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Both Kim Clifford and Ed Andes have been down this road before. The veteran head coaches have guided St. Clairsville and Shadyside to several appearances in the district tournament.
However, while both are highly successful, neither has claimed a spot in the Ohio Sweet 16 in their careers. But once again, this week, the two will go after a district championship.
St. Clairsville will be in action Tuesday evening in the 8 p.m. game at New Philadelphia High School against state-ranked and highly-regarded Garaway.
Shadyside, meanwhile, will open its Division IV district tournament a night later at Meadowbrook High School against state-ranked and once-beaten Wellsville.
ST. CLAIRSVILLE is making its second straight appearance in the district tournament, but a couple of things are different this time around.
A. The Red Devils are in the Division III district and not in Division II.
B. The Red Devils have a completely different lineup in the mix.
Together, those factors are making this an extremely fun time for Clifford and company on the hilltop.
"It's really exciting because of how these kids were patient and waited their turn," Clifford said. "Last year, most of these kids didn't get to play at all, but they have really banded and bonded together and have done a real nice job."
Last year, the Red Devils took part in a one-game district and were ousted by eventual regional runner-up Zanesville at Steubenville Arena. This year, the Red Devils will have to win two games to reach the Ohio University Convocational Center, but the foe that lies ahead is still a quality one.
"Obviously, Garaway is a really good team," Clifford admitted. "They have a really good guard and a nice-sized post player and when you have those things it's a good place to start. But, we feel we play a pretty big schedule and we feel we've got some weapons that could present them with some problems."
The Red Devils reached this point in their season by posting relatively easy victories over Barnesville and Shenandoah in the sectional tournament.
"I think we averaged around 80 points a game in the sectional, so overall, we played very well offensively," Clifford said. "We've been pleased throughout the season with our balance and how different guys have picked us up on different nights."
The Red Devils' depth is something they can hang their hat on. Clifford can go about eight deep and basically not miss a beat.
"Each guy brings something different to the table offensively for us," Clifford offered. "They all share the responsibility and all of them lay it on the line every night."
The Red Devils are led by a quartet of seniors in the starting lineup. Anthony Vincent, Dustin Hynes, Michael Bigelow and Derrik Baugh have all had their nights in leading the Devils. Hynes actually led the way in last Saturday's win over the Zeps with 22 points. Bigelow sparked a furious comeback against John Marshall, while Vincent hit a game-winner against Union Local and also sparked the Devils to the OVAC final in the win over Magnolia. Baugh has been a consistent banger and scorer as well on the interior.
The starting lineup is rounded out by sophomore sharpshooter Dan Slavik who's played well beyond his grade level at times this season, including in the sectional opener when he scored 19 points.
Off the bench, junior Ryan Jarvie provides an immediate spark on both ends. Senior Anthony Skrabak and senior Kaz Pata also supply countless energy and minutes off the pine.
"If everyone's playing well, we've got a lot of ways to hurt teams," Clifford offered. "We've got some really versatile players who can take you inside or outside, making them hard to guard."
As for the Pirates, it all starts with senior point guard Tyler Gerber who's scoring at a 19 points per game clip and is the consumate point guard for Coach Dave Shutt's team. He's joined on the floor by freshman post player Paul Honingford at 6-ft-7. Chase Stingle, Devin Schie and David Gerber are also among the key personnel for the Pirates.
"We're pretty solid defensively when we're up and challening people," Clifford admitted. "We've had our legs under us the past two games and you could really tell that. We challenged every pass and every dribble against Shenandoah and that's going to be the kind of effort we need again."
SHADYSIDE enters its frey with a strong 20-2 record and own the OVAC 2-A title, but Andes and company understand about the tests that lie ahead this week. If they get past Wellsville, in all likelihood, a meeting with state-ranked Malvern could be in the offing Saturday afternoon.
"Every game gets tougher," Andes said. "If you take anyone lightly, you'll be going home. We've got the second and sixth-ranked teams in our district, so we'd better do nothing more than focus on Wellsville."
The Shadyside Tigers reached this level of the tournament with a pair of convincing wins, bouncing Beallsville and Bridgeport this past week.
"To keep advancing you've obviously got to continue to play well, and you've got to have a little luck on your side," Andes said as he prepares his team for its fourth straight district appearance. "Our goal is to win the next two games by one point. This is once again a tough district, but that's been the case every year. There's always been someone out there who's real good."
These same two teams met three years ago in the district semifinal and the Tigers had to sneak out a victory before they were bounced by Zanesville Rosecrans. Last year, the Orange was sent packing by Malvern, which fell to eventual state qualifier Hiland.
Andes remembers the 2005 meeting when all-state guard Steve Luckhardt rallied the troops for the win.
"Wellsville was a lot better than we thought they were that year," Andes offered. "They had a real nice team with a real nice mixture of guards and posts."
Andes and company were able to hop in their car and trek to New Philadelphia to watch the Wellsville-Hiland game live last Saturday and needless to say, the Tigers' coaches came away impressed.
"They are extremely athletic," Andes noted. "They have two primary scorers, but the other guys are more than capable of stepping up and getting buckets. They really get the ball up and down the floor well."
The Wellsville Tigers are led by senior Zane Carter who's scoring at a 17 points per game average and was recently named first-team all-Eastern District. He's complemented well by sophomore Jeremy Carter who runs the point.
