TWO (KNUCKLE) HEADS COLLIDE: What's on your sports "Bucket List?"

In today's issue of The Bryan Times, Lee Hudnell and Nate Parsons talked about their sports "Bucket Lists."

You've heard what's on ours. Now tell us what's on yours.

TWO (KNUCKLE) HEADS COLLIDE: NFL preview

In today's issue of The Bryan Times, Lee Hudnell and Nate Parsons gave their predictions for the upcoming NFL season.

You've heard what we had to say. Now tell us what you think.

TWO (KNUCKLE) HEADS COLLIDE: College football preview

In today's issue of The Bryan Times, Lee Hudnell and Nate Parsons gave their predictions for the upcoming college football season.

You've heard what we had to say. Now tell us what you think.

TWO (KNUCKLE) HEADS COLLIDE: What changes need to be made in sports?

In today's issue of The Bryan Times, Lee Hudnell and Nate Parsons debated: What changes need to be made in sports?

You've heard what we had to say. Now tell us what you think.

TWO (KNUCKLE) HEADS COLLIDE: Should 16-year-old Bryce Harper forgo final years of high school for major leagues?

In today's issue of The Bryan Times, Lee Hudnell and Nate Parsons debated, should 'chosen one' forgo final high school years to join major leagues?

You've heard what we had to say. Now what do you think?

Hope springs eternal this time of year

By MIKE BROWN

EDGERTON -- If you can dream it, you can do it.

Creative wizard Walt Disney and other wise souls are fond of a way we should live our lives, and play our games of sport regardless of age. This is especially the truth in tough times when it is easy to slip back into mediocrity or “I can’t do it” negativity.

The lessons from high school basketball, for those of us who played or still play the magic game, are immense. Those lessons are crucial for the young boys and girls living in our local neighborhoods who hope to play at a high level in the future.

Lessons they learn about working with others, getting off the floor and responding strong when you fall behind or lose a game, and the creative imagination to make your dreams come true, are beautiful secrets to a lifetime of success.

There are a bunch of Edgerton boys doing more than just dreaming about some fine day becoming a great high school basketball team. They are far off the radar screen among folks outside of Edgerton but their story and their dreams are revealing to the “basketball family” everywhere in northwest Ohio.

The 8th grade boys at Edgerton could be state tournament players in Columbus four years from now. You can call me crazy right now for even thinking that thought after watching them play just one game as junior high kids. That one game was a Green Meadows Conference championship game victory when the raw talent and potential of these boys was evident.

There’s one boy (Corey McCarty) who comes off the bench to dominate on defense and he’s already 6-foot-5 at age 14. He has the frame and potential to grow to six-foot-eight or taller by the time he’s a senior. Jacob Adams and Ronnie Richardson are already strong, tough, focused young men who can play any position on the floor.
Guard Ben Riehle has a lot of character, scoring potential, and he comes from a long line of successful Riehle good basketball players. Hunter Flowers is an athletic kid who can jump, defend, and run the floor.

They have several other talented teammates including Drake Perez, Josh McNalley and Cade Lalonde who have overall potential to blend into a really strong team.

Now back to reality. These boys could fizzle out, stop growing, lose interest, get bad coaching, or get distracted by three powerful forces in the near future: girls, TV and video games. They are also part of a struggling school program that lost more than 35 varsity basketball games the past two winters.

Call me crazy. Hope springs eternal. These boys of springtime 2009 in Edgerton could be the talk of the area, and maybe the state by the time they are seniors.

I look in the eyes of Richardson, Riehle and Adams and see a subtle confidence and sense of empowerment, a confidence that is rare for junior high boys. There are no false expectations or inflated ego. They are humble, and when they won the GMC junior high championship, there was shared pride but not a grandiose jumping up and down celebration.

It was almost as if they were sensing, while cutting down the junior high championship nets, “This is nice, but there’s more we want in the future.”
They are already working hard in the off-season, they will ideally go to summer basketball camps out of the area to face top competition, keep growing, keep their grades up and accelerate their individual skill and team improvements. They are from quality families who keep things in balanced along with academic grades and quality of life factors.

How good could they be? It won’t be easy to find out.

About six years ago, my oldest son tried out for a high school in a big school east of Columbus. We were new to town, and the coach kept only nine players and cut three, including my son. The politics of high school sports can be ugly.
Later that same year, my son got admonished for hanging on the rim as a 5-foot-10 athlete and later in the spring he set the junior high record with an 11.5 second time in the 100-meter dash.

Four years later, of the nine boys kept for that 8th grade team, only one was still playing varsity basketball. Somebody made a mistake and you see my point, a lot can happen for better or worse for athletes between junior high and their senior year. My son never played a minute of varsity basketball despite his foot speed, leaping ability and overall talent. His potential was overlooked.

Well, life happens.

So, for the Bulldog boys in Edgerton, the journey ahead is not going to be an easy pathway if they hope to overcome multiple challenges.

But if they can dream it, they can do it.

There is an irony if not a good omen that his group has emerged with such potential in the same year that Edgerton celebrated the 50th anniversary of another group of Edgerton boys winning the 1959 state championship.

