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Post by Willard Fillmore on Dec 18, 2021 20:13:47 GMT -5
Clear Fork, Galion and Highland are now a combined 1-16. AND the one win was Galion over Clear Fork. More wins will come for 1 or 2 of those teams as they play each other twice.  |
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Post by Willard Fillmore on Dec 18, 2021 20:44:51 GMT -5
I don't think we are that far off on our assessment. You've seen them more than me. We both agree that they aren't good, yet they will finish in the top half of the league. To me, it's more of an indictment on the league. You think they've improved, which they may have, but it also may be because their last two games are against teams that will likely go 0-22 and 2-20. Not think, know. If one really knows basketball, final judgment is not alone based on wins and loses, scores or the opponents played. From game one on. How crisp is the offense run? How many bad turnovers are there? What level of confidence is there? Do defensive principles and rebounding improve? Improvements in these areas does not necessarily mean wins will increase. As THE single most important factor for winning teams, with coaching being a constant, is athletic ability. Shooting and ball handling skills should improve during a season, but you can't teach a 6-1 kid to play like a 6-7 kid with the same skills or teach the innate quickness that some kids have. Maybe Ontario has one player that could crack the Shelby starting lineup. THE question is, which team will improve the most during the season? Even if Ontario improves considerably more, they can't beat Shelby. That is not an indictment, just a fact. After seeing this group this summer and in scrimmages, I didn't know if they'd win a single game. |
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Post by moacpops on Dec 18, 2021 22:52:40 GMT -5
I am glad to read about the improvement from Ontario. As MOAC fans we want our teams to do well. If the Warriors keep improving they could be the team that upsets one of the top three. As others have said the conference is awful as a whole. For a team you didn’t think would win a single game a few months ago to be In the top half of this conference is a testament to the Warriors but also indicates the struggles of the MOAC.
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Post by 419bossman on Dec 19, 2021 15:15:15 GMT -5
Games for the Week of 12/20-12/23
Tuesday December 21st
Marion Harding vs. Clear Fork
Galion vs. Highland
Marion Pleasant vs. Ontario
Shelby vs. River Valley
Thursday December 23rd
Northmor vs. Clear Fork
Kenton vs. Marion Harding
Ontario vs. Lexington
Granville vs. Shelby at Mount Vernon Nazarene University
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Post by dude on Dec 19, 2021 18:24:11 GMT -5
Shelby is off to a great start and I would put their starting five up against just about anyone. They play hard and get after it on the defensive end. They got into foul trouble at Lex but somehow Holloway and Bruskotter avoided their fifth fouls during the comeback to force OT. Not a terribly deep bench and still too many turnovers which should improve as the season goes on. Very unselfish team though. Always looking for the best shot. Two big games next week against RV and Granville. I would enjoy seeing a rematch with a different officiating crew. Shelby was called for 17 total fouls but Lexington was called for 26. That is 11 more than they were averaging in the first 5 games. It turned out to be a huge advantage for Shelby as they shot 34 free throws compared to Lexington's 8. We have all been told that games can be won and lost from the foul line but in this game Shelby outscored Lexington 26-6 from the line. |
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Post by dude on Dec 19, 2021 18:30:26 GMT -5
This league 4-8 is something else. Ontario is going to finish in the top half of this league. They would not finish in the top half of the OCC, Lake or Bay obviously. I don't think they would finish in the top half of the RIVER (Calvert, Old Fort, NR, Gibsonburg, Hopewell?) or N10 truthfully (CC, Carey, Upper, Mohawk). I know we are a long ways from March, but Shelby beating Lex gives them validity as a top seed, but I'm curious to see what happens to Ontario's seeding if they come in around .500 for the draw vs teams with similar records in the OCC, Lake and Bay. I could honestly see Ontario go 8-6 in league play and 0-8 in non-league play. Regardless of the Ontario record at seeding, in the past a portion of the seeding location for Ontario was based on respect for who was coaching the team. That will no longer be a positive factor for them. |
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Post by dude on Dec 19, 2021 18:32:50 GMT -5
I don't think we are that far off on our assessment. You've seen them more than me. We both agree that they aren't good, yet they will finish in the top half of the league. To me, it's more of an indictment on the league. You think they've improved, which they may have, but it also may be because their last two games are against teams that will likely go 0-22 and 2-20. It is not uncommon for all teams to improve from the first game. |
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Post by moacpops on Dec 21, 2021 9:41:07 GMT -5
Games for the Week of 12/20-12/23
Tuesday December 21st
Marion Harding vs. Clear Fork - Harding wins BIG.
Galion vs. Highland - Highland gets their first MOAC basketball win since 2017. Scots win by double digits.
Marion Pleasant vs. Ontario - Good matchup. Warriors win at home in a close game.
Shelby vs. River Valley - "Must win" game for R Valley or they fall two games behind Shelby in MOAC and back to .500 on the season. Desperate RV pulls the upset.
