Where HAS the time gone so far this year? Seems like we were just wrapping up football and here we are headed full speed ahead toward post season basketball.
With that in mind, the six Shenandoah District teams will reach the halfway point of their ten-game district slates with a trio of games on Tuesday night and just for good measure I will also address two non-district affairs set for Wednesday.
The surprises so far this season would have to be Stuarts Draft and Buffalo Gap, as those two are sitting atop the standings with the Cougars unbeaten in district play, whereas the Bison have so far handled everybody else in the district but the Draft. However I have a hunch that some changes will be coming before the end of the season but we will address that at a later date.
In case you guys didn't notice, I finally had a 3-0 record last Friday so let's see how long I can keep that going, especially since I will challenge myself this time by adding the two extra games. So here we go:
Riverheads at Stuarts Draft: I would certainly not use the word "disappointed" to describe the Big Red's season thus far as they have a 9-4 overall record and more importantly are holding down the number one seed in the Region B, Division 1-A playoff picture. But at the same time, they have seemed to be snakebit at times (like a certain college team we know) when it comes to close games. Those four losses include three in district play and all three were by three points, two coming on the road, so you would think they just HAVE to be on the verge of pulling off something big. As for their chances of that happening tomorrow night on the Cougars' home floor, well the odds might not be as long as you think. You see, the Gladiators have had better luck than most at slowing down SD's turbo-charged offense, and last year RHS gave the Cougars three tough battles, winning 66-64, losing 77-73, and coming oh-so-close in a 92-90 overtime heartbreaker in the district tournament semi-finals when a game-winning three rimmed out at the buzzer. Those games should give the Gladiators confidence for tomorrow but with this one coming on the road, the Big Red might have to wait until the Valentine's Day Senior Night re-match to slow down the Draft enough to win. So officially I will say the Cougars will win this one but an RHS upset might not really BE an upset.
Buffalo Gap at Fort Defiance: These two schools opened in the fall of 1962 and have probably played one another 100 or more times in that period. So they could hardly have any secrets from one another. As mentioned above, the Bison are on fire this season, and in fact their 12-3 overall record is the best of any team in the area. Fort on the other hand is struggling but yet few if any of their losses have been what you could call blowouts. For example, they lost at home to Stuarts Draft by only 13, whereas the Bison also got the Draft at home, but lost that one by 21. So this could conceivably be a "trap" game for the Gap if they come in overconfident. I will go with the Bison for the win but reading about a Fort win would not exactly cause me to spill my Dr. Pepper. (I don't do coffee.)
Wilson at Staunton: There is a reason, which I will get into later this week, why I think these two teams are about ready to go in opposite directions. In fact if you recall Staunton was my pick at the beginning of the year to rule the district and even though they are two games behind the leaders (SD), I will not be surprised if they still challenge for the title before all is said and done, and then possibly make some serious post-season noise. But for now, in this game tomorrow night I see Staunton as the clear favorite.
As for the Wednesday night non-district games, look for Stuarts Draft to sweep the season series from Waynesboro unless Mr. Fisher is back 100% and has the game of his life; and look also for Wilson to get surprised up at Turner Ashby, where the Knights are overdue for a big win.
There you have it..........could I possibly go 5-0 for the first time this season????
With that in mind, the six Shenandoah District teams will reach the halfway point of their ten-game district slates with a trio of games on Tuesday night and just for good measure I will also address two non-district affairs set for Wednesday.
The surprises so far this season would have to be Stuarts Draft and Buffalo Gap, as those two are sitting atop the standings with the Cougars unbeaten in district play, whereas the Bison have so far handled everybody else in the district but the Draft. However I have a hunch that some changes will be coming before the end of the season but we will address that at a later date.
In case you guys didn't notice, I finally had a 3-0 record last Friday so let's see how long I can keep that going, especially since I will challenge myself this time by adding the two extra games. So here we go:
Riverheads at Stuarts Draft: I would certainly not use the word "disappointed" to describe the Big Red's season thus far as they have a 9-4 overall record and more importantly are holding down the number one seed in the Region B, Division 1-A playoff picture. But at the same time, they have seemed to be snakebit at times (like a certain college team we know) when it comes to close games. Those four losses include three in district play and all three were by three points, two coming on the road, so you would think they just HAVE to be on the verge of pulling off something big. As for their chances of that happening tomorrow night on the Cougars' home floor, well the odds might not be as long as you think. You see, the Gladiators have had better luck than most at slowing down SD's turbo-charged offense, and last year RHS gave the Cougars three tough battles, winning 66-64, losing 77-73, and coming oh-so-close in a 92-90 overtime heartbreaker in the district tournament semi-finals when a game-winning three rimmed out at the buzzer. Those games should give the Gladiators confidence for tomorrow but with this one coming on the road, the Big Red might have to wait until the Valentine's Day Senior Night re-match to slow down the Draft enough to win. So officially I will say the Cougars will win this one but an RHS upset might not really BE an upset.
Buffalo Gap at Fort Defiance: These two schools opened in the fall of 1962 and have probably played one another 100 or more times in that period. So they could hardly have any secrets from one another. As mentioned above, the Bison are on fire this season, and in fact their 12-3 overall record is the best of any team in the area. Fort on the other hand is struggling but yet few if any of their losses have been what you could call blowouts. For example, they lost at home to Stuarts Draft by only 13, whereas the Bison also got the Draft at home, but lost that one by 21. So this could conceivably be a "trap" game for the Gap if they come in overconfident. I will go with the Bison for the win but reading about a Fort win would not exactly cause me to spill my Dr. Pepper. (I don't do coffee.)
Wilson at Staunton: There is a reason, which I will get into later this week, why I think these two teams are about ready to go in opposite directions. In fact if you recall Staunton was my pick at the beginning of the year to rule the district and even though they are two games behind the leaders (SD), I will not be surprised if they still challenge for the title before all is said and done, and then possibly make some serious post-season noise. But for now, in this game tomorrow night I see Staunton as the clear favorite.
As for the Wednesday night non-district games, look for Stuarts Draft to sweep the season series from Waynesboro unless Mr. Fisher is back 100% and has the game of his life; and look also for Wilson to get surprised up at Turner Ashby, where the Knights are overdue for a big win.
There you have it..........could I possibly go 5-0 for the first time this season????
