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Just curious who will look good in OVC? I know Fairland is solid.

Ironton will be rock solid as well. South Point will be decent and Peake will play hard. The rest of the teams will be average at best

I would agree Ironton will be solid, but not an easy second behind Fairland. South Point will give Ironton all they want and may pull off a win against them. There isn't a "bad" team this year, but SP, Ironton and RH should be tight for 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Good luck to all and pray for no injuries to any of these girls.

man2man hit it pretty close, although i would say Ironton is better than point and rh. as for the teams not named fairland or Ironton its a pretty even lg. rh has some holes to fill, sp is has some holes also, with cg and peake being able to compete with them. portsmouth and gallia are at the bottom. not demeaning them just stating an opinion. ill go with it like this
1 fairland (no ovc losses)
2 ironton (2 ovc losses)
3 sp
4 rh
5 cg
6 p town
7 gallia
Hopefully everyone stays healthy and i too wish everyone luck

I would reverse the top two. I think Ironton wins the league.

Ironton lost a d-1 pg from last yr. Fairland has the best pg in the conference. South Point may sneak in and hand Ironton a 3rd ovc loss. Really when I posted above I had forgotten that while Ironton is an excellent def team. they really have no one to take over on the offensive side. They have a better chance at 3rd than they do first.

South Point will be fast with probably starting 4 guards and one forward. They really don't have much height but have tons of quickness!

Firebreather wrote:I would reverse the top two. I think Ironton wins the league.

No offense Firebreather and I respect your opinion, but Ironton is no match this year for Fairland in my opinion. Anything is possible I guess.

Didn't Ironton have an outstanding girl in 8th grade last year? Heard she was the next great player for them.

That would be the Arden girl. She was definitely a force in Jr. high. It's not always so easy for theses girls to come to Varsity ball and dominate as they did in Jr. High. I'm sure we will hear her name a lot this season. I'm curious if any of the teams has had any scrimmages yet and if so how did they look?

The Arden girl is the real deal, she maybe the only consistent scoring threat they have. That being said, Fairland can score they have the most solid team in the ovc. The rest of the ovc have questions marks throughout the starting 5. Thats really something Fairland doesnt have to worry about. I know its going to be a fun year to watch the ovc. Still think that the battle for 2,3 and 4th will be one of the most entertaining ones in the area.

Bengalsrule wrote:The Arden girl is the real deal, she maybe the only consistent scoring threat they have. That being said, Fairland can score they have the most solid team in the ovc. The rest of the ovc have questions marks throughout the starting 5. Thats really something Fairland doesnt have to worry about. I know its going to be a fun year to watch the ovc. Still think that the battle for 2,3 and 4th will be one of the most entertaining ones in the area.

I agree 100%.

I was talking to the Huntington St. Joe coach and he called her the best 8th grader he has seen in a long time. This guy has coached girls that went to numerous D I schools. Big statement about her! Cant wait to watch!

Irontons freshmen girls would likely go .500 by themselves against varsity competition this year.I fully expect them to compete for a state title the following 3 years.They have to figure out how to beat Africentic though.Also,this years girls played them in summer ball and played them even for 3 quarters,eventually losing by 12.We will be better than people expect this year.Dont sleep on us.

OVC rundown on teams- South Point will be very athletic and can run with anybody- Badgett is as good as it gets as far as competitiveness and unselfish play at the pg spot. I've really enjoyed watching her play since her freshman season and I look for big things from her and this team this year. I'm sure Coach Adams and their staff will have this group running and pressing this year. Excited to see my Pointers compete this year.
That being said- The top 2 teams are still The Lady Tigers and The Lady Dragons. Ironton may have lost Barrier but I still see them as the best defensive team in the league and the cupboard is not bare. Wise-Webb-Lewis-Keith-Lee-Arden- are a very physical and athletic group. If the Lady Dragons want the top spot they will have to handle The Lady Tigers. Ironton's m2m defense is 2nd to no one and defense wins games. Their relentless pressure will lead to points as well as wear teams down. Not sure about depth from there but I'd take this 6 any time.I don't see points being much of an issue for this team. I know Barrier will be hard to replace but look for Webb/Wise/Arden to have nice years. Much luck to Arden coming back from ACL and I truly believe she will have a definite impact on the league as a freshman. Unreal talent that also is unselfish and can play inside or outside. Webb can shoot with the best of them and Wise gets up and down the court and is tireless. OVC still runs through The Lady Tigers.
The Lady Dragons have another year's experience under their belt and should be right neck and neck with The Lady Tigers. Chapman obviously is the best shooter in the league and makes everyone on the team better. Their inside game should be better this year with an improving Wilson and Wagner should get more minutes this year. I feel like Wagner is the best true post player in the conference and could be the force to move them deeper into the playoffs. Simpson/Marshall/Warnock will all benefit from the emergence of a post presence. Looking forward to watching this team compete.
Rock Hill-Gallipolis-CG will all be better teams this year and not an easy out in their gyms. The lack of true point guards makes these 3 teams middle dwellers for now but don't be surprised if they upset one of the top teams-anything can happen on the road. Not sure about Portsmouth and I heard they lost their pg to Greenup and if that's the case they should again be at the bottom but not sure about them.
Predictions-
IRONTON-1A
FAIRLAND-1B
S.P.-2
R.H.-3
Gallia-4
C.G.-5
Portsmouth-6

Im pretty sure Keith, and Lee aren't playing bb this yr for Ironton

That definitely makes a difference. If that is the case then I'd switch Fairland to No. 1(not 1a) and Ironton to No.2. Hurts as far as depth and athletic girls that know the system. Thanks for the info. Would love to hear from others also with any changes or updates on their prospective schools. Love this time of year! Thanks Bengalsrule!

Great to hear all the thoughts for the upcoming season. I'm ready to go watch them all at the Previews Friday night. Here is the schedule:
6:00 Ironton vs Portsmouth
6:45 Gallipollis vs South Point
7:30 Fairland vs Chesapeake
8:15 Rock Hill vs Coal Grove

Games are at Coal Grove.

The only match up worth watching is probably rh-cg.as far as teams evenly matched. With that being said good luck ladies and coaches and above all else stay healthy (and eligible lol)

I think Gallia could be better than we are giving them credit for. I know last year they played better ball at the end of the year. I think they knocked off Fairland toward the end of the year at their gym.They also were very good in volleyball so I'd say they have some athletes. I guess we'll find out Friday night. Coaching and off season workouts make all the difference in the world. I know our girls worked and I guarantee Ironton and Fairland have good off season programs. Coaches that take advantage of the extra time the state has given them for individual skills sessions (groups of 4) and open gyms (practices) are sure to benefit from the work. I see some of these girls playing AAU ball also. The schools and Coaches that take advantage of this have PROGRAMS- not teams= and their is a huge difference between the two. Love to see all the OVC teams raise the bar and make this a more competitive league from top to bottom.