WILL VC WIN THE T V C?

[Kenny Bixx]

WHA T DO U THINK? THE VIkings are good, be tough to beat .

[VIKED_MAN]

Kenny! You been in a cave?
Athens has all but won the TVC Ohio, and they deserve it.
I would vote them #1 seed in upcoming sectional too. Logan Elm #2, but won't happen that way. TVC gets no respect.
GO VIKES
Rest of the season, and in Logan.

[coachK]

logan elm is a better basketball than athens

[hardrock21]

I support Athens in a huge way, but in no way do they deserve a higher seed compared to Logan Elm or maybe even Warren. Logan Elm and Warren need to be rewarded for playing the rigurous schedule they did. I'm sorry but I can't even imagine seeing Athens compete with Ironton or Chilly like Warren and Logan Elm have.

[AndyDufresne]

Logan Elm certainly has an argument for the 1 seed, but not Warren. Every year, we have to hear about someone from the SEOAL who plays the toughest schedule outside of Villanova and Gonzaga who thinks they deserve the one seed. I've never seen so many teams that want credit for their losses! Would Athens be more deserving of the one seed if they would've played Northland twice and Oak Hill Academy once and came to the draw with 4 losses like Warren! Warren has had one good win this year at Portsmouth. They are a good team, but they haven't had the year that Athens has had. They should be the 3 seed at best in the tournament.

[jcbigblue]

Andy, i don't think hardrock was saying Warren was deserving a 1 seed ( which they aren't ) but maybe and i again say maybe the 2 seed over Athens. I would probably think that Warren will get the 3 seed and Athens the 2 ( because of their impressive record), with L.E. @ the 1 and V.C. @ the 4, this is just a honest opinion from a Warrior fan.

[Charge]

Logan Elm 1, Athens 2 , no way Warren should be 1,or 2.

[athens78]

Logan Elm
Warren
Athens
Sheridan
Vinton County

and 3 and 4 could get changed. Again I have to point at our baseball team and the record they had and got what a 5 seed and had to go on the road. Teams will punish us for going to the TVC.

[Dundas]

Athens may have played a few smaller schools this season, but you cant deny the fact they have won...As great as some think the Seoal is, the Jackson loss shouldnt be considered a bad loss..I mean, if the Seoal is stacked...then theres nothing to be ashamed of losing to Jackson. Although, the 7th place team in the TVC-Ohio (Wellston) gave the mid pack Seoal team (Jackson) a run for their money only losing by 1 point. The TVC-Ohio in football is not very good..Thus Athens missed the playoffs. The TVC-Ohio in basketball is a different story. There are all but one team in the Ohio that can beat anyone on any given night. Wellston proved that while starting 3 freshman. You really cant determine how good this league is or that conference untill after the tournament. The TVC may be filled will smaller schools from around here but if they run through the tourny and the Seoal flakes out in the learly rounds...whos the better league then? Im not saying that will happen..im just saying thats really the best way to guage how good this league is compared to that one. Logan Elm has 2 losses on the year and one of them came to the team thats going to get one of the bottom 3 seeds in this sectional. Thats a BAD loss. Athens loss, albeit BAD..i dont think it was to as bad a team as the LE loss. So if you take into consideration all of that...I think Athens has to at least be in consideration for the top spot. IMO, the top 5 seeds will be...

1. Athens- You cant deny the fact they are winners. One BAD game this year seperates them from being undefeated. If Athens had no losses on the year, i think they would be a lock for the 1 seed. They have played consistantly the best basketball around this season and deserve the top spot just as much as LE.

2. Logan Elm- LE has won some close games, I think the first BC game went into overtime and LE won on a last second shot. So they could easily have more losses just the same as Athens. The Braves have a bad loss to a fellow sectional team and I think when the coaches vote and see first hand that they lost to FU, they will get knocked to the second seed.

3. Warren- The Warriors will get the three seed. If they have a slip-up this friday, they will drop to the 4.

4. Sheridan- The Generals are hurt a bit by the fact they play mostly out of the area. I think they are just as good as Warren and deserve the 3 spot, but wont get it due to that fact.

