DUBLIN SCIOTO 67 DUBLIN COFFMAN 54


The Dublin Scioto boys basketball team has that certain something that must be seen to be appreciated.

Lacking a big man in the middle or a go-to player, the Irish do a little bit of everything to succeed.

This was never more apparent than last night when Scioto crushed host Dublin Coffman 67-54 before an overflow crowd. The nonleague victory lifted the Irish to 7-0, a feat not expected by many in central Ohio basketball circles.

"I had a hunch we had a chance to be pretty good over the summer and during our preseason scrimmages when we held our own against a lot of the top dogs," Scioto coach Tony Bisutti said. "As far as our chemistry goes, both groups seem to have it, but I'm not really sure we're totally there yet."

Bisutti may simply be reluctant to hex what has been a great thing thus far. The Irish are scoring 72.1 points per game and allowing just 39.9.

By "groups" Bisutti was referring his two waves of interchangeable players that apply nonstop defensive pressure. The second wave sparked a 12-2 run that pushed Scioto from a 19-16 deficit to a 28-21 lead.

A step behind all night, Coffman (4-2) couldn't pull closer than eight in the second half.

"I think we were a little more mentally prepared than they were tonight," Scioto junior guard Ben Ashwill said. "Our halfcourt and full-court pressure was a little bit too much for them to handle."

Although its tallest player, 6-foot-4 Austin O'Connell, is actually a swingman, Scioto operates an open-post offense that creates and exploits open passing and driving lanes.

The new system is a vast departure from recent seasons when 6-7, 260-pound Clark Crum now an offensive lineman at Virginia Tech was the focal point.

"It's definitely a big difference, a huge difference really, to what we were doing last year, but going back to the summer leagues, the two groups and the new offensive approach seemed to be working, and we have good chemistry, too," senior guard Kevin Lolli said.

Ashwill scored 14 points, O'Connell 13, Lolli 13 and Kelly Winter 11 to pace the balanced Irish, who evened the short-lived series at 2-2.

Michael Bohan scored a career-high 25 points for Coffman. Ryan Ransom (11 points, five assists) was the only other Shamrock in double figures.

"All the credit goes to Dublin Scioto," Coffman coach Jamey Collins said. "They kept us off-balance from the opening tip. They played with a lot more intensity and chemistry than us tonight.

"Scioto has a bunch of guys who play with savvy. You don't always have to look pretty to play good basketball. They made us look bad. I think we took a couple steps back tonight, but like I said Scioto deserves a lot of the credit for that."

Bisutti believes that subbing in a new wave of players every five minutes keeps everyone sharp and hungry.

"If the five guys out there on the floor aren't doing it, they know the other five will," he said. "It makes practices really intense, too. Our first group and second group are a little different in makeup. The first group gets to the basket and the second group shoots in a little better.

"I'm reluctant to break up each group when they're playing well together, but late in the game, they know we'll put in whoever we think is going to give us the best chance to win the game."