INSIDER
the
January 2019
HerdInsider.com
A Superior Herd A 7th straight bowl win for Marshall football
WHAT WE’VE GOT
01.19
VOLUME 21 NO. 6
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UP FRONT
UP FRONT
Contributing writer Bill Cornwell shares some of his experiences as a voice in the Huntington-area sports media.
6 BOWL STREAK
Marshall FB
CONTINUES
The Marshall Football bowl win streak grows to seven straight with a Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl victory.
Marshall WBB
WINNING START
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Marshall Women’s Basketball opens Conference USA play with key home wins.
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Marshall MBB
OVERCOMING
Marshall’s Men’s Basketball opens Conference USA play with a 3-0 start
High School WBB
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HIGH SCHOOL WBB BASKETBALL PREVIEW Huntington St. Joe, Wayne and Boyd County top the local Girls High School Basketball scene
555 Fifth Avenue Huntington, WV 25701 (304) 523-8401
General Manager Mike Kirtner Editor Bill Cornwell
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Associate GM Reeves Kirtner First Subscriber Geoff Sheils
Writer Dave Walsh Printing The Printing Press Ltd.
Web Operations Alex Hackney All contents ©2018 Kindred Communications
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UP FRONT
01.19
VOLUME 21 NO. 6
compiled by Bill Cornwell THE INSIDER Editor
A long-overdue honor was celebrated at the recent Marshall-Western Kentucky men’s basketball game as a model of a statue depicting Marshall Basketball trailblazer Hal Greer was unveiled at halftime. The sculpture, created by Huntington sculptor Frederick Hightower, shows Greer in the midst of launching his typical one-handed jumper. The finished statue will stand over seven feet tall and will be placed adjacent to the Henderson Center near the corner of 3rd Avenue and 18th Street. Greer, who has a Huntington street named for him, might be called the “Jackie Robinson” of college athletics in West Virginia as he came out of Huntington’s Douglass High School and became the mountain state’s first African-American scholarship athlete at a predominately-white school. That scholarship offer was made by legendary Marshall coach Cam Henderson, but Greer eventually played for Henderson’s successor, Jule Rivlin. After his Marshall career, which included Marshall’s first NCAA Tournament trip in 1956, Greer entered the NBA, where he played for the Syracuse Nats, who eventually became the Philadelphia 76ers. When the NBA celebrated its 50th birthday, Greer was honored as one of the league’s 50 greatest players of all time. He is a member of both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame. Greer died last April at age 81. Appropriately, Greer’s family was on hand for the unveiling of the model, including his widow, Mayme, his daughters Kelly and Cherie, son Harold Jr. and his sister Jean. A fundraising campaign is now being spearheaded by the Big Green to pay for the Hal Greer statue. If you’d like to help, you can visit HerdZone.com or call the Big Green at 304-696-4661. The Big Green offices are located at 1900 3rd Avenue on the left side of the City National Bank building.
January 2019 / THE INSIDER /
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-----------The 2019 Marshall Football schedule has been released and it can be truly called “fan friendly”.
The slate contains two off weeks and Marshall is benefitted by not being forced to play consecutive road games. -------------
It’s also a high-quality schedule, as half of the teams on it took part in recent 2018 bowl games. The slate features seven home games, starting on August 31st when the Herd hosts an old Southern Conference rival, the Keydets of VMI. Other non-conference opponents coming to Joan C. Edwards Stadium in September are another old rival, the Ohio Bobcats, and the University of Cincinnati Bearcats, one of the top “Group of 5” conference teams from this past season. The Ohio series has been dormant for three seasons, but the Bobcats will once again be a regular part of Marshall schedules. Conference USA opponents visiting Huntington this season include Old Dominion on October 12th, Western Kentucky on October 26th, Louisiana Tech on November 16th and FIU on November 30th. Marshall’s lone non-conference road game will be a major test as the Herd travels west to face perennial Mountain West Conference contender Boise State on September 7th. Conference USA road trips for Marshall this season will be to Middle Tennessee on October 5th, Florida Atlantic on October 19th, Rice on November 2nd and Charlotte on November 23rd. The Conference USA Championship Game is scheduled for December 7th.