5. VC- 4 losses on the year, Zane Trace by 1, Logan (with late free throws) by 10, and twice to Athens by a combined total of 5 points. VC has had a dissapointing year, but still stands at 10-4. Thats the mark of a great program when you are upset with a 10-4 record! VC has the potential to beat anyone in this sectional, but with the losses, i think they get the 5 seed. If Athens can get the 1 seed, and VC could manage to get past their first round opponent...VC/Athens for the 3rd time would be insane. Each game has been unbelieveable and a third would just be icing on the cake.

[Dundas]

Logan Elm
Warren
Athens
Sheridan
Vinton County

and 3 and 4 could get changed. Again I have to point at our baseball team and the record they had and got what a 5 seed and had to go on the road. Teams will punish us for going to the TVC.

Teams punished you before when Athens was in the Seoal. So whats the difference...A poor old VC team, current and past member of the TVC, beat Athens each and everytime they played them in the Sectional tourny this millenium. Nothing has changed...Athens will do the exact same no matter what league they are in and who they have played to this point. Their kids will take them as far as they can...A good team will win reguardless of the League they play in. Take Gonzaga for example. Athens will be just fine.

[Ironman92]

If Athens could swing the #1 and VC/Sheridan are in the #4/#5 game....Athens could reach the district semis. I think the world of how that program is being ran and if they can muster a district berth at home virtually and can go versus a streaky Hillsboro or Waverly team....who knows..........and if they face LE (which seems the least possible) or Warren....I don't see them making the districts.


Athens lost by 26 to a 6-8 Jackson team that plays a pretty tough schedule......nothing more, nothing less.

Jackson beat a 5 or 6 win Wellston team by 1 point.

Many sidebars go with each game...but they are what they are.

One thing you simply never know but I like......switch Athens and Warren's schedule....how would each do? I would bet Athens would have at least 5 or 6 losses for the season.....Warren would maybe have more losses than Athens with their schedule...but again....we don't know.

The schedule should be a factor when seeding...but wins are obviously the greatest factor. More than anything Warrren's schedule may not give them the higher seed than Athens...but IMO will prepare them more for the tourney.

[Spartan]

I agree on lots of those points Ironman, but an Athens win over Eastern Meigs is at least as good as most of the league wins that Warren has. Athens has played in a lot of competitive games against good competition, they are prepared for tourney play. We all know how league rivalry games are a difficult as good competition outside the league.

[Spartan]

I dont think Athens will be punished by former SEOAL coaches for leaving the league. IF they dont vote for the Bulldogs it will because they are looking out for their own best interests while trying to do the right thing by all. The only difference between the 2 and 3 seed is the first round opponent and the color of uniform. The same can be said for 4 or 5.
Bottom line, everybody but the 8-9 has to win two games to get out, and none of them are gimmes.

Side note - Southeast D III - boy did they get a better deal than D II

[Orange and Brown]

No V.C. won't win the TVC cause Athens swept them this year.

As for Athens and the Tourny it doesn't matter what they do short of winning state. If they win a couple of games the detracters will say they would have gone farther if they weren't in the TVC and if they get bounced in the first round the detracters will say it's because Athens plays in the TVC.

No one had anything to say to VC all these years for being the big fish in a small pond.
Heck I bet even if Athens won state people would still find a way to bash them.

[Ironman92]

The win over Eastern Meigs appears to be as good as about every Warren win....my point is that playing Chilly, Ports, Ironton twice each is a better preparation for the tourney than Athens' schedule. I really hope Warren and Athens square off in the sectional final. It would be a good matchup of players IMO.

What is Athens best road win? Was the Eastern game at Eastern or was it the win at VC? In the tourney you must be road tuff. I know Warren beat a talented Portsmouth team in a nail-biter on the road and were down 11 to Jackson to start the 4th and managed to win.