It was also a good year for dreamers in the region. Did anyone predict last November that the Tinora High boys’ varsity team would get to the state championship game in Columbus?

Look me up four years from now and celebrate with me, or laugh at me, depending how these talented young boys at Edgerton do in the future.

I’m dreaming all the best for them.

TWO (KNUCKLE) HEADS COLLIDE: Should the Minnesota Vikings wait on Brett Favre?

In today's issue of The Bryan Times, Lee Hudnell and Nate Parsons debated, should the Minnesota Vikings wait on Brett Favre?

You've heard what we had to say. Now what do you think?

TWO (KNUCKLE) HEADS COLLIDE: Which team will win the NBA championship -- the Magic or the Lakers?

In today's issue of The Bryan Times, Lee Hudnell and I debated, which team will win the NBA championship -- the Magic or the Lakers?

You've heard what we had to say. Now what do you think?

TWO (KNUCKLE) HEADS COLLIDE: What is wrong with the Cavaliers?

In today's issue of The Bryan Times, Lee Hudnell and I debated, what is wrong with the Cleveland Cavaliers in their Eastern Conference finals matchup with the Orlando Magic?

You've heard what we had to say. Now what do you think?

The end is always so sudden

By Mike Brown
What will the outstanding seniors remember for the rest of their lives now that the basketball season is over?
The end always seems so sudden in the playoffs. It is difficult for even bystanders to not shed a tear watching dozens of seniors walk out of the lockers with deep emotions on their faces when the time has come and gone to wear their team basketball uniform for the last time.
Area high school basketball seniors were very impressive on and off the court. Edon seniors Jen Troyer and Toni Slattery granted an interview after they were crushed in their season finale by Stryker. They were humble, proud and gracious in defeat.
The same was true with Edon’s big man, Ryan Becker. He played his best career game on the last night despite a losing team effort.
Stryker senior Jacqueline Laws was always fun to watch, and only a day after her career ended against Kalida, there she was bouncing up and down in the bleachers leading the cheering section at a schoolboy playoff game. That’s an amazing thing about the best and brightest of our teens, they are resilient and bounce back.
How tough was it for senior Jordan Jaggers to walk out of the locker for the last time when his Stryker team bowed out of the district playoffs after he had a nightmare shooting night? A shy and modest young man, it made me proud to see him standing up straight and make no excuses. Senior teammate Zach Erb said it best, “Somebody said you find out more about yourself after you lose.”
Amen to that great thought for life and it’s a fact that just about every basketball player will end their career with a loss. But the real victories are not on the scoreboard, they are in the work ethic, team spirit, and creative efforts that the artistic game of basketball has taught generations of Americans.
North Central had a great year in basketball, and that includes the schoolgirl team that never won a game all season yet they always showed class and work ethic. Watching the Eagle boys emerge as the area’s most exciting team provided seniors like Derek Dye and Coty Motter with incredible scoring outbursts.
NC coach Justin Houk coached his seniors years ago when they hardly ever won as junior varsity players, and they rarely played in front of more than 50 people in the bleachers. There were 2,400 people watching them play this year’s classic sectional championship game against Stryker. Things have changed for the Eagles and they have the potential to be a regional tournament team a year from now.
Hilltop’s schoolgirl team did not have a single senior on the roster and both Cadet teams are brimming with talent and size for next year, if they iron out some team chemistry issues.
Edgerton’s Ben Adams was a senior who reflected the old cliché “leave it all on the court.” The Bulldog point guard, for a team that won only once all season, was physically and emotional exhausted after many games that were close but always went to the opposition. But he never made excuses for missing free throws or when his team somehow lost huge leads late in many games.
These are all powerful lessons from seniors to pass on to a great group of junior standouts around the area coming back for next year.
They will make a lifetime of new memories before they finish their careers. Personally, my last time in a basketball uniform was a night I will never forget.
It was 35 years ago. My last game was as a non-scholarship St. Michael’s College player at a strong NCAA Division II program. We had won our final junior varsity game of the season and my shots were falling. After slowly getting dressed in the locker, and somberly thinking this is probably the end of the line, somebody told me the athletic director wanted me in his office.
For a brief second I wondered wishfully that he might offer me a scholarship for next year. But alas, he said the remaining scholarships were going to recruits from New York City, and I wasn’t tall enough or fast enough. He suggested at first that I could have three more good years and become a successful college player by transferring to nearby Division III college programs.
But I told him the new journalism program on our campus was perfect for me and really did not want to leave. The athletic director’s eyes twinkled, and he told me my priorities were right on, and offered me one of the best deals of my life. He hired me on the spot to work for him as a sports information director and also broadcast college games on the radio.
That media offer opened up all kinds of “scoring lanes” into career and personal opportunities. But my playing days were over, other than sustained enjoyment for a lifetime of tournaments, recreational leagues, and pickup games that continues today.
Yes, as Fairview senior Ben Wonderly said recently, basketball is a game for life.

The enduring impact of a coach

By Mike Brown

EDGERTON -- Most of us living and loving basketball in Northwest Ohio didn’t have the privilege of getting to play for or to personally know the late, great coach Babe Shoup.

