Mid-State League ‘22-23
- Thread starter The Dock
- Start date
The Dock
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One other notable result on the girls’ side tonight is Fisher (16-5) beating HP (17-5) 56-44. The Lady Irish avenge a 21-point loss from back in December @ The Cave.
This is a pretty solid one to notch into the ‘W’ column, even after tonight. Good momentum riding into a district tournament with (the presumption of) NC in district-semifinals and, if advance, Round ‘3’ vs BU in the district semi-final.
Here was Martin RPI’s graphic on the highest PPG differentials statewide on the girls’ side, published before tonight’s games.
For D4, Berne is at #3 and FC #4; for D3, HP is #4. I suspect those schools will still be in the same positions even in light of tonight’s results.
Good luck to HP in the girls’ tourney. They have a pretty solid crack at a District final appearance. That DeSales win looks really good for them, too.
This is a pretty solid one to notch into the ‘W’ column, even after tonight. Good momentum riding into a district tournament with (the presumption of) NC in district-semifinals and, if advance, Round ‘3’ vs BU in the district semi-final.
Here was Martin RPI’s graphic on the highest PPG differentials statewide on the girls’ side, published before tonight’s games.
For D4, Berne is at #3 and FC #4; for D3, HP is #4. I suspect those schools will still be in the same positions even in light of tonight’s results.
Good luck to HP in the girls’ tourney. They have a pretty solid crack at a District final appearance. That DeSales win looks really good for them, too.
The Dock
Persona Non Grata
I came across this online, and figured I would post (paraphrased it.)
Some of the MSL-Cardinal Girls’ Basketball accomplishments this season:
• Beat the CCL champion
• Beat the MBC champion
• Beat the SOC 1 champion
• Beat the MOCAL champion
plus, wins over: DeSales, Ready, Amanda, Pickerington North, Loudonville, London, Jonathan Alder, Zanesville
Some of the MSL-Cardinal Girls’ Basketball accomplishments this season:
• Beat the CCL champion
• Beat the MBC champion
• Beat the SOC 1 champion
• Beat the MOCAL champion
plus, wins over: DeSales, Ready, Amanda, Pickerington North, Loudonville, London, Jonathan Alder, Zanesville
JokesOnYou
Active member
The women side the last several years has been really deep, and I would argue this is one of the best years for women Cardinals basketball in the last decade.
The Dock
Persona Non Grata
It’s probably the best saga for the Cardinal since the early-90’s. The 2000’s was a comparative dead-zone to today.
JokesOnYou
Active member
Nyalle has just reached the 1,000 point club, becoming the third boy to accomplish it at Harvest Prep.
The Dock
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JokesOnYou
Active member
Yes
Now that the regular season is over for most teams, I can officially say that my MOCAL predictions were pretty much spot on. Not like this is predicting Big 10 basketball or anything, but for one season at least things generally played out as expected. Surprise upsets included Granville over Delaware and Madison over Shekinah. Other than that, most teams didn't really lose to anyone more than a rung below them. https://www.mocalathletics.com/boysbasketball
Any major surprises in the MSL (any division)?
Looking ahead to the D4 Tournament:
Central 1 - https://officials.myohsaa.org/Admin/Bracket/PublicBracket?TournamentId=2865
1) #8 Delaware Christian vs. #9 Liberty Christian: DCS won both regular season games fairly easily and will host. I'd go with them if I had to guess.
2) #3 Northmor vs. #12 Berne Union: I'm calling Northmor to play Patriot in the District title, so I'd say they roll in both of their first two games.
3) #10 Shekinah Christian vs. #11 Fisher Catholic: Toss up. Shekinah has played well at times but has also put up some absolute duds where they just can't score. FC has been much more competitive recently. I watched their game on YouTube against FCA. Do they always stall like that? They went to a 4-corner stall for minutes at a time. I suppose that would keep any game close, so if Shekinah is content to let them slow it down then it should be a close game that comes down to the wire.
4) #2 Patriot Prep vs. #17 Mechanicsburg: Patriot. They'll cruise to the finals against Northmor, which should be a pretty good game. Hard to get a read on Northmor since they had been D3 for years and don't play many Central schools.
Prediction: Northmor beats Patriot Prep for District Title.
Central 2 - https://officials.myohsaa.org/Admin/Bracket/PublicBracket?TournamentId=2866
Play-In) #13 Granville Christian vs. #14 Madison Christian: Granville has handled Madison both times they played and gets to host, so I'll go with them. But Madison has been better of late so it could go either way.
