ALEXANDER (3-7)
Alexander remained in a rut last weekend with a loss to league foe Vinton County, however, the Spartans pulled a shocker off Tuesday night with a win against Nelsonville-York.
“We’ve really been working hard to try to get to this point, and they’re pretty ecstatic in the locker room right now,” coach Blaine Gabriel said. “I’ve got enough ball handlers to get us by. And you know, the kids understand it, and the kids have really worked hard even though we’ve lost five in a row.”
Even with the win, Alexander still lacks size and experience in the starting lineup, something Gabriel and his team understands but is adjusting to.
“We’re still working on things,” he said. “Varsity experience-wise, we only have a couple kids (who have experience).”
Alexander starts two underclassmen at the guard position, including point guard Jordan Mosley. Although the team is still building experience at the varsity level, Gabriel said it is time for his young team to take the next step.
“This is a learning process and we try to be positive with everything, but we’re almost halfway through the season, so they’ve got to start growing up,” he said.
Even with the win against the Buckeyes, the Spartans still have little room for error and will have to win often to keep their postseason hopes alive.
“As long as we come to compete we’ll be all right ’cause we’re going to beat some people,” Gabriel said. “It’s just that we need to get over the hump of where we’re feeling sorry for ourselves. We’ve got to show a little emotion and get after it.”
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NELSONVILLE-YORK (7-4)
In the minutes after Nelsonville-York’s come-from-behind win against Athens Friday night, both head coaches pointed out a key factor in the game’s outcome: player experience.
“I’m very happy with this team, but I’m very disappointed that we didn’t close it out when we had the chance,” Athens coach Jeff Skinner said. “Again, it’s experience.”
The Bulldogs start two freshmen and committed many turnovers late in the game that helped Nelsonville-York find a scoring rhythm.
Unfortunately for Nelsonville-York, experience was trumped by inexperience on Tuesday night as crosstown rival Alexander defeated the Buckeyes by 16 points.
“Sometimes you’re on top of the world; sometimes you’re flat on the ground,” Nelsonville-York coach Jay Kline said. “When you’re flat on the ground, you have two choices: lay down or get up. We’ve got to start getting back up.”
Nelsonville-York will take on Wellston Friday and attempt to get back on track.
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ATHENS (5-5)
Registering a .500 record, Athens has limped into the heart of its conference schedule.
The Bulldogs have struggled lately and have lost four straight games. But a win against rival Alexander could get Athens back on the straight and narrow.
“It is a rival game,” Skinner said. “The kids and teams are very familiar with each other, both personally and athletically.”
The Bulldogs aren’t yet ready to hit the panic button even if they lose to the Spartans Friday.
“(A win) would be nice, but it is not critical,” Skinner said. “If we win, hopefully, it will build some momentum; if we lose, we just challenge ourselves to see how we are going to bounce back.”
Fortunately for Athens, Friday’s bout is at home. And though the Spartans won their last game, they are only 1-5 in their past six contests.
Skinner said a Tri Valley Conference Ohio title is still a possibility, albeit a questionable one. Division leader Vinton County will have to fall back in the standings, and Athens will have to dominate the second half of its league schedule.
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