In 2017, Marshall Head Football Coach Doc Holliday said he didn’t plan to ink many players on the first December early signing day and Holliday was true to his word, as MU announced no December signings. Marshall eventually signed 24 players in the February in a highly-touted class. Many of those signed were ignored by many schools looking to make a recruiting haul in December. Fast forward to this past December. Marshall has seemingly become a fan of the early signing period, as the Herd signed 17 players. The group included three W.Va. standouts---George Washington quarterback/punter Grant Wells, Morgantown University wide receiver Amir Richardson and Wheeling Park offensive lineman Tristen Bittner. The prizes of the class are highly touted linebacker Deshawn Page from Knoxville, Tennessee and junior college offensive lineman Josh Ball. Plenty of praise to the entire Marshall football staff as they handled the business of early signing day on December 19th in Tampa, Fla., just a day before facing South Florida in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl. Despite the high number of December signees, Coach Holliday and his staff will sign a few more players in the February period, players who will most likely be redshirted this fall and be developed for future greatness while wearing the Kelly Green and White.
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January 2019
Marshall’s “Bad Boys” beat the Bulls The Marshall Football bowl win streak grows to seven straight with a Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl victory. compiled by Bill Cornwell THE INSIDER Editor
Rainy weather and an opponent playing on its home field couldn’t stop the Marshall football team from winning yet another postseason bowl game. Marshall used balanced offense and opportunistic defense in defeating the South Florida Bulls 38-20 on December 20th in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl at Tampa, Florida’s Raymond James Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s also USF’s home field. The win extended Marshall’s bowl win streak to seven games, extending back to the 2009 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit. Herd Coach Doc Holliday is 6-0 at Marshall in bowl contests and the Herd’s been able to pick up those wins in bowls in Florida, Maryland and New Mexico. It seems like Holliday, his coaching staff and teams have a knack to be able to beat anyone if you give them three weeks to prepare a postseason contest. Marshall came into the Gasparilla Bowl with plenty of momentum, winning three of its last four regular season games, while the Bulls were headed in the other direction, losers of five straight. The early portion of the game showed that momentum would stay on the Marshall side of the field, as the Herd scored the game’s first two touchdowns in the first quarter on a ten-yard run by redshirt freshman quarterback Isaiah Green, followed by a one yard run by senior back Anthony Anderson. South Florida was able to dent the scoreboard late in the first quarter with a gadget play in which receiver Tyre McCants threw a 38-yard pass to fellow receiver Randall St.
photos by Adam Gue
Felix which completed fooled the MU defensive backs. The Herd quickly recaptured momentum with two second quarter touchdowns, an eight-yard run by freshman Brenden Knox and five yard touchdown scamper by senior back Keion Davis. USF was only able to answer in the quarter with a 22-yard Coby Weiss field goal, setting the Marshall halftime lead at 28-10. The Bulls tried to rally in the third quarter as Weiss kicked a 31-yard field goal and Randall St. Felix grabbed his second touchdown pass, a 33-yarder toss from Blake Barnett. Marshall limited the damage in the quarter as Justin Rohrwasser kicked a 28-yard field goal. The Herd showed that it would be “the closer” in the contest as Keion Davis capped off an 11-play, 64-yard drive with a 16yard touchdown run. Davis, who had been battling injuries throughout his senior season which limited his playing time, ended his MU career on a strong note as he rumbled for 94 yards and two touchdowns. He earned the Gasparilla Bowl Most Valuable Player award for his efforts. Knox, who didn’t play in the second half due to a hand fractured, chipped in with 93 yards and a touchdown. Anderson ended his Marshall career with 43 yards and a score. The performance by Green may have been his most complete of the season as he ran for 36 yards and a touchdown and threw for 221 yards with no interceptions.
