon Line with the Fletcher/Carter duo leading I'town to the top of the high school basketball world? Who out of the SVC would be ready to knock Piketon off the mountain top? or would Piketon reload for life after Legg? Was this going to be the Year of the Warrior?- would the Warren Local Warriors get over the top, knock off the annual powerhouse in the SEOAL Chillicothe? Who would replace Peebles in the SHL or would the Indians maintain the status quo as THE team to beat West of Rt. 23 ? ... many questions that will only be answered when the 2012 portion of the season gets underway 1/3/12 ... It's already been fun to watch, as the youngsters continue to shake off the "rookie" label, coaches settle on the "who's" of their rotations, as the PLAYERS look to lead their respective teams towards the top of their leagues and beyond ...

... a quick look at how last weeks Elite 8 fared during the holiday week ...

1. Ironton (7-0/0-1) ... Losing at home to Chesapeake 66-69 ...

2. Warren (7-0/1-0) ... picked up the win over rival Fort Frye with a nice win on the road 54-50 ...

3. Portsmouth (5-2/2-0) ... Trojans stayed at home for the holidays getting wins over Cincinnatti Prep Academy 81-55 before beating up one of those "foreign" teams from across the river Russell KY 78-50 ...

4. Logan Elm (5-1/2-0) ... wins over one win Westfall 51-41 followed by shutting down SVC Zane Trace 51-29 ...

4. Huntington (6-0/1-1) ... HHS traveled to Wellston for the Rockets annual tourney getting an opening "W" vs Teays Valley Christian Academy 66-46 ... theh Huntsmen didn't fare as well in the Championship games as the home standing Wellston squad handed HHS their first loss of the season in OT 56-58 ...

5. Chesapeake (5-1/1-0) ... the 'Peake Panthers" took on the high flying Ironton Tigers at I'town in Southern Ohio's Game of the Week ... Coach Davis' Panthers came out with a 69-66 "W" to hand the Fighting Tigers their first setback of the season ...

6. Chillicothe (5-2/1-1) ... the Cavs came into the holiday week having lost 2 straight games (Portsmouth/Akron Buchtel)... the week didn't start any better as Chillicothe lost to undefeated Eastmoor Academy (6-0) 47-61 ... with Zac Johnson serving game 1 of a 2 games suspension Chilli rode the offensive/defensive strength of 6-8 Malik London to a 46-41 win over MSL Fairfield Union ...

7. Peebles (5-0/2-0) ... the Indian of PHS remained undefeated by knocking off North Adams 59-45 and beating the Greyhounds of Manchester for the second time in as many attempts for the season ...

8. Unioto (5-1/1-1) ... the Shermans of UHS split games for the holiday losing to Amanda Clear Creek 42-47 before getting a bounce back "W" vs Washington Court House for the SVC's only win on the last night of the 2011 portion of the season winning 65-63 ...


... how will the wins/loses in the Elite 8 effect the rankings in the Week that IS ? ... will anyone NEW creep into the rare air of the top 8 teams in Southern/SouthEast Ohio ? ...




...Pfloyd's Elite 8 of Southern/SouthEast Ohio Week #5 ...



1. Warren (8-0)

2. Chesapeake (6-1) / Ironton (7-1)

3. Portsmouth (7-2)

4. Logan Elm (7-1)

5. Huntington (7-1)

6. Chillicothe (6-3)

7. Peebles (7-0)

8. Unioto (6-2)




... Treehugger Wannabes ...

(5-2) Lucasville Valley
(6-2) Waverly
(5-3) Fairfield Union
(7-1) Oak Hill
(6-1) Fairland
(6-2) Hillsboro
(5-3) Vinton County
(5-2) Piketon
(5-1) South Gallia
(5-3) Lynchburg Clay
(7-1) Circleville
(5-3) Manchester
(5-3) Athens
(3-4) Jackson
(5-4) Fairfield Leesburg
(5-3) North Adams
(4-2) Minford
(2-3) South Webster
(4-1) Eastern Reedsville
(5-1) Southern
(4-2) Belpre
(4-3) Southeastern
(3-5) Marietta
(3-5) Whiteoak
(3-4) Zane Trace
(2-4) Eastern Brown
(4-3) New Lexington
(6-2) Portsmouth Notre Dame
(4-2) Wellston
(4-3) Eastern Pike
(2-4) South Point
(3-4) Sheridan
(6-3) Nelsonville York
(4-3) Federal Hocking
(1-6) Logan
(2-5) Greenfield McClain
(3-6) Gallia Academy
(6-2) Coal Grove
(2-7) Paint Valley
(4-2) New Boston Glenwood
(1-8) Westfall
(1-4) Wahama
(2-5) Washington CH
(5-4) St. Joseph
(1-6) Wheelersburg
(2-5) Miami Trace
(2-4) Portsmouth West
(2-5) Rock Hill
(3-4) Symmes Valley
(2-3) Miller


... Teams on the End Table ...