Thursday December 23rd
Northmor vs. Clear Fork - CF remains winless. Northmor wins by double digits.
Kenton vs. Marion Harding - Kenton lost to a bad Riverdale team. Santa gives Harding an easy non-conference win for Christmas.
Ontario vs. Lexington - Lexington wins by 15+.
Granville vs. Shelby at Mount Vernon Nazarene University - Granville is a decent program. Granville is coached by former Highland coach Chris Powell. Powell was 43-48 in four seasons as coach of the Scots. Granville by 3.
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Post by Willard Fillmore on Dec 21, 2021 10:50:41 GMT -5
Good job pops, I appreciate your input. Also a shout out to 419 for posting the games scheduled and their results.
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Post by whippetfan on Dec 21, 2021 20:17:14 GMT -5
River Valley 36-21 over Shelby at the half. Shelby probably shooting 25-30% from the field. RV definitely the more aggressive team.
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Post by whippetfan on Dec 21, 2021 21:05:03 GMT -5
RV wins 59-48. Shelby gets it down to 7-8 on a couple occasions but just couldn’t get the shots to fall.
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Post by Willard Fillmore on Dec 21, 2021 21:46:33 GMT -5
In the battle for 4th place in the MOAC, Ontario wins in OT after being up by 9 at half time
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Post by dude on Dec 21, 2021 22:06:29 GMT -5
RV wins 59-48. Shelby gets it down to 7-8 on a couple occasions but just couldn’t get the shots to fall. Holding Shelby to 48 is a good defensive game. I took the time to watch bad basketball at Ontario and was blessed with an extra 4 minutes ending 60-56 with Ontario on top. |
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Post by 419bossman on Dec 21, 2021 22:16:14 GMT -5
Results from tonight's games
Marion Harding- 66
Clear Fork- 32
Galion- 61
Highland- 66
Marion Pleasant- 56
Ontario- 60 OT
Shelby- 48
River Valley- 59
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Post by dude on Dec 22, 2021 11:14:51 GMT -5
Current 4 way tie for 1st place in the MOAC. Who would have predicted that.
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Post by moacpops on Dec 22, 2021 16:34:44 GMT -5
It’s a 4 way tie due to the early schedule. Wait until the first round of games are over. One of the current four will be two games behind the leaders.
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Post by Willard Fillmore on Dec 22, 2021 18:35:47 GMT -5
RV wins 59-48. Shelby gets it down to 7-8 on a couple occasions but just couldn’t get the shots to fall. Holding Shelby to 48 is a good defensive game. I took the time to watch bad basketball at Ontario and was blessed with an extra 4 minutes ending 60-56 with Ontario on top. Tell us how bad the basketball was to watch at Lex last year. |
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Post by Willard Fillmore on Dec 22, 2021 18:39:20 GMT -5
RV wins 59-48. Shelby gets it down to 7-8 on a couple occasions but just couldn’t get the shots to fall. Last year Pugh would put the team on his back and carry them to a win OR they would press like their hair was fire when behind and pull out a win. |
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Post by Willard Fillmore on Dec 22, 2021 18:41:36 GMT -5
It’s a 4 way tie due to the early schedule. Wait until the first round of games are over. One of the current four will be two games behind the leaders. This is the last time this season one of the four will be over .500. |
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Post by ohioraised on Dec 22, 2021 20:25:18 GMT -5
Holding Shelby to 48 is a good defensive game. I took the time to watch bad basketball at Ontario and was blessed with an extra 4 minutes ending 60-56 with Ontario on top. Tell us how bad the basketball was to watch at Lex last year. Family friend involved with last year's team and I saw 5 or 6 of the Lex games last season. They played good basketball but it didn't give them many wins. 8 of their 12 loses were by 9 points or less. They were in games but didn't have enough practices to be able to finish. I saw Ontario's game with Clear Fork this year and they reminded me of past Madison teams for sure. It is ugly play. |
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Post by Willard Fillmore on Dec 22, 2021 22:13:52 GMT -5
Why was Lex last year so much more hampered by the pandemic than anyone else?? Lex would have had a MUCH uglier record if they wouldn't have ducked Ontario, Upper, CC, Clyde, TC and OG to play itsy bitsy schools like Lucas, Crestview and Temple Cristian. Heck, ugly Madison beat Lex last year.
SO, Clear Fork is 22 points uglier than Ontario? Highland is 50% worse than ugly? Galion is 34 points below ugly? Pleasant is even uglier than Ontario?
What part of ugly is due to having no starters returning and only one returning letterman? What part of ugly is due to losing your best player in the first game. What part of ugly is the result of losing 3 starters to transfer? What part of ugly is having a JV team being your varsity team? This could be uglier coached by Joe, as his system requires at least 2 good 3-point shooters. There are none on this team. The same players driving to the basket would look just as ugly in Joe's offense. A good deal of ugly in a close 4th quarter situation is that not a single player on that team has played in a close varsity game before.