He coached, taught and inspired so many student-athletes during his 35 year career at Edgerton High. But what he is best remembered for is the 1959 State Championship Team.

Winning a state basketball championship in Ohio is seemingly an impossible task. The 1959 team won seven consecutive playoff games to ultimately win it all in Columbus. The Bulldogs were underdogs in each contest and every one of the victories were dramatic efforts against what most supposed experts said were superior and taller players.

For anyone thinking that competing in high school sports, and the positive impact of a good coach, are overblown, they are wrong. It is painful to see young boys and girls at small schools frequently decide not to play basketball in favor of specializing in other sports, working too man part-time hours, or sometimes because of just plain lack of focus and bad advice from parents and peers. Basketball is a game that teaches lessons for life.

For me, the Edgerton story brought back enriched memories of 1969 with a coach named Dale Perkins. It seems like only a few years ago and here it is 40 years later that a group of short and scruffy freshman boys in a small Vermont town were learning to become a team, finding creative ways to win and over-achieve, and learn many lessons.

We won a game against a much larger school (Rutland, Vt.) that had four freshman players about six-foot-five. All of our players were less than six-foot.

Coach Perkins was a master at preparing us for games and for beating teams that had more size and individual talent. But he ultimately got a raw deal at our school because ugly politics at schools or in the workplace, left unheeded, can be disastrous. The new superintendent hired a family friend to be the new varsity basketball coach.

We were forever fortunate that Dale Perkins coached us as junior high and freshman athletes in football, basketball and baseball. One of my treasured scrapbook photos is not our team winning a game but our entire team in sweaty practice uniforms standing together for a newspaper photographer. Without prompting, we all pulled in toward coach Perkins in the middle and put our hands on his head and shoulders.

The newspaper man’s caption on that memorable 1969 photo said, “Basketball players shown with their coach, Dale Perkins. It tells just how much the young lads think of their coach, a great deal, it is needless to say. The team has an 11-3 record with two games left and was a pleasant surprise this year. It was said before the season started they would have a bad time picking up any victories.”

Coach Perkins left for a varsity position at another school but the bond with us was so strong that he came back to our high school graduation ceremony. He mailed me a long hand-written salute when he learned I had made the basketball team in college.

Coach Perkins attended my wedding in 1982, as did three teammates from that 1969 team. Some of our teammates also went to his wedding in Cooperstown. Alas, some of us attended his 1991 funeral.

Coaches like Babe Shoup and Dale Perkins teach young athletes how to be confident, creative and team players in life long after high school basketball years.

It made me smile listening to Edgerton star Bob Grundish recall his creative ability to throw the artful behind-the-back passes. Long ago, coach Perkins made me run solo sprints in the middle of practice when I over-did this artful pass. But just like coach Shoup told Grundish, my coach encouraged me to make the pass as long as it went to a teammate for an easy basket.

Shoup taught a creative style of basketball that is missing in much of today’s local basketball action. The 1959 Edgerton team once scored 93 points during an era when there was no three-point line, and yet many local teams now average only about 45 points per game.

When is the last time you watched a local high school player throw a slick behind-the-back pass, or roll across the lane to shoot a hook shot over a taller player, or head fake a defender in the air; then spin the ball off the glass for a layup? Those were common scoring skills “back in the day” but what happened to today’s game?

Grundish and others from the 1959 state champs believe the three-point line that came in about 20 years ago forced the game into a more stationary, less-mobile style. Players now typically run to spots on the floor, with their backs to the basket, and diminish the speed and flow of the game.

Watching black and white tape of the 1959 championship efforts in Columbus, a group of superbly-conditioned Bulldogs ran the floor like dancers in constant motion. Everybody on the starting five was expected to have quality skills to handle the ball, shoot it, pass it, and of course to defend and rebound.

Pick and rolls, double screens for shooters, behind-the-back passes on the fast break, they were staples of the game that are not coached or created very much at all in the modern scheme of today’s high school basketball.

It was a much better game back then in the truly good old days. However, basketball fans then and now sure love a good comeback. Maybe that old style of creativity taught so well by coach Shoup is coming back for the next chapter of local high school basketball.

USA pride from 1980 Olympics recalled

By Mike Brown

LAKE PLACID -- President Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony captured the complete attention of our nation and the world, and sparked a mix of emotions ranging from patriotic pride, renewal, and a celebration of history many people thought they would never see in their lifetimes.

Those same emotions dominated the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid. Each year when television networks and publications name the “most memorable sports highlights,” at the top of the list is typically the miracle success of the USA Olympic Hockey Team.

“Do You Believe in Miracles?” was the classic television broadcast delivered so eloquently by a then little-known journalist named Al Michaels.

It was my pleasure to be sitting in the press box near where Mr. Michaels told the world about the pride of the hockey team. My assignment was covering the gold medal hockey game and other Olympic activities for the national Ottaway Newspaper Group.

Yet until President Obama stood in front of the world to become the historic new president of the United States, I haven’t personally experienced such a high level of patriotic positive zeal since the 1980 Winter Olympics.