8 / THE INSIDER / January 2019 Herd senior receiver Tyre Brady enjoyed his Florida homecoming and showed he is ready for the next level as caught five balls for 88 yards, including an acrobatic 42 yard grab in the first quarter which led to a touchdown. Strong efforts by Obi Obialo, Xavier Gaines and Artie Henry showed that there is plenty of returning talent among Marshall receivers as the trio combined for nine catches and 104 yards. Special teams were truly “special” in the game as Marshall punter Robert Lefevre averaged over 44 yards on three punts and placed two of those punts inside the 20. Marshall ended its 2018 season with a 9-4 record and was won of four Conference USA teams to pick up bowl wins. Florida bowls usually bring images of beaches and sun, but the bowl week didn’t start off that way for Marshall as the Herd’s travelling party left Tri-State Airport in the late afternoon of December 16th, seven hours later than planned due to weather problems. Because of the delay, the Herd football team missed out on a chance to visit Treasure Island, Florida beach, although the USF team did enjoy some beach time. Marshall was able to get in two pre-bowl practices while in Tampa, utilizing outstanding facilities at Tampa Catholic High School, where the host just happened to be athletic director and Marshall alumnus Don Dziagwa. The Herd and Bulls were finally able to get together on Tuesday at a riverfront park in Tampa as the two squads took part in an effort to build bikes to be given to Tampa-area children at Christmas. Representatives from both squads also visited to local children’s hospitals on Tuesday afternoon. It wasn’t just the Herd football squad enjoying the bowl trip as the Marching Thunder, MU Dance Team and Herd cheerleaders took part in a “Battle of the Bands” with their USF counterparts on Tuesday at Treasure Island beach. There was lots of music and dancing as the groups tried to raise the pep level of their fans. There were even some fun contests for the cheerleaders and band members including a tug-of-war and doughnut-eating contest. Rainy weather on the day before the bowl put a damper on planned pre-game activities, but the bad weather allowed the Herd football team to concentrate on positional meetings as the final game plan was prepared. Wednesday was also a much-anticipated day for the players as they visited the bowl gift suite and picked up some unique items, a sort of early holiday present to themselves. Coach Doc Holliday considers bowl trips as “business trips” and, once again, the Herd took care of business in a most effective way.
January 2019 / THE INSIDER /
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A Winning Start Marshall Women’s Basketball opens Conference USA play with key home wins. compiled by Dave Walsh THE INSIDER writer photos by Adam Gue
When a team seeks a turnaround season, it needs some potential corner-turning victories to fuel the fire.
picked in preseason to finish 1-2-3 in the league, along with North Texas and Western Kentucky.
Marshall University women’s basketball coach Tony Kemper hopes the catalyst for the Thundering Herd will be its first weekend in Conference USA play.
“No one in league thought MU would be 2-0. I agree with that,” Kemper said on Jan. 5 after his Thundering Herd got a last-second basket by Kristen Mayo to edge Charlotte. “Look what we did last year. No one slighted us. That made sense. We have to earn our way out of it after 16 games.”