"The Carters can shoot from the perimeter, but they would rather penetrate and take the ball at you," Andes relayed. "If you try to double Zane, he's such a good passer that he finds people. He can also post up and take you on the dribble, so he's going to be a challenge for us to defend."
Other key pieces for the 21-1 Tigers include: Jamin Edison, D.J. Douglas and Jordan Fields.
"Our defense has gotten better, but we've got to continue to improve because Wellsville is such a good offensive team," Andes said. "We can't afford to get into foul trouble and we've got to get back because they are looking to push it every time."
Shadyside, meanwhile, is as balanced as ever. The Belmont County Tigers have no fewer than four players in double figures. Senior guard B.A. Holloway leads the way at 13.5 points a contest. Seniors Billy Merryman and Jared Andes both score around 12 points a contest. Sophomore Justin Andes adds 11.5 off the bench.
Other key members of the Shadyside cast include: Drew Kennon (6 ppg), Nathan Butts (5.5 ppg); Dylan Kimble (5.5 ppg) and Dustin Sadlowski (4 ppg).
"We've got to take good shots and make (Wellsville) guard someone," Andes said. "There have been times when we haven't taken a lot of good shots. We've got to try to attack."
TICKETS ON SALE
Both St. Clairsville and Shadyside High Schools are offering their fans a chance to save a couple of dollars if they are headed to their games this week. Advance tickets are on sale at both schools until their respective game day. Tickets cost $4 in advance and all tickets are $6 at the gate. The tickets are available in the high school office during school hours at both venues.
BASKETBALL TAKES A BACK SEAT
Basketball is a long season. It's a grind for players and coaches, working dilligently toward the ultimate goal.
After the season began more than three months ago, the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference is down to just six teams remaining in the post-season hunt and none of those are in the form of girls' teams.
That's not that hard to fathom that there are only six boys teams left, but it's tough to fathom that there have only been two weeks of sectional play contested on that side of the coin.
Left carrying the OVAC baner are: Zanesville in Division I, Meadowbrook in Division II, St. Clairsville and Fort Frye in Division III and Shadyside and Frontier in Division IV.
As you can tell by that listing only two of those teams hail from the immediate area, which leads to the question: Why isn't basketball any good around here?
Well, it's not that it's bad around here, but it's more to the fact that's it's better elsewhere. Take Martins Ferry for instance. The Purple Riders had a very solid team, but they ran into a battle-tested and well-drilled Tusky Valley squad in the sectional final. It's the same Trojans' team that went on an amazing run to the Elite Eight a year ago and brought most of those players back this winter. Look at Indian Creek, the Redskins won the OVAC 4-A title, but found out that Carrollton's regular season was nothing but a stepping stone for the postseason.
Basketball around the immediate area takes a back seat to football. We all know football is king. It's well documented. In other areas of the state and more importantly in other areas of the Eastern District basketball is the first love. That will probably never be the case in the Ohio Valley.
People just don't relate to basketball as well as they do football. I'm not sure if it's do to the blue-collar mentality of the sport of football or the fact that people just love the sport. It's probably a little bit of both to be honest. If you don't believe me that people don't come out for basketball, march into a local gymnasium on any given Tuesday or Friday night. Certain schools draw extremely well, I.E. St. Clairsville, Shadyside, Wheeling Central, but there are others who have trouble filling half of their section. It's an absolute shame that people don't come out in droves and support the basketball programs like they do the football program.
It's just not that way with the fans in the respective areas of the state. In a lot of areas kids are strictly basketball players. That doesn't happen too often in the area. Look at who's left of the aforementioned teams. Zanesville's got a lot of basketball-only guys, including all-state candidate Logan Aronhalt. Shadyside's got a pair in Jared and Justin Andes. However, their dad is the head coach.
Around the state there is a big difference in the level of basketball. I have gone on record and said it's light years ahead. I don't think that's by any means a stretch and if you don't believe just look at the tournament results. In the span of two days of boys' tournaments, The Times Leader's coverage area saw eight -- yes eight teams -- bite the dust in a matter of two days.
Kids in Ohio who are true basketball players do nothing, but eat, sleep and drink hoops. Kids in the Ohio Valley seem to play basketball as a pass-time. And that's unfortunate because there are a lot of top-notch coaches in this area who have invested a lot of time into honing their craft. They've won a lot of games, hung a lot of banners and spent a lot of time around the gym, but the players just seem to be there because it's the thing to do at that time. We don't mean that in all cases, but in a lot of them, kids play because they lack anything else to do in the winter time or they just want to stay in shape.
We also understand that not everyone is going to be a hoops junkie. People's interests vary in all sorts of things, but identifying with a school or team is something that everyone can hang their hat on. That's why high school sports in the Ohio Valley are such a special thing.
KUDOS TO KEYLOR
It's been nearly a week since the Barnesville girls' basketball season came an end in such a hard-to-swallow way at the hands of Buckeye Trail in the Division III District Tournament. However, no matter what happened in that game or how it transpired, nothing can take away from the accomplishments of senior Chelsey Keylor and the entire Lady Shamrocks' basketball team.
Keylor established a new Ohio High School free throw record by virtue of meshing 77-of-80 attempts this season. Keylor was vritually lights out at the line and her 80 attempts just qualifies her for the record book by OHSAA rules. All told, Keylor finished the season with an astounding 96.3 percent.
Staskey can be reached at sstaskey@timesleaderonline.com