1) #1 Northside Christian vs. #16 Ridgedale: Northside. Millersport could provide a bit of a test in the Semi-Finals but I think Northside will advance to the finals. Northside really seemed to use their loss to FCA as a wake-up call and seem to be on a mission.
2) #5 Millersport vs. #13 Granville/#14 Madison: Millersport shouldn't have any issues with their opener. I'm sure they're already prepping for Northside.
3) #4 Fairfield Christian vs. #7 Newark Catholic: FCA can't be happy about how this one played out, but I think they still win and will ultimately advance to District Finals.
4) #6 Danville vs. #15 Wellington: Probably the best bottom-3 seed you would have to face, so a tough draw for Danville. I still think the Blue Devils win their Sectional but drop the District Semis.
Prediction: Northside Christian beats Fairfield Christian in a rematch for the District Title.
Any major surprises in the MSL (any division)?
Looking ahead to the D4 Tournament:
Central 1 - https://officials.myohsaa.org/Admin/Bracket/PublicBracket?TournamentId=2865
1) #8 Delaware Christian vs. #9 Liberty Christian: DCS won both regular season games fairly easily and will host. I'd go with them if I had to guess.
2) #3 Northmor vs. #12 Berne Union: I'm calling Northmor to play Patriot in the District title, so I'd say they roll in both of their first two games.
3) #10 Shekinah Christian vs. #11 Fisher Catholic: Toss up. Shekinah has played well at times but has also put up some absolute duds where they just can't score. FC has been much more competitive recently. I watched their game on YouTube against FCA. Do they always stall like that? They went to a 4-corner stall for minutes at a time. I suppose that would keep any game close, so if Shekinah is content to let them slow it down then it should be a close game that comes down to the wire.
4) #2 Patriot Prep vs. #17 Mechanicsburg: Patriot. They'll cruise to the finals against Northmor, which should be a pretty good game. Hard to get a read on Northmor since they had been D3 for years and don't play many Central schools.
Prediction: Northmor beats Patriot Prep for District Title.
Central 2 - https://officials.myohsaa.org/Admin/Bracket/PublicBracket?TournamentId=2866
Play-In) #13 Granville Christian vs. #14 Madison Christian: Granville has handled Madison both times they played and gets to host, so I'll go with them. But Madison has been better of late so it could go either way.
1) #1 Northside Christian vs. #16 Ridgedale: Northside. Millersport could provide a bit of a test in the Semi-Finals but I think Northside will advance to the finals. Northside really seemed to use their loss to FCA as a wake-up call and seem to be on a mission.
2) #5 Millersport vs. #13 Granville/#14 Madison: Millersport shouldn't have any issues with their opener. I'm sure they're already prepping for Northside.
3) #4 Fairfield Christian vs. #7 Newark Catholic: FCA can't be happy about how this one played out, but I think they still win and will ultimately advance to District Finals.
4) #6 Danville vs. #15 Wellington: Probably the best bottom-3 seed you would have to face, so a tough draw for Danville. I still think the Blue Devils win their Sectional but drop the District Semis.
Prediction: Northside Christian beats Fairfield Christian in a rematch for the District Title.
The Dock
Persona Non Grata
They’ve ran it before vs Berne. What they typically have ran on the year is a pretty simple version of a 4o1i (not Jay Wright’s version, obviously, just a version that works for HS’ers that doesn’t require a real big man or strong big Senior guards that can push the ball — neither of which FC has.)
With them not having any real size this year, they’ve more/less had to fill that post with either last year’s PG or someone who is also 6’2” who probably — at least more naturally — is more of a perimeter player than a paint presence. It’s not a bad situation by any means, because they have kids who can backfill the backcourt and handle the ball. Plus they work at it. It’s just that if they’re cold from 3-pt land or if they get messy passing the ball around (like if they’re on the left wing) they can slip into quicksand fast.
FWIW (and this has nothing to do with any apparent biases), I don’t really see it as stalling. The idea is really to just spread out the 2-3’s and either a) take advantage of an overzealous/impatient defender up top or b) make the space work for you if both kids up top come out. It’s a wrinkle into the offense that has worked well.
The Dock
Persona Non Grata
On the girls’ side…
(non-Cardinal) #1 seed Worthington Christian takes on Amanda in the Columbus 2 district for D3 in a district semi-final. The winner of that game takes on the winner of HP/Mechanicsburg. Mechanicsburg looks pretty legit on paper. Good luck to the HP girls!