[Dundas]

Warren lost at VC in the foundation game by about 5 or 6. VC controlled the entire game. Warren should be more worried about VC than Athens.

[93Bulldog]

----- Athens has not been enjoying a 'cake-walk' type of season by any means ... Folks can argue till their blue in the face, but the fact is the Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division is not that far behind the rest of the leagues in Southeastern Ohio ... Its not like football where the size of the school and size and speed of the players presents a little bit of a gap between lets say the SEOAL & TVC ... Hoops is completely different.

-----Look at Eastern (13-1), ranked 7th in the State ... they have only 99 boys in the school but they can hang with a lot of teams in the area ... You can look at Vinton County and its track record the past 8 years or so in the sectionals and at the Convo, they have been just as successfull - if not more - than most SEOAL teams outside perhaps Chillicothe (who did have one awesome season, but haven't really been as consistent showing up at the Convo for the district tournament as Vinton County.

-----Besides arguing the TVC is more competitive than what most outsiders think - Athens has played a pretty tough schedule and perhaps might feel a little lucky to be (15-1) at this point. The two Vinton County [/b[b]](10-4) wins were without a doubt huge, especially the one in McArthur that ended the Vikings 36-league game winning streak. But, some very well respected 'basketball minds' have mentioned to me on more than one occasion that the Bulldogs win over Greenup Kentucky was their most impressive victory of the year. The Greenup Kentucky line-up I guess consisted of a 6-foot-7, Division I type caliber player - and two or three other starters that were 6-foot-6 or taller ... To beat a team with that kind of talent and that athletic was pretty impressive.

-----Adding to the list of teams Athens defeated; No. 7 in the State Division IV - Eastern (15-1) ... The Bulldogs handed the Eagles their only loss of the season 45-42. Athens knocked off Gallia Academy 56-31 (They beat one SEOAL team by 25 points - four days after enduring a 26-point loss to another in Jackson the second game of the year.) ... You can add a Patrick Angle led Chieftains team to the list as well, Athens cruised in that one 58-42 ... Wins AT ALEXANDER & AT BELPRE are two more wins that were by no means 'easy'. The 'Alley' in Albany and 'The Eagles Nest' in Belpre are two of the hardest places to win at, especially when both are good solid basketball teams with lots of talent.

The Bulldogs 10 game breakdown of opponents:

Vinton County (x2) ... (10-4)
Alexander (x2) ... (9-7)
Eastern ... (13-1)
Greenup Ken ... (10-7)
Trimble ... (9-6)
Belpre ... (7-7)
Nelsonville-York ... (7-8)
Gallia Academy ... (6-8)
____________________________

Total opponents record: (71- 48) ... Basically Athens played teams that combined for a .676 winning precentage ... That's not too bad, and if they do in fact finish (19-1) - which is definitely not a 'gimme' with games versus Belpre and Sheridan to end the season - they will have earned the No. 2 seed over Warren.

[The other opponents on Athens schedule: Logan (5-11), Morgan (?), Jackson (6-8), Wellston x2 (6-9), Meigs (1-15)]

[bman]

Vinton County has been ripped in the past for a weak schedule by some posters on here so this isn't new.

Athens will win the TVC and they are a good story. I can see why Athens fans would argue they deserve the No. 1 seed. I would argue the TVC is not as deep as the SEOAL and some other leagues around the area, but Athens and VC are good teams.

I'd also argue Logan Elm is a good story with several good wins - Waverly, Chillicothe, Canal Winchester, Bloom-Carroll and Teays Valley - and a 13-2 record after losing two 1,000 point career scorers off last year's team.

[bman]

If I were Athens I don't think I'd want to play VC three times. It's hard to beat an opponent three times in the same season.

Ultimately, I could see the seeding breakdown with LE or Athens at the top.

[Ironman92]

Foundation game?

Will that be part of the seeding process for Coach Combs? I'm sure it won't be or he will be laughed out of the room. Could VC beat Warren in the sectional....sure could...but a foundation game will hold zero merit.