Execution on offense, grit on defense, determination at both ends of the floor sparked Marshall to wins over Old Dominion (57-48) and Charlotte (63-62) at Cam Henderson Center. Gone, at least for two games, were the lategame misfires that contributed to the Herd’s coming up short time and again in close games a year ago. “After the last game (ODU), the last question was about maturity. I was close to saying mature,” Kemper said. “Second time’s a charm. I’d like to see it again. You’re never really satisfied. We did not back down. That’s a position they tried to put us in multiple times. We didn’t. Sometimes you find a way. This time we did. A goal of mine has been to make this a hard place for people to play. It hasn’t always been there. Maybe this weekend.” After one week in C-USA play, Marshall found itself in a six-way tie for first with each team 2-0. Three were UAB, Rice and Middle Tennessee, the teams
The Herd’s lone week 2 game was an 85-55 loss at Western Kentucky. Despite the fast start, Kemper is keeping things in perspective as the Herd moves forward. Marshall finished in the cellar in the league last year (3-13, 9-20 overall). The Herd went 7-10 at home. Marshall’s win over Charlotte was its eighth at home this season to date. Two days earlier, the Herd blitzed Old Dominion. “We need to be humble. Heck there’s a lot of season left,” Kemper said. “The question now is can they do it again?” Against Old Dominion, the 48 points marked a season-low for the Monarchs, who also had a season-high 23 turnovers. The Herd watched an 18-point lead dwindle to five,
10 / THE INSIDER / January 2019 but then righted the ship and held on. Against Charlotte, the game went back and forth with Marshall making one more big play than the 49ers, the game-winning, driving layup by Mayo. The Herd had lost 10 straight to Charlotte. “To do what we did defensively, wow. We had the right idea how to do it. It’s all about how you go do it. Numbers said they did it,” Kemper said after the ODU win. “We made it hard on them. It was our most complete performance. If they were in there, they helped us. If not, they helped us.” Kemper saw even more positives against Charlotte. On offense, Marshall has shown balance. Guard Shayna Gore leads the way, but Taylor Porter, Mayo, Khadaijia Brooks, Princess Clemons and Kia Sivils can light it up at any time as well as show composure at crunch time. Getting the recently-injured Ashley Saintigene back on the court is also crucial. “We’re a lot more calm. We did not press,” Kemper said. “We were aggressive the right way. We didn’t slack off. We always had a body in there. All wins look that way. We share the ball. When we’re at our best, it’s hard for them to really key on one player. We’ve been pretty balanced. We can play better. Buckle down, be solid in the scheme.” On defense, the Herd’s been able to make opponents struggle shooting from the field (except for Bowling Green). “Defensive field-goal percentage is pretty good,” Kemper said. “Bowling Green lit us up. When we want to, we can guard. I challenged them. I got after them this week. In the second half, you’re at the other end of the floor, on an island. You have to be on the same page, fight like crazy. We were noticeably better in the second half. We were much more in sync. We’d had ups and downs and that’s how we lost some of these games. Emotions due that. You have to be steady. Bottom line is they have to get in there and get it done. I didn’t tell them anything at the half (ODU game). I said, ‘you guys go out and figure out how to win this game.’ Comes down to guts. That’s what it comes down to in every sport. We found some.” Looking ahead, UAB opened 13-1, its best start in school history. The Herd visits UAB on Feb. 14. Rice had a 9-3 non-conference mark with losses to Texas A&M, UCLA and North Carolina. The Owls come to Henderson Center on Feb. 9. Middle Tennessee logged a 10-3 mark in non-conference play. The Herd travels to Middle Tennesee on Feb. 16. In non-league play, here’s how other C-USA schools fared: Southern Miss, 8-5; Louisiana Tech, 8-5; North Texas, 7-5; UTSA, 5-7; FAU, 3-10; FIU, 3-10; UTEP, 3-10.
Kemper said having the first two league games at home worked in the Herd’s favor. After Western Kentucky, it’s a two-game swing to Florida. The goal is to be able to measure up regardless of where you play. The Herd was winless on the road going into C-USA play. “It was a great weekend,” Kemper said. “48 (vs. ODU) and 62 (Charlotte) at the top end is OK. That’s a 55 average. If we can do that, we’ll be in a lot of games. We can score. We can play better on offense. In the fourth quarter (Charlotte), we finally figured things out. We’re going to a place where it’s dang near impossible to play. The challenge is how to remain level headed. Go in sky high, pass two times and make a three, it’s not the way it’s going to happen. If you don’t make good decisions, they run you right back on the bus. “Happy or hungry? What are we? It’s good to start at home. It’s tough to win on the road. We played well enough, got tough and got it done (at home). If you don’t learn how to fight now, you’ve got to learn to fight on the road. Western Kentucky, then the trip to Florida. It gets a heck of a lot harder. We were chosen 13th. We’re 2-0. We put ourselves in a nice place.”