The February 25, 1980 lead story in Ottaway newspapers around the nation said “The United States Olympic hockey team had more than enough magic left over from Friday’s stunning upset of the Soviet Union to claim the USA’s first gold medal in the sport since 1960 with a 4-2 decision over Finland.”

Most people want to think the USA beat the Soviets for the gold but it took a second day of miracles for the United States to win gold with a difficult victory over a talented team from Finland. The USA trailed Finland 2-1 late in the match.

Before that epic Sunday game in the tiny New York mountain village of Lake Placid, a place about the size of Edgerton here in Northwest Ohio, the anthems of both nations played. Standing next to me, a journalist from Finland stood stoically with tears streaming down her face as her national anthem played. I had never seen that level of patriotism from anyone in the United States.

She explained to me in broken English how much she loved her country, how proud she was to represent Finland and stand to honor the nation and its hockey team.

The lessons are valuable from the 1980 success stories, during a transition time in America after the 1970s were tarnished by President Nixon, gasoline shortages, and the documented slippage of national pride and economic strength.

Perhaps those years seems like ancient history to many of today’s teens and young adults who tend to think anything that happened last week is old news.

Ice hockey was an obscure sport in the United States leading up to 1980. The Soviet Olympic Team (remember the Soviet Union?) had beaten the USA by a ridiculous score of something like 20-1 at an exhibition match in New York City.

There was nobody in the world, outside of the late coach Herb Brooks and young skaters such as Ken Morrow from Bowling Green State University, who thought the USA would be competitive with any team in the Olympics.

After the USA skaters won the gold medal, they streamed outside single file through a crowd of amazed fans and headed to the nearby media center in the old dusty gymnasium of Lake Placid High School. Reporters from around the world were just learning how to operate primitive laptop computers through land line phone couplers.

The team liked to call themselves the Comeback Kids; the average age was 22 compared to 30 for the international teams. They were as stunned and proud as anyone else that they had won the Olympic gold medal. It was refreshing.

They were over-achievers, and never gave up. Given a chance, they proved the nation and the world wrong.

Those emotional and proud moments in the little villages of Lake Placid don’t come along often enough. They are enduring memories and lessons in life for every generation.

Regardless of your political viewpoint, ideally you can see where President Obama is trying to take this nation’s mindset and pride at a time of challenge and change. Did you see his televised remarks when the cameras turned high in the Congressional setting and the little girl who wrote him a letter was featured?

There were millions of Americans besides me shedding a tear of pride and joy during President Obama’s address. Perhaps we’re not sure why, but it’s a good thing; just like that European journalist listening to her nation’s anthem in advance of Finland going for the gold against the USA in the 1980 Olympics.

