Boys Basketball
Local event has plen= ty of intrigue

Thursday, December 2= 7, 2007

SCOTT GERFEN<= /b>
Villager Contributor=

At a glanceBelow are the recent results and coming schedules for the Coffman, Jerome and Scioto boys basketball teams:

COFFMAN

*Last Friday -- Defeated Reynoldsburg 58-56. Zack Stoudt sco= red 18 points.

Last Saturday -- Def. Delaware 55-45

Friday -- Home vs. Jerome

Saturday -- At Scioto

Of note: The Shamrocks are 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the OCC-Buckeye.

*OCC-Buckeye game

JEROME

*Last Friday -- Def. Worthington Kilbourne 50-47. Tim Brady scored 17 points.

Today -- Home vs. Scioto

Friday -- At Coffman

Of note: The Celtics are 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the OCC-Cardinal.

*OCC-Cardinal game

SCIOTO

Dec. 17 -- Def. Westland 77-44

*Last Friday -- Def. Olentangy Liberty 70-42. Bradley McDoug= ald scored 21.

Last Saturday -- Def. Independence 80-40. Blair Gorniak scor= ed 16 points.

Today -- At Jerome

Saturday -- Home vs. Coffman

Of note: The Irish are 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the OCC-Capita= l.

*OCC-Capital game

Four years have passed since Dublin City Schools administrators decided to allow Scioto and Coffman high schools meet regularly on the foot= ball field.

It merely opened the door for athletics directors to embrace a natural neighborhood rivalry that seems to play out every year among a numb= er Dublin competitors who have know each other since grade school and intend to earn bragging rights for at least a season.

Gymnasiums are sure to packed beginning today as the boys bask= etball teams meet over the course of three days.

"They are definitely games we look forward to playing,&qu= ot; Scioto senior guard Ben Ashwill said. "I've played with a lot of these guys since third grade. Whenever we play another Dublin school it's always tough. I know last year they were two of our toughest games."

The Irish earned two victories last season, beating Coffman 67= -54 and Jerome 53-40 and the Shamrocks defeated the Celtics 60-28. Last year was the first time all three schools met during the holiday break. <= /span>

Saturday's game between Scioto and Coffman will mark the fifth meeting between the schools which faced each other in 2004 when the Shamroc= ks won 49-34.

Twice the schools have faced each other in the tournament with Scioto winning 57-52 in the second round of the Division I district tournam= ent in 2002 and Coffman winning 33-27 a year later in a district semifinal.

"I think as a coach you get caught up in every game," Coffman coach Jamey Collins said. "For the players, it's more about playing against their friends and with the holidays there are certainly goi= ng to be more families and relatives in the stands."
The Shamrocks likely will be playing more against themselves as Collins continues to try and find the right mix on the floor.

Collins last Friday at Reynoldsburg expected to play his third starting lineup in five games after consecutive overtime losses to Grove Ci= ty (49-47 on Dec. 18) and Westerville North (65-62 on Dec. 14).

"We're just trying to figure it all out," he said. "But it looks like Scioto and Jerome are playing pretty well right now."

Before last Friday's OCC-Capital Division contest against visi= ting Olentangy Liberty, the Irish were outscoring opponents by an average margin= of 35 points per game.

Scioto's pressure defense has made for a number of points at t= he offensive end.

"I think anytime you've got that backyard game you can ta= ke all the averages and throw them out," said Scioto coach Tony Bisutti, whose team improved to 4-0 overall with a 77-44 win over Westland on Dec. 1= 8. "Sometimes in these types of game someone you don't expect rises to the occasion."

Jerome entered last Friday's OCC-Cardinal game at Worthington Kilbourne on a four-game winning streak at 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the leagu= e.

Coach Joe Bline, who's in his first season since spending the = last four at Johnstown, realizes this will be his first of many battles with the Irish when the OCC realigns next year.

"Next year we'll play each other twice," he said. "Scioto is uptempo like we are, but they've been doing it a little bit longer. Scott Stucky is a tremendous player for Coffman and we're just exci= ted about the games. They'll be a good test for us."