January 2019 / THE INSIDER /
Overcoming
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Marshall’s Men’s Basketball opens Conference USA play with a 3-0 start compiled by Dave Walsh THE INSIDER writer photos by Adam Gue
It’s not the way any team wants to enter conference play. Lopsided losses at SEC member Texas A&M and ACC power Virginia in its final two non-conference contests reinforces the fact the Marshall University men’s basketball team has several areas of concern to correct if it hopes to repeat as Conference USA champion. The biggest problem has been the play inside following the loss to 6-foot-10 Ajdin Penava, who opted for the NBA Draft last season after he led the nation in blocked shots (134), averaged 15.6 points and 8.5 rebounds a game and won C-USA’s Defensive Player of the Year award. Marshall won the C-USA tournament title and beat Wichita State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Redshirt freshman Iran Bennett (6-9) and transfers Mikel Beyers (6-9) and Ante Sustic (6-10) have yet to emerge from the big shadow created by Penava’s departure. “The biggest thing we’re missing is Penava. That was an unexpected loss and we haven’t filled that gap like we have to,” Marshall coach Dan D’Antoni stressed to the media again after a 100-64 loss at No. 4/1 Virginia on Dec. 31. “Some of the little things in the second half I kind of liked. We started being a little more aggressive; right now we’re soft and we don’t make the plays that you’ve got to make. That’s where we are and I’ve been doing this a long time. It can flip in a heartbeat, so hopefully we’ll be around at the end of the year. Old Hillbilly Ball will come back.” In the preseason Conference USA poll, Western Kentucky got the nod to win the championship. The Herd was picked second and Old Dominion third. Herd basketball D’Antoni style has to switch gears quickly as Marshall, which went 7-6 in non-conference action, faced a tough opening stretch in C-USA. After home dates against FAU and FIU, it’s a trip to Western Kentucky on Jan. 21.
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January 2019
January 2019 / THE INSIDER /
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Prior to the Virginia game, Texas A&M thumped the Herd, 92-68, in College Station, Texas. In addition to big deficits in points in the paint and rebounds, Marshall had off days from senior guards Jon Elmore and C.J. Burks. That’s a combination for disaster. On the flip side, follow the designed plan and the Herd’s up to the challenge whether it’s playing small or not. ODU coach Jeff Jones, perhaps surprisingly, got to witness how things go down when the Herd’s up-tempo, bombs away style pans out. Marshall connected on seven 3-pointers in the second half, the biggest a trey by Jarrod West just before the buzzer to propel the Herd to a 70-67 win. Elmore finished with 20 points and 10 assists, No. 10 the one to set up West, for his first double-double of the season. “The bottom line is we didn’t play well enough to beat a Marshall team that I think played at a high level,” Jones said. “From the film I’ve seen, that was about as good as I’ve seen them play, and obviously they shot the ball well. They made big shots.” D’Antoni has always been confident Elmore would hit his stride. “He’s been struggling the last three weeks of the season,” D’Antoni said of Elmore. “I’m looking for ways that we can get… we don’t have a rhythm. It’s a little bit that we had a couple big guys that we thought could take Penava’s place. The way they got open last year is that we flowed into everything. Early in the year we had those three big guys that were slowing us down a little bit and we were trying to manipulate our team and how we played last year to fit how they played. “Big boy (Bennett) got hurt, Mikel Beyers prior to this time hadn’t stepped up, the other big kid (Sustic) hadn’t really stepped up, so we’re going back to more of a flow offense. We still have to have a four or five, it’s important in our offense, that can put it on the floor and make plays. We’ve had that in the last three years and we don’t have that this year… If I can get Mikel Beyers at 6-9 to be able to do a little bit off dribble, which he’s capable of, then maybe we can get our flow back, and that flow creates the angles for Jon to get up in there and for C.J. to get up in there. Right now we’re just not very good.” Beyers