Chemistry was key element in regular season

By MIKE BROWN
STRYKER – Is chemistry still a required course in high school? It certainly is a required element for basketball teams, and chemistry was the accurate cliché statement heard loud and long all season among the area’s small-school teams.
It is always fun to look back at the preseason previews. Then and now, the word chemistry is frequent, essentially studying how the boys and girls mesh their personalities, meet or exceed potential, and how successful are they in combining elements of determination as one unit?
As the regular season ends and the playoffs start with hopes and dreams for several local teams starting anew of making a long tournament run, here’s an inside look at some of the small-school squads.
It would not be fair to say our coaches are over-paid and have an easy job of bringing out the best from the boys and girls. Stryker coach Dave Schultz has worked long hours to put figure out the complex chemistry of a team that is not particularly tall but is very talented.
The Panthers showed all kinds of chemistry issues and were not a smooth, confident team last week but they still only lost by a few points to Pettisville. They have potential to still make a strong playoff run but need to get the ball to Jordan Jaggers at key times, and also get far more scoring production from Zach Erb and Jordan Olmstead.
The entire Lady Panther coach staff led by head coach Steve Brown might have produced the best coaching effort of the year. Their chemistry has been incredibly positive and energized. The Lady Panthers are short on height and scoring prowess but tall on heart and determination.
They crafted a rewarding regular season despite many people wrongly predicting they wouldn’t come close to the undefeated regular season success achieved last year. This year’s team will likely finish the regular season at 15-3.
Don’t be surprised if the Lady Panthers go longer down the tournament trail than last year’s team that was stunned by Kalida in the playoffs. Stryker is starting to get more creative scoring and an improving short-range game led by three outstanding guards in seniors Brooke Hancock, Jacquelyn Laws and junior Nicole Brown. That’s the key, the short game on mid-range shots, and if Stryker is reduced to standing around the perimeter bombing three pointers, the tournament run will be short.
Chemistry and the learning curve are great success stories in North Central this winter with coach Justin Houk’s Eagles. Derek Wyrick’s will to win and versatile game has been surrounded by a team cohesion illustrated in a big recent win over Edon when five different players reached double figures for NC. The Eagles could be the surprise success story of the area in the tournament.
Edgerton and Hicksville both have schoolgirl teams that don’t quite have cohesion but they are not short on talent, height and coaching prowess. Both teams could be big surprises in the tournament. The one weakness of both squads is the lack of consistent mid-range scoring.
Hicksville has the potential to have a strong post game and senior guard Kendra Katschke can pour in 25 points on a good night.
It’s easy to admire long-time Hicksville coach Lindsey Kees and his recent strategy putting in screen and rolls and some “old school” basketball moves. It brings out the best in Katschke and his tall post players. It’s a mystery to me why these proven scoring strategies were put on the shelf in recent years. Most local teams concentrate on a perimeter game limited by sluggish player movement and the ball is repeatedly rotated around slowly to three-point shooters.
That perimeter game and passion for the triple is the primary reason team scoring averages are very low in the 40’s and low 50’s. There were several games this season where both teams combined didn’t reach 70 total points. The common style is relatively easy to defend and most area players show little instincts to create a shot with fakes, create penetration into the paint, or beat defenders by dribbling or shooting with either their left or right hands.
Lady Bulldog coach Kelly Thiel has frequently mentioned the chemistry concept about her talented team. However, Edgerton has lost a ton of games this year despite having three or four tall post players and a depth of scoring potential that other local teams just don’t have available.
Could they suddenly jell and win some tournament games? Juniors Brooke Riehle and Jayma Nihart might be the key elements of that Edgerton chemistry that can make the difference not just next year but now.
Sticking with the chemistry theme, Edon has been the classic up and down, explosive kind of team. The boys have beaten powerhouse North Central and they stunned Edgerton by burning down a 19-point deficit and winning at the buzzer. But can they share the ball, and can they play any level of defense? The Eagles gave up 96 points last week in a losing rematch game with the Eagles.
The Edon girls are all about chemistry under the microscope, too. The Lady Bombers lost to Edgerton, scored only 27 points in the game, and six-foot-one senior Megan Wiler managed only six points. A mere five days later, the Lady Bombers rolled to an easy win and Wiler had 35 points before the end of the third quarter. What a contrast.
The Bombers will likely end up in the tournament against long-time rival Stryker High. If Edon’s guards can master the entry pass, get the ball to Wiler for at least 20 points, and of course survive against the legendary Panther press, don’t be surprised if this is a very close game.
The final chemistry theme focus is on Hilltop. At the start of the year, the Cadets had the most size, talent and scoring power of any schoolboy team in the area. But the chemistry has never been right. Explosive scorer Chad Beals didn’t stay on the team very long, and talented Shawn Miller didn’t join the team until late in the season.
The powerful front line of Logan Mercer, Logan Armbruster and Nate Shaffer are taller and far stronger than any team they will face in the tournament. But in the regular season, this trio was consistently outplayed by shorter opponents. Junior guard Nick Smith has the same level of scoring talent as Stryker’s Jordan Jaggers, that is, if Smith would turn to penetration and mid-range jumpers rather than just looking for long triples.
Fans and reporters don’t have to be psychologists to see the chemistry issues on the Hilltop. However, the magic of the tournament is that this Cadet team could be stunningly great on any given night with their balance of size, depth and scoring ability.
All the ingredients are there for surprising success by many local teams but who knows what results will evolve once the magic elements of the tournament get started this month.

A closer look at the boys/girls sectional matchups

The sectional draws have been held for both boys and girls basketball, so let's take a closer look at the matchups and which teams have the best chance of moving on starting on the girls side.

GIRLS

Division II

In the sectional at Swanton, No. 2-seed Bryan (6-9), which has a bye, faces the winner of Maumee (2-13) and Woodward (0-11) in the sectional championship on Feb. 28 at 6:15 p.m. The Lady Bears played Maumee earlier in the season and won 52-26. Bryan has a very good chance of moving on to districts for the second straight year where they'll more than likely face an 13-2 Wauseon team that beat Bryan earlier in the season, 67-47. I like Bryan's chances of moving on to the Toledo Bowsher district on March 5.

Division III

In the sectional at Defiance, Fairview (1-15) plays No. 1-seed Tinora (12-2) on Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. The Lady Apaches have had a rough season and they lost to Tinora earlier in the season, 54-22. The winner of this game plays No. 4-seed Montpelier (9-8), which has been somewhat of an inconsistent team, in the sectional championship on Feb. 28 at 8 p.m. The Lady Rams and Lady Locos face each other on Tuesday, so we'll get a good look as to how they might fair, but I like Tinora to move on to the Napoleon district on March 5.

Division IV

In the sectional at Wayne Trace, Hicksville (10-6) plays Delphos Jefferson (13-1) on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. with the winner facing Crestview (14-0) on Feb. 28 at 6:15 p.m. The Lady Aces have struggled as of late, losing three of their last five games after starting the season 8-3. I like Crestview to move on.

In the sectional at Bryan, Stryker (10-3) received the No. 1 seed and will play the winner of Edon (5-12) and Hilltop (4-11) on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. Edon defeated Hilltop 39-26 earlier in the season and they play again to end the regular season on Feb. 19. I like Edon to win, but Stryker will win the sectional championship. The Lady Panthers have already beaten Edon twice this season, 49-36 and 49-34.

Also in the sectional at Bryan, No. 2-seed Pettisville (13-2) plays North Central (0-13) and there's no question which team will win this matchup. The Lady Blackbirds blasted NC 72-26 earlier in the season. Pettisville will play the winner of Edgerton (6-10) and Fayette (1-13). Edgerton beat Fayette by 17 earlier in the season, but Pettisville will be too much, setting up a district semi-final game with Stryker, which beat Pettisville 37-36 on nearly a month ago.