(0-5) Waterford
(1-6) Northwest
(1-6) Portsmouth Clay
(1-7) Alexander
(2-5) Western Pike
(1-5) Franklin Furnace Green
(0-7) West Union
(1-6) River Valley
(0-9) Meigs
(0-4) Portsmouth East
(0-8) Trimble
(0-7) Adena


... as I have pointed out on the last Elite 8 thread - the holidays are horrible for trying to keep track of records, especially if you are trying to track ALL 70 teams Below the Line... throw in the fact that we are trying to "rank" all 70 teams then we not only need who won or lost BUT we need the SCORES as well ! - sometimes all of that is not possible, so with that in mind please look at the records, let me know which teams "snuck" into a tournament where we didn't see the scores , ESPECIALLY teams traveling to those "foreign" countries - Kentucky, West Virginia - to pick up wins ... AND let me know if I left out a team!!! - it happens!!! ... wishing every team, fan a great 2012 portion of their season ...

[danicalifornia]

Miami Trace is now 2-5 after an OT win over Madison Plains. I think I saw where Eastern Brown got 2 wins this weekend as well, but don't quote me on that.

I definitely wasn't going to make an argument for my Shermans, but its a huge one game week for them when they host Piketon.

And you left out Vinton County.

[93Bulldog]

Nice to see the Miller Falcons off the 'end table' finally Floyd! They need their top scorer Trent Abram back though in order to stay their.

Only one issue (besides naming 9 teams in what is supposed to be a top 8 - cheater - lol) is the listing of the TVC teams ... You have South Gallia 17 teams down and Southern all the way down at 28 ... I'm still confused on how the Tornadoes lost a big lead, then the game at Eastern - BUT - They went into South Gallia and beat the Rebels 66-58 on Dec. 13th ... Southen IMO should be at 17 with South Gallia one spot behind ... But in all honesty, after seeing Southern in person and seeing them incorporate a 6'7 sophomore (who wasn't on the varsity through the first month of the season) into the rotation makes the Tornadoes one of the best teams in the TVC (Ohio or Hocking.)

[93Bulldog]

Is it me or is Vinton County missing from the rankings?

Man, you lose one game in Logan and Floyd kicks you completely off the list ...

[Ironman92]

Sticking strong with Huntington

[Ironman92]

Wellston can't be 30+ spots behind Huntington with just 1 fewer loss and having beaten the Huntsmen.

[LetsGoPSU]

The SEOAL carrying 3 of the top 8 errrrrr 9 is just a showcase of how tough the league is at the top.When it is all said and done, I believe these three will be in the Top 5

[warriorfrosh]

Warren has finally made it to #1...we certainly appreciate the recognition Pfoyd, this is truely rare air for the Warriors....they have earned it but can they stay there??....huge matchup at Chilli next Friday then Jackson and Marietta at home....Johnson or no Chilli is Chilli.....Warren did win at the Hat 2 years ago (without ACunningham who was out with a foot injury)...only a slight correction, Warren has only played Ft Frye once, the return matchup at the Warriordome is pending....

[pfloyd]

... it's who you lose to 93dog! VC lost to winless Logan - the Vikings are outta there!!! LOL - j/k!!! had them on my list of teams that were dropping in the rankings AND I forgot to put them anywhere "stuff happens" LOL - it has been corrected LOL ... as far as Southern? that question was asked last week , again the answer had to do with "who" - Southern lost to Eastern Reedsville ... I wasn't and still am not sold on Eastern - when Southern lost, Eastern was waaaaaay down the Treehugger list .... instead of Eastern jumping many many teams that I feel are better I split the difference Southern took the hit by dropping below South Gallia while Eastern DID move up above Southern ... as the season progresses these things will correct themselves ... IF Eastern IS "that" good they will keep moving up playing AND beating those teams above them ... Southern/South Gallia the same logic ...

... Elite 8 vs 9,10 or more ???? tough to beat up teams that I have seen, know what they bring to the table, know how they stack up vs teams above/below them ... Chesapeake/Ironton in a tie ??? Chesapeake is in the 2A and Ironton 2B spots ... Chesapeake lost to Logan Elm without Austin McMaster (if you have seen the 'peake you know what McMaster brings to the table for the Panthers) ... Ironton lost to Chesapeake without Zac Carter playing the 4th quarter (again IF you have seen Ironton then you know what Carter brings to the table for the Fighting Tigers) ALL of that = Chesapeake and Ironton sharing the 2 spot this week imo ...