played 12 minutes against ODU. He was one eight players to see action as D’Antoni appears to have settled on a rotation. Byers would then come through with his biggest moment to date against Charlotte. Burks scored 25 points, the biggest being a layup with 31 seconds to give the Herd an 85-84 lead. Charlotte had one last chance, but Beyers blocked a three-point attempt by Jon Davis to seal the win. And freshman guard Taevion Kinsey tied a career-high with 14 points. The team’s home C-USA opener was against Western Kentucky, which Marshall beat in the C-USA Tournament finale last March. The Herd came from behind to beat the Hilltoppers 70-69 in front of over 76-hundred fans at the Henderson Center. Marshall’s winning points came on a late 3-pointer by sophomore Jannson Williams. “We have a lot of young kids playing,” D’Antoni told Rick McCann of the The Herald-Dispatch. “We’re kind of blank in that junior class. We go from our three seniors really down to freshman and sophomores. It’s a challenge, but it’s a fun challenge. It’s fun to watch these kids develop. Hopefully by the end of the year I won’t call them freshmen, I’ll call them champions.” In the Virginia game, Kyle Guy set career-highs in points (30), rebounds (8) and three pointers (7 of 9) to spark the Cavaliers (12-0 in non-conference play). D’Antoni praised Guy’s performance, but also longs for the effort from Herd defenders to keep that from happening again. “You know, as good as he is, that makes me mad. I’m going to get on him,” D’Antoni said. “He isn’t going to play against me like that. We haven’t gotten there; we’re soft. He’s a really good player and I’m not taking anything away from him, but I’m telling you, I’m going to compete. Last year we competed and this year we’re not there.” In addition, whatever Herd players did a year ago, that’s
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January 2019
history. The 2018-19 season is a new chapter and players need to treat it that way. Western Kentucky went 7-6 in non-conference play after its Dec. 29 win at home over No. 15/16 Wisconsin. The Badgers (10-3) were the highest ranked team the Hilltoppers have beaten at home since toppling No. 6 Providence in 1973. Their other big wins came over West Virginia in tournament play and at Arkansas. Old Dominion won at nationally-ranked Syracuse on Dec. 15. nother team to watch is North Texas. The Mean Green won its C-USA opener to reach 13-1 for the first time since 1952-53. Marshall visits North Texas on Feb. 7. Here’s how other C-USA teams fared in non-conference play.Louisiana Tech 10-3, FIU 9-4, FAU 9-4, Southern Miss 8-5, UAB 8-5, UTEP 5-6, UTSA 5-7, Rice 5-8, Charlotte 3-8 and Middle Tennessee 3-10 (nine-game losing streak going into C-USA play). C-USA has altered its late-season schedule in hopes of moving past being an NCAA one-bid league. The conventional league schedule is gone in favor of a more radical one based on results. C-USA’s 14 teams won’t know who they’ll be playing during the final two weeks of the regular season until mid-February, when the standings will determine the final matchups. The move is to ensure the league’s best teams are playing each other in hopes of improving their tournament profiles.
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January 2019
Tri-State Girls High School Basketball Preview
State Title Contenders
Huntington St. Joe, Wayne and Boyd County top the local Girls High School Basketball scene compiled by Dave Walsh THE INSIDER writer
With four starters back, along with a solid bench, Huntington St. Joe finds itself atop one West Virginia Class A girls basketball preseason poll (Associated Press) and more than capable of making yet another run at a state championship.
After a 73-56 win at Parkersburg on Jan. 3, St. Joe’s record was 9-1. It was the first loss for the Class AAA Big Reds (8-1). “As long as we stay unselfish, I think it’s going to be a good year,” Lewis told Greg Carey of WV MetroNews after the game.
Two returning starters, Paige Shy and Dena Jarrells, already have signed to play college basketball. Shy is headed to Marshall and Jarrells to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Other starters back are Bailee Adkins and Hannah Roberts. Adkins, a junior, is getting plenty of college looks. Shy, Jarrells and Adkins made first-team All-State last season. Top players off the bench are Abby Lee and Laney Whitmore.
