4theteam wrote:
Wow ! Anyone that loves watching girls highschool basketball needs to be at this game Saturday (12/12) with Utica and Loudenville! I see 2 teams very evenly matched that can produce 70 points a night. This will be a high scoring game and the team that can stay out of foul trouble will most likely walk away with the win. These are 2 teams that are 4-0 and the winner takes over 1st place in the league. I guarentee you will get your money's worth on this game. My bet is on Utica with a home victory by 3 pts over the redbirds. 73-70. Any other predictions or thoughts ?
Ill take Utica, 65-64. Obviously biased here, but I think Corbett and Londot show up and do their thing, Davis is solid at both ends, and Wolfe and Overton put us over the top. I look for those two, our two youngest players by class (sophmore and freshman respectively) to combine for 20-25 points. Wolfe is a very good rebounder, and so is Overton for a guard, so I look for solid point production, rebounding and of course, DEFENSE from them. I expect Scarberry, Vanhorn and of course, Orchard to all have big games for the Redbirds (especially since Orchard is coming off of a 5 point game; she might score 30+ if we can't defend her), but I think at home, good coaching, good crowd, and several younger players developing nicely make Utica a real riddle to figure out for other teams, and a very nice suprise for us fans this year.
The approach will be fairly similar to Heath I would think, without trying to give up 42 to Orchard like we did to White...survive the storm from the star player early (Orchard always plays good against us), and just stay close, wear them down with pressure, and by the 4th period, take Orchard away as much as possible and force someone else to win it for Loudonville. I think they're more balanced than Heath, but I think we're the MOST balanced team Heath or Loudonville will play this year. Especially if Lugar can give Londot ANY kind of help inside. If not, I'm all for putting in younger players.
4theteam, any chance they'll put a freshman on Orchard, like we saw with Megan White?? She did a very good job despite a height disadvantage, by making up with speed. She won't be faster than Orchard, but she might be able to match her. Any thoughts on this?