... Unioto hanging onto the 8 spot? ... the Shermans lost to Amanda CC one of the better "outlaw teams" JUST Above the Lancaster-Dixon Line ... IF you look at the teams on the Treehugger listing from Week #4 - Piketon got crushed by Waverly, FU lost to Chillicothe, Vinton Co lost 2 games over the holidays, Marietta lost 2 ... Lucasville Valley beat up on End Table, 1 win Portsmouth Clay 64-24 ... Waverly won twice but have lost the 2 games vs the big boyz (Warren, Ironton) ... I feel comfortable where I have the group waiting at the top of the Treehugger list=> Valley, Waverly, FU, Oak HIll, Fairland, Hillsboro ... I hope I can get out to see the "current" boro squad at full strength - saw them vs Logan Elm in game one - haven't had the opportunity to see Oak Hill either this year ... BUT I have seen 16 of my top 20 teams , I feel I have given them all a fair ranking based on my firsthand comparisons, records, strength of schedules etc. ...

[pfloyd]

... thanks warriorfrosh ... I corrected it ...

[Grinder]

Pfloyd I want to start off by saying I hope everything went well for you this week with the Docs and that I admire the time you put into high school hoops with all you have going on. Now for a little debate.lol. I agree with most of your elite 8 although I think Waverly is better than Unioto and one could make a case for Fairland. I think Chilli is an elite 8 team but I think they should have dropped and had to earn it back even though they lost to good teams without one of there major players. I got to agree with 93, Southern should be at the top of D4. They are being punished pretty hard for their one loss. I also have Manchester and Webster above South Gallia on my D4 list. What is your game of the week Pfloyd? Your game of the week last week was a dandy. Get well Pfloyd, I'm sure that Logan team made you feel a little better this week.

[93Bulldog]

Floyd ... You used the Eastern above Southern logic because Eastern (4-1) beat the Tornadoes? Wouldn't that logic hold up for Southern beating South Gallia (5-1) - not only did they beat them straight up - they did it in Crown City.

Let me help you out here buddy ...

17. Southern (5-1)
18. South Gallia (5-1)
19. Eastern (4-1)

I look for Southern to keep rising (they are definitly one of the more impressive teams that I have seen thus far - and I have seen all the TVC teams play) ... South Gallia will huver in the teens all year and win some games at the Convo ... Eastern will drop after it plays Belpre, South Gallia and Southern on the road (They already lost to Fed Hock on the road.)

* Another reason why I have them ranked the way I do is 'quality' losses ... South Gallia losses to Southern (a one loss team) ... Southern losses at Eastern (losing to a 1-loss team on the road in a rivalry game) ... Eastern losses to a Fed Hock team that is only 4-3.

[pfloyd]

Wellston

Alexander W 54-52
Athens L 46-57
Vinton Co L 51-58
Rock Hill W 48-46
OVC W 68-36
Huntington W 58-56 ot

1/6 Meigs
1/13 at Nelsonville-York
1/17 Jackson
1/20 Athens
1/21 at Southern
1/27 Alexander
1/28 Glenwood
1/31 at St. Joe
2/3 Nelsonville-York
2/4 at Eastern
2/7 Zane Trace
2/10 at Meigs
2/11 at Chesapeake
2/17 Vinton County



... the Rockets jumped 7 spots with the win over Huntington ... other wins over Alexander, Rock Hill, Ohio Valley Christian??? need more than the home court OT win over Huntington to move higher in the committees mind ... looking at the Wellston schedule they have opportunities to MAKE that win over Huntington "bigger" ! with wins over the highlighted teams the Rockets will do just that ... just because the win over Huntington didn't jump them all the way to the top - doesn't mean that win won't help them down the road ...

[93Bulldog]

I'm about to provide you with some 'VISUAL' proof - for fun - on the Tornadoes (not just useless words and opinions that I usually throw at ya Floyd.)

I want you to check out the Southern team page I re-designed yesterday ... http://trivalleyconference.com/Southern.html

* Look at the 2nd picture down in the middle ... It speaks a thousand words on what and how a 6-foot-7 center changes a teams defense dramatically ... They were already a good defensive team, but now the Tornadoes will be even tougher to score on.