Shy averaged 16.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game a year ago when the Lady Irish reached the state championship game where Wheeling Central prevailed. Jarrells went over 1,000 career points in her sophomore season. She’s averaged 16-plus points a game the past two seasons.
“I’m sure with the success we’ve had, coaches and the press will us up one or two,” Lady Irish coach Shannon Lewis said. “The kids know it. They’re working hard and handle it (notoriety) well.”
Lewis said the Lady Irish have plenty of motivation for this season. They started the season with two convincing wins over Class AAA schools in a weekend doubleheader in Morgantown.”They feel a little chip on their shoulder. They let one slip away,” Lewis said of the loss to Wheeling Central in the 2018 title game. “They’re focused.” St. Joe does have a demanding road schedule as usual. The Lady Irish didn’t play their first home game until Jan. 12.
West Virginia HUNTINGTON: Alezha Turner, Madison Slash and Ravyn Goodson can put points on the board for the Highlanders, who knocked of Class AAA No. 2 Parkersburg South after dropping their opener to Class AA Wayne. CABELL MIDLAND: Kirya Kingery and Gracie Hightower are two of the top players back for the Lady Knights, who routed Clay County in their opener. SPRING VALLEY: Bre Saunders is one of the top scorers for the Lady Timberwolves and freshman Ella Edwards can excel on the boards. Haley McComas is the team’s lone senior starter. WAYNE: The Lady Pioneers will rely on Whitney Sansom, Lakyn Adkins, Alana Eaves and Haley Wallace. Adkins totaled 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as Class AA Wayne beat Class AAA Huntington in its opener for the first time in school history. The Lady Pioneers started the season 9-0.
January 2019 / THE INSIDER /
LINCOLN COUNTY: Junior Gracie Brumfield had a triple-double (10 points, 10 steals, and 10 assists) to lead the Lady Panthers past Point Pleasant. TOLSIA: Sarah Jude, a 5-10 senior, returns and can handle the point or play inside. The Lady Rebels lost five seniors off last season’s 8-win team. TUG VALLEY: Clyde Farley returns to coach the Lady Panthers. He went 67-27 in his first stint from 1999-2004. Farley has one senior on the young squad. Top returnee is sophomore Makayla May. POINT PLEASANT: DaNayla Ward, Nancy Vettese, and Brooke Warner are the scoring threats for the Lady Knights. HANNAN: Freshman Kaleigh Sturgeon and Julie Frazier are players to watch for the Lady Cats.
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COAL GROVE: Sophomore Addi Dillow is one spark as she scored 19 points in a season-opening loss to Oak Hill. GALLIA ACADEMY: Jordan Deel is the new head coach for the Blue Angels. Players to watch include Hunter Copley, Maddy Petro and Brooklyn Hill. IRONTON ST. JOE: The Lady Flyers are playing in a new facility, the Parish Life Center. Faith Mahlmeister and cousins Emma and Bella Whaley also are players to keep an eye on. WHEELERSBURG: Kaylee Darnell, Abbie Kallner and freshman Alaina Keeney provide the scoring punch for the Lady Pirates. RIVER VALLEY: Senior Kelsey Brown and Hannah Jacks are two big scoring threats for the Lady Raiders.
WAHAMA: Emma Gibbs had a double-double (14 points, 13 rebounds) in loss to South Gallias. Hannah Rose can score, too, for the Lady Falcons.
GREEN: Freshman Kasey Kimbler appears to be the player to watch as she had 19 points in a season-opening loss at Raceland.
COVENANT: Eden Bumgardner and Karleigh Collins are two big guns to watch.
SYMMES VALLEY: Jenna Malone and Rachael Hayes are Lady Vikings to watch.
GRACE CHRISTIAN: Hazley Matthews can score, dish out assists and record steals for the Soldiers. Samantha Wells and Emily Hutchinson can put up points, too.
SOUTH GALLIA: Jessica Rutt and Kiley Stapleton are two scoring threats for Lady Rebels.