The worst team in Balogh's 36 years had 7 wins and that was playing 2 games each againt the likes of Marion Catholic, Mt.Gilead, Crestline, Northmor, Buckeye Central, Frederictown and Riverdale. This year Joe would win the same 7 0r 8 games this coach will win.
How is it possible that Clear Fork, Highland, Galion and Pleasant are in a MUCH worse situation player wise and coaching wise than than Ontario??
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Post by whippetfan on Dec 22, 2021 23:45:59 GMT -5
RV wins 59-48. Shelby gets it down to 7-8 on a couple occasions but just couldn’t get the shots to fall. Last year Pugh would put the team on his back and carry them to a win OR they would press like their hair was fire when behind and pull out a win. I don’t disagree with that statement. But the reality is there isn’t a Pugh on this team. It would be tough to press RV as they have five ball handlers on the floor at all times. And even if you did get some turnovers when you shoot 2-20 from beyond the arc and only 30% from inside it doesn’t make a difference who Shelby had on the floor. |
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Post by dude on Dec 23, 2021 9:26:01 GMT -5
Tell us how bad the basketball was to watch at Lex last year. Family friend involved with last year's team and I saw 5 or 6 of the Lex games last season. They played good basketball but it didn't give them many wins. 8 of their 12 loses were by 9 points or less. They were in games but didn't have enough practices to be able to finish. I saw Ontario's game with Clear Fork this year and they reminded me of past Madison teams for sure. It is ugly play. Lexington did play many close games last season that ended in a loss. Being shut out of the gym 3-4 times did not help them develop their sophomores they were playing with. Even more restraining was how each school could determine their own policies and Lexington selected the most severe. I remember watching Richland county teams stream their online games with fans, while Lexington was not allowed to be in the gym. While other schools were practicing, Lex was not. While other schools were playing with fans in the stands, Lex had to find teams that would play with out them. Lexington first 3 games, which were played in late Dec had to all be without a single fan in the stands. When Richland County went into shutdown color, their opponents all found other games. The OCC mandated that league games came first to reschedule so other schools found new opponents because nobody knew when the season may end. It was a terrible mess that I hope we never see again. |
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Post by dude on Dec 23, 2021 9:28:57 GMT -5
Last year Pugh would put the team on his back and carry them to a win OR they would press like their hair was fire when behind and pull out a win. I don’t disagree with that statement. But the reality is there isn’t a Pugh on this team. It would be tough to press RV as they have five ball handlers on the floor at all times. And even if you did get some turnovers when you shoot 2-20 from beyond the arc and only 30% from inside it doesn’t make a difference who Shelby had on the floor. Pugh has definitely left the building. What Shelby does have is player experience and that can win them some games. But when that experience has an off shooting night, they will be challenged. |
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Post by fanofthegame on Dec 23, 2021 13:15:39 GMT -5
I didn’t see the game. Was it just poor shooting or was tight defense the cause.
Teams can have bad nights and teams can force bad nights.
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Post by dude on Dec 23, 2021 13:27:54 GMT -5
I didn’t see the game. Was it just poor shooting or was tight defense the cause. Teams can have bad nights and teams can force bad nights. It is true that teams can have both. I will say that I don't put River Valley in a class of being a great defensive team but I also do not think that Shelby is a great shooting team. |
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Post by whippetfan on Dec 23, 2021 16:07:23 GMT -5
Shelby bounces back with a nice win over one-loss Granville 64-58 in overtime. I wasn’t there but was getting updates. Andre Hill with 26 and Alex Bruskotter with 23.
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Post by whippetfan on Dec 23, 2021 16:11:04 GMT -5
I didn’t see the game. Was it just poor shooting or was tight defense the cause. Teams can have bad nights and teams can force bad nights. A little of both. Shelby struggled with RV’s aggressive play. A lot of contested shots where they were trying to draw contact and get a whistle instead of just going up strong. But 10% from deep is just a bad night shooting and probably not as much a sign of how good the defense was. Taking nothing away from the Vikings though. They were more aggressive and put us in an early hole we couldn’t get out of. |
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Post by 419bossman on Dec 23, 2021 21:08:40 GMT -5
Results from today's games
Northmor- 51
Clear Fork- 49
Kenton- 25
Marion Harding- 61
Ontario- 38
Lexington- 65
Granville- 56
Shelby- 64 OT
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Post by dude on Dec 24, 2021 0:24:57 GMT -5
I didn’t see the game. Was it just poor shooting or was tight defense the cause. Teams can have bad nights and teams can force bad nights. A little of both. Shelby struggled with RV’s aggressive play. A lot of contested shots where they were trying to draw contact and get a whistle instead of just going up strong. But 10% from deep is just a bad night shooting and probably not as much a sign of how good the defense was. Taking nothing away from the Vikings though. They were more aggressive and put us in an early hole we couldn’t get out of. Those whistles were given to them in the Lexington game and will not be in most games. That crew of refs always has a high number of fouls. |
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