Out of all the Williams County teams, I like Stryker to go the furthest. I have yet to see them play, but I'll get my chance on Tuesday as they host Bryan.

BOYS

Division II

In the sectional at Swanton, Bryan (7-8) plays Toledo Central Catholic (9-6) on March 4 at 8 p.m. Toledo CC recently beat Wauseon by 16, so the Bears chances aren't looking good, but they've played better over the last month. I like Toledo CC to move on, but if Bryan were to win, it'd play the winner of Toledo Libbey (5-8) and Defiance (10-5).

Division III

In the sectional at Defiance, Paulding (5-11) plays Montpelier (1-14) on March 3 at 6:15 p.m. I like Paulding to move on. In the other game, Archbold (9-7) and Fairview (7-7), both of which have been hot as of late, face each other for the second time this season on March 3 at 8 p.m. The Blue Streaks defeated the Apaches 64-52 on Jan. 3, which started a six-game losing streak, but Fairview has won five in a row and has been playing very well. I like Fairview to beat Archbold and beat Hicksville (10-5) for the sectional championship. Fairview lost to the Aces 51-44 right after losing to Archbold.

Division IV

In the sectional at Bryan, we have a bunch of rematches from earlier in the season. On March 3, Hilltop (7-9) will look to avenge an eight-point loss to Fayette (8-8). On March 4, Edgerton (1-14) will look to avenge a 25-point season-opening loss to Stryker (8-8), which features one of the best players in the area in Jordan Jaggers. The late game features North Central (11-3) and Edon (6-10). NC defeated Edon by 12 earlier in the season. I like Hilltop to win before they get beat by No. 1-seed and state-ranked Pettisville (14-1). I also like Stryker and NC to face each other in the other sectional championship. Stryker played perhaps its best game of the season in beating NC 80-52 on Jan. 15, but NC hasn't lost since then (six straight). They play each other again on Feb. 20. I like NC to win the sectional championship behind the 1-2 punch of senior Derick Wyrick and freshman Anthony Kidston, two of the best players in the area.

Out of all of the teams, I like NC to go the furthest. I think having a 1-2 punch like they did when most teams don't even have a 1-punch will go a long way. It'll all depend on what their supporting cast can give them.

Positive observations amid local basketball scene

By Mike Brown

Remember how earlier in the season many gymnasiums were sparsely filled and there wasn’t much noise or spirit at most local high school basketball games?

The downward trend has rebounded nicely the other way. Last Friday’s frantic game between previously undefeated Pettisville and upstart North Central was a flashback to the “old school” when the gym was packed end to end. The crowd was into the boy’s game from start to finish and the players produced a classic.

Another “old school” attribute is the emotional play of junior forward Derek Wyrick at North Central. His determined will to win is a reminder to other area players, coaches and fans. In the first three minutes of last week’s classic game, the Eagle leader came off the floor to the bench, visibly upset that he and his team had started poorly and Pettisville was out to a big lead.

For just two seconds, Wyrick threw a towel over his head as he sat. Sitting right behind the bench, I could see him take some deep breaths, gather himself, take the towel off, and then look to coach Justin Houk to get back in the battle. The rest is history. His emotional leadership and 23 points along with multiple blocks, rebounds and steals were the difference in a great North Central victory.

It was also cool to see reserve players like NC’s senior forward Lucas Kidston and Stryker High’s Megan Rupp jump off the bench in big games last weekend and be mentally ready to make huge contributions and score crucial baskets.

Around the area, fans tend to ask sports writers “what is your favorite team?” In this business, it’s a mistake to root for any particular team and all I ever hope for is a competitive game. It’s tough to write about blow outs.

But one team in the area is impressive and they toil in somewhat obscurity in the little village of Pioneer. This is a school without football and without much luck in any sports the past few years. The NC girls hoop team won only once all season a year ago and they haven’t won a game yet this season.

But after participating in a recent practice, it’s easy to admire them for their efforts and stalwart intentions to get better and lead the program upward bound. There’s talent there, a quality group of coaches giving their all, and it’s a classic case of struggling to get the girls to do more little things and a few big things to win games.

But as one of the NC coaches wisely says, what the girls (and boys) do on our local high school basketball teams is learn life lessons far more valuable than winning a game on Friday or Saturday night.

During last week’s Holgate victory over a struggling Edgerton boys’ team, veteran coach Paul Wayne provided some great insight with a lead quote. “The skills of the game were once learned and practiced in the driveways and barns.” His team had just beaten Edgerton by a final score of only 36 to 27.

His wise comments brought back fond memories of a long time ago in Vermont’s very harsh winter climate, and I could have made millions back then if I had patented a wool glove with the fingertips cut off. Today the catalogs and stores are full of custom gloves made just that way.

Back in “the day” it was so much fun to play one-on-one or two-on-two hoops in an unheated barn or in the open driveway. Believe me, that’s where we learned to make moves in between getting slammed into the barn door or pushed into piles of snow along the driveway court.