Ohio FAIRLAND: Allie Marshall, Jenna Stone, Harlie Lyons and Kelsie Warnock are players to watch for the Lady Dragons. IRONTON: Haylee Stevens, Ellie Williams and Samantha LaFon are leading point producers for the Lady Tigers. Stevens had 19 in a win over Fairland. Scoring threat Lexi Arden suffered a preseason knee injury and it’s not known how long she’ll be out. SOUTH POINT: Emilee Whitt and Emilee Carey provide the scoring punch for the Lady Pointers and Ashley Perkey in a threat inside. CHESAPEAKE: Maddie Ward and Karli Davis are Lady Panthers to watch. Chesapeake also needs to be consistent as it had just five second-half points in a home loss to South Point. PORTSMOUTH: The Lady Trojans have a new head coach in Amy Hughes and her debut was a success as they rallied from a 16-2 deficit to defeat Ironton, 42-38. Jasmine Eley is player to watch as she tallied 25 against Ironton. ROCK HILL: Rylie Morris appears to be the top scoring threat for the Redwomen. She had 21 in a win against Ironton St. Joe.
OAK HILL: Caitlyn Brisker, Payton Crabtree and Olivia Clarkson are players to watch for the Lady Oaks.
Kentucky BOYD COUNTY: Senior guard Savannah Wheeler, who has signed with Marshall, started 2018-19 with a 44-point game in a win over Johnson Central. She is a top contender for the Miss Basketball award. The Lady Lions started the season 11-1. ASHLAND: Julia Parker hit for 28 points in a win over Henry Clay. Mikayla Martin also can score for the Kittens. RUSSELL: Coach Mandy Layne will count on Kaeli Ross and Campbell Jachimczuk. The Lady Red Devils started 9-2. GREENUP COUNTY: Grace Jackson paced the Lady Musketeers with 22 points in a win over Elliott County. FAIRVIEW: Opponents had better watch out for Gracie Crisp, who had 29 in a win over Morgan County. RACELAND: Holly Bryant, Kierston Smith, Emilee Garvin and Chloe Collins can put up points for the Lady Rams. ROSE HILL CHRISTIAN: Bellamee Sparks and Baylee Trimble are scoring threats for the Lady Royals
Paige Shy Huntington St. Joe photo courtesy of Prospects Nation
“Consistency” is the word that best describes our High School Athlete for this month, Huntington St. Joe girls basketball senior Paige Shy. The 5-10 guard is leading the Irish to possibly another state Class A title by playing a complete game of scoring, assists, rebounding and defense. Shy and the Irish wrapped up the first half of the 2018-2019 regular season with a perfect 11-0 record which included wins over Class AAA powers South Charleston, Parkersburg, Martinsburg and Morgantown, Class AA standout Wyoming East and strong Kentucky squads Boyd County and Johnson Central. The Irish have also picked up victories over squads from Georgia and Tennessee and even a team from the Canadian province of Manitoba. Shy is the clear leader on a team which also features the strong inside presence of fellow senior Dena Jarrells and strong play of junior Bailee Adkins, all double-figure scorers. Shy, who began her high school career at Spring Valley, averaged 18.4 points and 5 rebounds per game through the first eleven games of the season. She also contributes just under two assists and just over two steals per contest. Her top scoring efforts so far this season have come against strong competition, as she scored 31 points against Johnson Central and 25 against Wyoming East. She also exceeded the 20-point mark in games against Parkersburg and Boyd County. Shy also had big rebound nights against the so-called “big schools”, grabbing nine against Wyoming East and eight versus South Charleston. She also makes opponents pay at the free throw line, knocking down 79% of her charity tosses. Irish Head Coach Shannon Lewis is also pleased that Shy will play an entire game as she never came close to fouling out in early-season games. Shy won’t be leaving home when her high school career ends, as she has signed to play basketball at Marshall University, joining another Tri-State standout, Boyd County’s Savannah Wheeler.
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