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Irish set for tough
stretch
Thursday, January 17,
2008
CORY STEGER=
b>
Villager Staff Write=
r
|
At a glanceBelow are the recent results and coming schedules for the Sc=
ioto
boys and girls basketball teams: BOYS Jan. 8 -- Defeated St. Charles 65-34. Kyle Duncan had 14 poi=
nts
and Marco St. John had 10. *Last Friday -- Def. New Albany 58-45. Ben Ashwill had 14 po=
ints
and St. John had 13. *Friday -- At Franklin Heights. The Irish defeated Franklin
Heights 74-37 on Nov. 30. Saturday -- Home vs. Parkersburg (W.Va.) South *Tuesday -- Home vs. Big Walnut Of note: The Irish are 12-0 overall and 4-0 in the OCC-Capit=
al. GIRLS Last Friday -- Def. New Albany 60-47. Brandi Gorniak
had 28 points. *Friday -- Home vs. Franklin Heights. The Irish defeated
Franklin Heights 68-28 on Nov. 30 Saturday -- At Fairfield Federal Prep Shootout *Tuesday -- At Big Walnut. The Irish defeated the Eagles 62-=
41
on Dec. 7. Of note: The Irish are 12-2 overall and 4-1 in the OCC-Capit=
al. *OCC-Capital game |
For Dublin Scioto High School boys basketball coach Tony Bisutti, the time spent celebrating his 300th win lik=
ely
was short as he has been busy preparing his team for a tough three-game str=
etch
with games against Franklin Heights on Friday, Parkersburg (W.Va.) South on
Saturday and Big Walnut on Tuesday.
"It's quick turnaround, but the
players like it because there's less practice," B=
isutti
said. "It's an advantage if you're winning, but it's hard from a coach=
ing
standpoint. There's a lot of negatives to it, bu=
t a
team in our situation with guys who understand what to do to get ready, we'=
re
in a good position to handle it.
"It can be taxing. I don't like three-gamers, and we try =
not
to schedule them, but with the way things fell we made the decision. We cho=
se
to back off, have more practice time and give the football guys more time.
That's a sacrifice you make, but with an intelligent team I think we're in =
good
shape."
"It's real important for us to play well (during the
three-game stretch)," guard Ben Ashwill said. "It looks like we'r=
e a
good team right now. It'll make us tougher, playing when we're tired and
fatigued, and it will help prepare us for the tournament."
The Irish look to remain perfect in the OCC-Capital Division
against the Falcons, who are 4-8 overall and 0-5 in league play, and the
Eagles, who are 6-3 and 2-1. Scioto has yet to play Big Walnut this season =
but
beat Franklin Heights 74-37 on Nov. 30.
The matchup with Big Walnut concerns Bisu=
tti,
as the Eagles are one of the most experienced teams in the OCC-Capital with
three returning starters, including a fourth-year starter in guard Kenton
Comstock. Forward Joe Reed and guard Evan Walker also are key players for t=
he
Eagles.
"From an experience standpoint, they're one of the favori=
tes
in our division," Bisutti said. "They=
're
very athletic, and they could pose us some problems."
Although Parkersburg South is an out-of-state opponent, the Ir=
ish
are familiar with the Patriots having played them the previous two seasons.=
Three
players scored in double figures as the Irish defeated Parkersburg South 70=
-63
last season. Scioto also won the first game between the two teams 63-53 two
years ago.
"We've got to try and take care of the league games
first," Bisutti said. "We're not goin=
g to
overlook Franklin Heights. The thing I've challenged our guys with is getti=
ng ourselves ready.
"(Parkersburg South) is really a pretty successful progra=
m.
Traditionally, they've had a lot of success and been a top team in West
Virginia."
Although the Irish are 12-0, Bisutti is
not satisfied, saying that there is still a lot for the team to work on.
"The defense is getting more and more sound, but at times=
we
gamble too much for my liking," he said. "That being said, we have
guys who have good anticipation and it's just a matter of picking your spot=
s.
"Offensively, I'm not real pleased with our screens and
ability to read the defense. We can get the ball where we want it, but our =
half
court execution is not in sync yet. Hopefully it's because we haven't peaked
yet. It's not a concern. If you polled 95 percent of the teams out there,
they'd say the same thing right now."
Still, as much as Bisutti continue=
s to
find things for the Irish to work on, he can't help but realize they are on
their way to achieving the goals they set for themselves at the beginning of
the season.
"It's kind of that time where it's a prelude to the
tournament," Bisutti said. "We're pla=
ying
for a conference title, which is our first priority and goal. But we've also
talked a bit about the long term. It's out there and we can do that a bit w=
ith
this group. We're trying to set our goals pretty high."