Friday, November 21st
Ohio University-Chillicothe
*Each game was two-quarters
*15-minute warm-up
In game one, I thought Ashley Jordan looked good. I like how she is getting some opportunities to score in transition as well as the half court. The biggest offensive lift for the Warriors is Megan Davidson. This senior has always been one of the league's best athletes, but now, she is getting more involved in the scoring. Her skill set is perfect for the shuffle offense. She moves well without the ball and is really showing the ability to shoot off both the catch and the dribble. Davidson scored eight points in about eight minutes last night and could prove to be a big factor in Adena trying to slow down Unioto and Zane Trace in the chase for the title.
With Adena I thought they had some solid perimeter play with Brytan Givens, Brittney Snyder, Kirsti Yates, and Brooke Snyder, but another difference-maker could be Kelsey Bielanow. I love Bielanow's footwork down low. Playing with Jordan, she is going to have room to work. This could give Adena some inside scoring.
On the other side, I was impressed with Casie Zimmerman. This sophomore continues to play with a broken rib, but is very talented. She can score and create shots for others. I think Coach Simmons is doing some nice things with this group on the defensive end. They will have trouble competing with the top three teams, but as the year goes on this will be a team that continues to get better.
Game two showed about what I planned to see. Zane Trace has a lot of depth and athleticism. The Lady Pioneers had nine players score in the two-quarter game. I like Sierra Sigman's game, and I was also impressed with Makinzee Tatman's ability to handle the ball. Jessica Roepke, Amanda Prickett, and the continued development of Erin Dailey could be the key for ZT. These frontline players will have to play big for ZT to compete with Unioto and Adena.
With Huntington, there are several athletes who can run the floor, defend, and rebound, but I just wonder where the offense is going to come from this year. It is early and kids are adjusting to new roles, but this is a team that is really searching for offense. What I do like is there abililty to defend. I think it is important that they create some scoring opportunities off their defense. Individually, I do think Bridgette Neighbors has the ability to score a little, and several of their athletes can score off of cuts and offensive rebouding as long as their ball handling and passing allow them to run a fluent offense.
In the third game, Unioto looked very impressvie. I am looking for a weakness in this team, but to this point, I have been unsuccessful in finding one. Guards Janae Driggs, Shiann Ray, Chloe Cottrell, and Erin Bane combined for over 30 points in just two quarters, and their ability to play in the open-court makes Unioto very explosive. This team scored just shy of half-a-hundred and that is with Mackenzie Arledge scoring just two points in the uptempo contest.
In fairness to Piketon, the Lady Redstreaks were playing without several starters. I still think this can be a team that competes for that final spot in the top-half. This will be a team that has a chance to put two almost six-footers on the floor in Andrea Beekman and Alex Southworth as well as a great scorer in Heather Burns. Playing a team like Unioto without these three gave them no chance to compete, so I wouldn't take too much from this game in terms of evaluating Piketon.
In the final game, I thought Southeastern had some great size and some solid young talent. Like in volleyball, I think some of the younger athletes have a bright future. I thought Olivia Arledge did some nice things in the post, and SE has nice size at guard as well. Southeastern can really cause some trouble for teams when they get big in their scrimmage area zone. They will have trouble competing in the fullcourt with the top three teams, but after that, this team will be very competitive this season.
As for Paint Valley, I thought Abbie Walls played really well. The sophomore knocked down three triples. It is a must for Paint Valley that Tristan Rumfield, Erica Barker, and Walls stay out of foul trouble. This is a team that has a lot of inexperience on the depth chart after that, and will need their three leaders on the floor for as close to 32-minutes as possible to be competitive. Dacia Posey is a solid spot-up shooter and their depth will be helped a little with the return of Heather Bennett in a few weeks.
Overall, I wouldn't change much in ranking the teams. Unioto is the team to beat with Adena and Zane Trace fighting for those next two spots. After that, it is wide open. I still think Piketon could be a sleeper for the four-hole, but I will not know until I can see them. Should be a solid year in the SVC.
Bridgette Neighbors