* Go down the left side and look at the individual player photos: The one at the bottom shows how big the Drummer kid actually is ... And the Southern roster doesn't have a player over 6'1 ... lol ... yea right.

* Go down the right side and look at the individual photos: You can see Drummer shooting over a 6-foot-3 Cody Stewart of Meigs with relative ease - and the last photo in the middle column shows again how No. 42 changes everything - he's clear up around the rim pulling down a rebound. If the 6'7 sophmore plays like he did versus Meigs, Southern becomes so much more dangerous - and better - and IMO wins the Hocking when its all said and done.

Not just words of wisdom from ol 93 - but visual effects as well ... lol ... It just doesn't get any better than that.

[pfloyd]

... the debate goes on ... I love it ... part of the rankings is to create debate over how/why teams are ranked where they are ... great stuff and fair arguments by all ... I looked at Waverly as a possible move into the Elite 8 THIS week ... I couldn't do it this week - the win over Western Pike? a wash ... Piketon win? Piketon has a lot of question marks to answer, they didn't look good vs Eastern Pike the night prior to the Waverly matchup ... my money would have been on a Tiger thrashing of the RedStreaks which it ended up being - to me the Piketon "W" wasn't a BIG win in the big picture looking at THE teams to beat in Southern/Southeast Ohio ... just as the case with Wellston beating Huntington the WIN over Piketon may get bigger as the season progresses IF Piketon gets some "issues" corrected ie. inside scoring/ floor leadership continuity ...

Waverly BIG games down the road

1/6 @ Oak Hill
1/10 @ South Webster
1/17 @ Valley
1/20 Wheelersburg
1/24 Minford
1/31 Oak Hill
2/3 South Webster
2/17 Valley

[pfloyd]

... 93dog!!! #42 Chandler Drummer isn't even in high school !!!!! you have him listed as < ? > 6-7 college student !!! LOL ...

[93Bulldog]

Hey, you gotta recruit to play with the 'big boys' in the regionals Floyd ... lol ...

But for real, he's actually a sophomore - I'll fix their roster today.

Comparing scores is kind of stupid: But here is a little insight -

Eastern - 45
Meigs - 43

Southern - 68
Meigs - 38

* Beating a team by 30 and beating a team by 2 is a pretty stark contrast.

[Schnellfritz]

1. Warren (8-0)

2. Chesapeake (6-1) / Ironton (7-1)

3. Portsmouth (7-2)

4. Logan Elm (7-1)

5. Huntington (7-1)

6. Chillicothe (6-3)

7. Peebles (7-0)

8. Unioto (6-2)

Being number 1 on the list is an honor for any team, but holding that position to the end will be a monumental task. I hope my Warriors can be there at the end, but there are alot of obstacles in the way. Pfloyd, you are the best at assessing the strengths of all of the teams, and I truly pray you will be there for years to come. Keep your Ouija board handy along with your bible. Go Warriors!

[pfloyd]

... Schnellfritz ... the Warren boyz have earned their way into the #1 spot ... time will tell whether they can take care of business the rest of the way ... and thank you for the kind comments ...

... as far as me - my health goes - it is what it is , I will fight the battle - handled the 3 tests last Friday - don't know those results yet , went straight to the Logan win over Vinton County ... I meet with my oncology team at the James Cancer Hospital in C'bus this coming Friday... a game plan will be made ... what that game plan is remains to be seen, how that effects what I do here remains to be seen, how it effects me personally remains to be seen ... the ONLY thing I know is that when a coach comes up with a game plan the goal is to be the winning team when the clock runs out THAT IS MY GOAL "to be on the winning team" when all is said and done - it's the only way I know how to play - play to win ...

[pfloyd]

... a partial listing for the Menu of Games for the Week that IS ...

Tuesday 1/3

Gallia Academy vs
Ironton


Jackson vs
Minford

New Boston vs
Western Pike

Eastern Pike vs
Symmes Valley

Portsmouth West @
ISJ

Franklin Furnace Green vs
Rock Hill

Friday 1/6

Minford @
Northwest

Portsmouth West vs
Lucasville Valley

Wheelersburg @
South Webster

Waverly @
Oak Hill

Portsmouth East vs
Portsmouth Clay

Portsmouth Notre Dame vs
Franklin Furnace Green

Piketon @
Unioto

Jackson vs
Logan

Gallia Academy @
Portsmouth

Chillicothe vs
Warren


Saturday 1/7

Chillicothe @
Withrow

Piketon vs
Vinton County (@ OU Chillicothe Branch)

Portsmouth East @
South Webster

Ironton @
Ashland KY

Minford @
Adena

Lucasville Valley @
Huntington