Our old house had an attached barn where during the winters, even when we were competing in junior varsity and varsity games, we played basketball games on a discarded bushel basket with the bottom cut out. My father still remembers thinking the entire house was coming down when my forever friends Paul Obuchowski or Donnie Bruce, who always struggled to stop me on offense, figured out a way to contain my scoring with left or right hand shots. They would slam me into the flexible old barn door where the hoop was attached to the rafters. So, I learned to be even more creative and quicker to avoid getting slammed and of course still spin, bank, or dunk the ball into the low basket.

It has sometimes been painful this winter to watch varsity teams, boys or girls, score zero or only three or four points in a quarter, and often finish many local games with only 27 to 40 points in a full game.

Why the difference? According to research, computers and cable television keeps today’s teens inside, sitting down, watching the screen an average of five hours per day.

Holgate coach Wayne was right: today’s players generally just don’t have the skill set to score points consistently against a rugged defense. I’m not suggesting we abolish televisions or computers, of course, but it would be way cool if today’s coaches carved out 15 minutes of each daily practice to work on scoring ability and put more creative style, skills and wow factor into the local game.

It would be even cooler to see local kids outside having creative fun on a hoop court more often regardless of the weather conditions. I’ve still got some of those wool gloves without fingertips.

Bears playing well

The new year has been kind to the Bryan varsity boys basketball team.

The Golden Bears are 4-1 in 2009 with wins over Archbold, Patrick Henry and Van Wert -- teams they rarely beat.

They have been playing the way I expected them to play after an impressive showing against No. 1-ranked Ottawa-Glandorf -- which lost two over the weekend for its first losses -- in the season-opener and they've been doing it by getting the ball down low to 6-7 Austen Alabata.

Alabata had an impressive weekend. He had 12 points in Friday night's 55-42 win over PH and had 13 points and six blocks in Saturday's 52-43 win over Van Wert.

He's playing more aggressive and his teammates are making a conscious effort to get him the ball down low, especially in the opening quarter. Alabata had six points in the first quarter on Friday and 11 Saturday.

And you can't forget Matt Jones who tore it up over the weekend with 38 points in the two games. He's been the catalyst for the Bears on the offensive end all season and with Alabata stepping up, that's a good 1-2 punch.

The first quarter's been somewhat of a problem for the Bears in their seven losses and even in some of their five wins, but the last two games they've been redhot to start the game. They raced out to a 21-8 lead against PH and had a 15-9 lead against Van Wert.

If they can continue to have strong starts and not drop off during the remaining three quarters, they will be hard to beat over the course of rest of the season.

Speaking of the rest of the season, of the remaining eight games on Bryan's schedule, only two teams have a winning record -- Evergreen (9-2) and Hicksville (9-3).

The other six teams have a combined record of 15-49.

Three of those foes are NWOAL opponents -- Montpelier (1-10), Delta (3-8) and Swanton (2-8) -- and if Bryan can get past those three, it sets up a showdown with Evergreen on Feb. 20 at BHS for a chance at a share of the NWOAL title. The Bears are one game behind the Vikings.

NOTES: The seven teams Bryan has lost to have a combined record of 54-15 and none of them have more than three losses. And the five teams Bryan has beaten have a combined record of 15-41.

Expected one thing, got another

I went into Thursday night's North Central-Stryker boys basketball expecting to see a closely contested matchup between two of the top teams in the Buckeye Border Conference and what I saw was something entirely different.

The Panthers (5-4, 3-1) played perhaps the most flawless basketball game I've ever seen (at least at the high school level) in an 80-52 victory.

Offensively, they got the shots they wanted (and made them), they outrebounded the Eagles (4-3, 2-2) and had an astonishing one turnover. One turnover in a high school basketball is unheard of, and I'll be surprised if I ever see that again.

But defensively was where Stryker really shined.

Stryker hounded, shadowed and frustrated NC freshman standout Anthony Kidston all game long and it used an assortment of players to do it.

The Panthers kept Kidston from receiving the ball and when he did, he was forced into taking tough, contested jump shots. He ended with 12 points (6.5 below his average) and a good number of those were from the free throw line.

Despite not playing well, it was obvious from the onset that Kidston is a player to watch. He can shoot, he's quick and he can jump. He's very similar to Archbold's Gene Goering from years back. You will be hearing Kidston's name mentioned over the course of the next few years, and I look forward to watching him.

While one standout didn't have a particulary good game, some others did, including a monstrous game from Stryker's Jordan Jaggers.

Jaggers, a senior, is one of the best players in the area (that was my third time watching him) and he proved it Thursday night. He had 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting and NC didn't have an answer for him.

NC coach Justin Houk said the game plan was to let him shoot. Bad game plan, coach.

Jaggers is a smooth player with a nice jump shot and the Eagles lost track of him multiple times in their 1-2-2 zone and he made them pay.

Also having big games were Stryker's Zach Erb and NC's Derick Wyrick -- both seniors. Erb had 15 points while Wyrick had 20.

All four players -- Kidston, Wyrick, Jaggers and Erb -- are among the top scorers in the area and really are a treat to watch.

