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Written by John Schaffner
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Thursday, 03 January 2008 |
Your team is playing in the toughest environment in the Conference, against the team picked to win it all, your team is loaded with sophomores and you are down by 13 at the end of the first quarter. Game over, right? Wrong!
The Port Clinton Redskins did not panic or hang their heads when Sandusky St. Mary's Central Catholic jumped on them for an 18-5 lead after the first quarter. They decided it was time to execute and they rallied for a 60-54 win on the road at The Den Friday night. The victory puts the Redskins in control of the Sandusky Bay Conference with a one-game lead over Clyde and a two-game margin over the Panthers.
"I was proud of the way we fought back after the early deficit," said PC Coach Troy Diels this week. "We made a couple of adjustments at halftime and the kids executed those changes very well. I can't say enough about the great job they did on defense." He added that senior Jarrod Cox did an outstanding job on consensus all conference player, Ryan Heath.
The Redskins once again displayed their balance offensively, as Kyle Millinger and Ryan Hicks each scored 15. Cox and Tory Horne, each had 9. Horne's play off the bench was key.
This week, the Redskins host Perkins then travel to Norwalk, the class of the Northern Ohio League so far this season. "Perkins is a talented team, and they are finally healthy," says Diels. "They put an athletic group on the floor with some size. Their leading scorer is a transfer from Sandusky High School, Shon Alexander." Clyde lost a thriller to Clyde Friday night, 49-47.
Norwalk rolled over Tiffin Columbian last Friday, 54-38 to up their record to 7-0 overall. "They feature 7'0" Kyle Smith in the middle and some great guard play featuring Kyle Kurtz on the perimeter," says Diels. "It will be another great non-league road test for us, especially on the road."
The Redskins head into January with a 7-2 record, first place in the SBC and a lot of confidence. However, they have struggled in recent seasons in January. Diels prefers to dwell on the positives. "This team prepares like no other I have coached. They do a great job understanding the scouting reports that we give them for each game. They also respond to challenges that are put in front of them. However, we know we have not accomplished anything yet. We have a lot of work to do and we want to continue to get better each day."
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