In D4, there are some minor sparks that have flown… as the #6 seed Danville stuns #2 seed Newark Catholic at the Home of Champions (NC probably should’ve been the #3 seed and FC the #2, but it doesn’t matter.) FC faces the Krewe of Blue Devils on Fat Tuesday in a district-semifinal at 8pm, immediately after the other district semi (Berne vs Mt Gilead) wraps up at Westerville Central.
(non-Cardinal) #1 seed Worthington Christian takes on Amanda in the Columbus 2 district for D3 in a district semi-final. The winner of that game takes on the winner of HP/Mechanicsburg. Mechanicsburg looks pretty legit on paper. Good luck to the HP girls!
In D4, there are some minor sparks that have flown… as the #6 seed Danville stuns #2 seed Newark Catholic at the Home of Champions (NC probably should’ve been the #3 seed and FC the #2, but it doesn’t matter.) FC faces the Krewe of Blue Devils on Fat Tuesday in a district-semifinal at 8pm, immediately after the other district semi (Berne vs Mt Gilead) wraps up at Westerville Central.
The Dock
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JokesOnYou
Active member
Harvest Prep and WC could also meet in the District Final for boys basketball as well. Also, this will be HPS girls first District Final appearance since 2011.
The Dock
Persona Non Grata
More to come from me on D4 after tonight.
The tide is starting to rise with HPS girls’. They’ll be very good for the next three years. It would be good to see them win a District Title, and beyond!
The Dock
Persona Non Grata
Another unexpected twist in the D4 Central District tournament on the girls side…
Mt. Gilead 43
Berne Union 38
Although rivals, I feel for Berne. Fantastic team; fantastic group of athletes. They left their mark not just for their community, but increased the fabric and tradition for all of girls’ athletics in Fairfield County — and this group of seniors will stand the test of time.
Mt. Gilead 43
Berne Union 38
Although rivals, I feel for Berne. Fantastic team; fantastic group of athletes. They left their mark not just for their community, but increased the fabric and tradition for all of girls’ athletics in Fairfield County — and this group of seniors will stand the test of time.
The Dock
Persona Non Grata
[1/2] “What best represents the idea that your league is on the precipice of (potentially) achieving a local-and-regional reputation of prowess in a specific sport?”
I think the opportunity for the Cardinal to earn some acclaim in a sport because of what’s been accomplished, through multiple schools, is satisfying. We are (after all) a collection of some of the state’s smallest schools. There’s a lot of versatility involved with our kids. What comes with our territory is, simply, acclaim and the limelight just doesn’t come easy. A mediocre OCC program can get 10x the sum total of coverage ours’ gets. Whether that’s right, or wrong, well… it doesn’t matter.
What I also think is for that sport to be girls’ basketball, it is deeply significant and it is a blessing. I think it is fortunate that this zenith comes in a time where there is generally more respect for women’s sports than in previous generations. I think when you look at what’s happening statewide, with generally lower numbers in the girls’ programs (various reasons), to be able to champion what you have and how it was made possible by the hard work (and dedication) of the coaches and the girls is the ultimate expression of gratitude. Pride reinforces gratitude; gratitude reinforces character formation; character formation reinforces pride.
I think the opportunity for the Cardinal to earn some acclaim in a sport because of what’s been accomplished, through multiple schools, is satisfying. We are (after all) a collection of some of the state’s smallest schools. There’s a lot of versatility involved with our kids. What comes with our territory is, simply, acclaim and the limelight just doesn’t come easy. A mediocre OCC program can get 10x the sum total of coverage ours’ gets. Whether that’s right, or wrong, well… it doesn’t matter.
What I also think is for that sport to be girls’ basketball, it is deeply significant and it is a blessing. I think it is fortunate that this zenith comes in a time where there is generally more respect for women’s sports than in previous generations. I think when you look at what’s happening statewide, with generally lower numbers in the girls’ programs (various reasons), to be able to champion what you have and how it was made possible by the hard work (and dedication) of the coaches and the girls is the ultimate expression of gratitude. Pride reinforces gratitude; gratitude reinforces character formation; character formation reinforces pride.
The Dock
Persona Non Grata
[2/2]
For that line to be led the longest time by a generational group of girls at BU; it’s inspiring. For that same line to be, now, carried today and the foreseeable future (this year, next year… years afterwards?) by HP and FC it’s… captivating in a vein.