If you haven't seen either team play this season, make it your duty to see them.

They play each other again on Feb. 20 at North Central, but a few games to check out before then: Jan. 23, NC vs. undefeated and state-ranked Pettisville; Jan. 31, NC vs. Antwerp; Jan. 24, Stryker at Tinora; and Feb. 13, Stryker vs. Pettisville.

Final Bowl-A-Rama Picks standings

Tom Voigt: 24-10

Lee Hudnell: 21-13

Nate Parsons: 18-16

Don Allison: 15-19

Mike Brown: 14-20

John Fryman: 14-20

Of course the boss won, we let him!!

Game should've never came down to that...

Whistle...

Whether Archbold's David Rupp fouled Bryan's Caleb Turnbull with 0.9 seconds left or not doesn't matter...

The game should've never came down to that.

The Golden Bears had a five-point lead with less than 45 seconds remaining and couldn't hold it -- they turned it over, missed a few free throws and let the Blue Streaks get layups.

Not only that, but the players on the court should be the ones that decide the outcome, not the refs.

Up until that point, the game had been evenly played, although the first half resembled more of a JV girls game than a Varsity boys game.

It's a shame the game had to be decided on a blown whistle than another four minutes.

But you have to give credit to Turnbull, he made the free throw.

After the game, Billman and Turnbull both mentioned the similarity between that and a drill the team does in practice.

I've been a part of those pressure free throw situations in practice and it's not the same. In practice, you have 20 people watching you, not a gym full of screaming fans all looking at you. But I guess practice makes perfect and he knocked it down.

On another note, Austen Alabata finally made his 6-7 frame have an impact. He had six points, nine rebounds and six or seven blocks and altered many others. He's shown signs of what he can really do throughout this season, but hasn't put together a full 32 minutes. I think he did that Thursday night.

Both coaches, Billman and Archbold's Doug Krauss, both mentioned how much of an impact Alabata had after the game Thursday night and Billman said the Bears really need him to continue to do that throughout the rest of season. I couldn't agree more.

What those of you that went, what'd you think of the game and the call?

How do you teach confidence?

Stryker coach Steve Brown pointed out that Edgerton had superior height and impressive depth in terms of team talent. But his players have been competing in recent years against fellow Stryker players such as the Boetz triplets and they have all matured and grown confident from that routine. The Lady Bulldogs started the Tuesday night game in a dazed and confused state and are playing far below their talent level. With seven losses, Edgerton coach Kelly Thiel is scratching her head wondering when her players will step up and move toward a better effort paced by improving their confidence.

Brooke Riehle is a proven star for Edgerton with wit, style, size, and athletic ability. But most telling of Edgerton's chemistry and confidence issues, she did not score a point against Stryker. She had numerous opportunities for shots in the lane but seemed unsure of her position on the floor and seldom had a good touch on the shot. The general scoring frustrations around the area, it seems to many observers, is focused on so few players being able to create easier shots.

Meanwhile, senior Brooke Hancock is a much stronger and more creative player this year compared to last year for Stryker. She had several slick drives and moves to the basket and rarely, as she did last year, is content to stand on the perimeter and look for the long three ball.

The impact of the three-point line still seems negative to many veteran observers. Much of the local high school game is set up based on most players standing around or rotating to the outside of the arc. Few players can post up, head fake, drop step, or be creative in making shots on short-range areas in the lane. What happened to between the legs dribble moves, cross-over dribbles, hook shots, and up and under moves to create easier shots? It seems like the local high school game is digressing in some ways thus the low scoring contests with many boys and girls teams struggling to score more than 40 points on any given night. It's like a throwback to the 1950s to report now that most game-high scorers were limited to only 12 or 15 points.

An old coach of mine in the late 1960s said an above-average athlete should be able to score 25 points every game. His formula per game? Five outsides shots made (no three pointers back then) gets 10 points, two steals for layups makes four more points. Three hustle plays gets three easy follow-up offensive rebound baskets or "garbage points" for six more points. Five times to the foul line guarantees five more points and presto that's 25 points and routine back in the "old days." That mindset and more helped the late, great Pistol Pete Maravich set the average per game scoring NCAA record of 44 points per contest when he played college ball for LSU. There were no three-point lines back then and if so Pete would have averaged more than 50. The most creative scoring whiz of all time was constantly double-teamed, too.

Next week I'll get to see Steve Curry at Davidson College in North Carolina play live and in person. He seems to be the first player in many years with the knack and the creative wizardry to hit for 40 or more points in a single college game. His ability to get open, create shots, and hit from all over the floor, might offer insight for local high school players after reporting on watching Curry close up and in person.

This is from Mike Brown, but we're still trying to figure out how this blog works so I'm posting it...

New TIMES SPORTS BLOG

This is The Bryan Times Sports Blog...

The Times has just updated its Web site and has incorporated blogs...

Everyone is looking extremely forward to blogging, especially us sports guys...

We will be bringing you additional analysis of games and any other insights...

Hopefully there's people out there that will read them and give us comments on what you think of teams, players and coaches...It should be a lot of fun and we're all looking forward to it...

Let the blogging begin...