Two schools that form an odd couple of sorts. In the mid-to-late 2000’s, it’s the ascent of HP that directly threatens Irish dominance on the courts. As it came to be, the changing of the guard in a northwesterly direction up Rt. 33 didn’t just happen in hoops but football as well. February 22nd, 2008 — D4 (Girls) District Final; FC 52 HP 45
There is some poetic element in the air. The two schools’ athletics had diverged after that point; HP becomes a statewide titan on the boys and girls’ side of hoops, FC (who had just played for a D3 District Title in 2007 on the girls’ side) hits the immediately sharp enrollment decline spanning 2008-2015. What at one point in time shaped to be a decade-spanning saga of top-billing cage matches in boys’ and girls’ only churned to a few years of intense competition… the next seven years (for a variety of reasons) become a greatly brutal period. From ‘15 onward things began to gradually trickle up on the competition side; better games and more (general) respect with less venom. It’s gotten better and better.
So, here we are… 15 years to the date of the last STRONGLY significant contest (league/district title on the line) between the two schools. Those in the stands that night at Westerville Central probably didn’t know it’d be the last. As time marched on, there truly was never an inkling that the two would ever face off again with a net to be cut afterwards. And while that elusive match-up is not happening this week (since they’re in different postseason divisions), the opportunity to carry the torch and potentially win District Titles each — for their community, and for the Cardinal — is significant and meaningful. And it’s a prelude to the match-up that looms next season, where the writing is on the wall which two teams will play for the Cardinal crown.
Until then, may the wind be at your back and the road rise to meet you as HP faces Worthington Christian on Thursday and FC faces Mt. Gilead on Friday. Good luck to both teams. I’m bullish on both of their prospects later this week.
For that line to be led the longest time by a generational group of girls at BU; it’s inspiring. For that same line to be, now, carried today and the foreseeable future (this year, next year… years afterwards?) by HP and FC it’s… captivating in a vein.
Two schools that form an odd couple of sorts. In the mid-to-late 2000’s, it’s the ascent of HP that directly threatens Irish dominance on the courts. As it came to be, the changing of the guard in a northwesterly direction up Rt. 33 didn’t just happen in hoops but football as well. February 22nd, 2008 — D4 (Girls) District Final; FC 52 HP 45
There is some poetic element in the air. The two schools’ athletics had diverged after that point; HP becomes a statewide titan on the boys and girls’ side of hoops, FC (who had just played for a D3 District Title in 2007 on the girls’ side) hits the immediately sharp enrollment decline spanning 2008-2015. What at one point in time shaped to be a decade-spanning saga of top-billing cage matches in boys’ and girls’ only churned to a few years of intense competition… the next seven years (for a variety of reasons) become a greatly brutal period. From ‘15 onward things began to gradually trickle up on the competition side; better games and more (general) respect with less venom. It’s gotten better and better.
So, here we are… 15 years to the date of the last STRONGLY significant contest (league/district title on the line) between the two schools. Those in the stands that night at Westerville Central probably didn’t know it’d be the last. As time marched on, there truly was never an inkling that the two would ever face off again with a net to be cut afterwards. And while that elusive match-up is not happening this week (since they’re in different postseason divisions), the opportunity to carry the torch and potentially win District Titles each — for their community, and for the Cardinal — is significant and meaningful. And it’s a prelude to the match-up that looms next season, where the writing is on the wall which two teams will play for the Cardinal crown.
Until then, may the wind be at your back and the road rise to meet you as HP faces Worthington Christian on Thursday and FC faces Mt. Gilead on Friday. Good luck to both teams. I’m bullish on both of their prospects later this week.
JokesOnYou
Active member
The Cardinal has had one of its best and most competitive years in girls' and boys' basketball. BR vs. HPS on the boys' side was the most competitive game I have seen an MSL team play against Harvest Prep. The atmosphere was electric, and both teams went all out for the MSL title. Then we had Millersport, FCA, and GCC battling for 3-5. Lastly, outside of the top two teams, it felt like anyone could win any night. For the girls' side, the HPS, FC, and Berne were great for the sport. Berne's dominance, the split between HPS and FC, and the playoff success of those teams make for a great season. Congrats to HPS and FC in their games, and bring home some District Titles to the Cardinal.
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The Dock
Persona Non Grata
I’ll let @JokesOnYou provide a final on HP/WC.
JokesOnYou
Active member
For the first time since 2011, the HPS girls' basketball team is heading to the regionals. It has been a long and hard road to getting back to the regionals, and I want to congratulate them and the staff for the last couple of years of significant improvement. After the back-to-back state championships, the program struggled to stay competitive. A large part of that is because of the departure of their head coach, David Dennis, who is now the head coach for the boy's program. However, it seemed that the interest in playing HPS basketball was low following the championship run. Although playing with a lot of heart, the teams struggled to win games, having 5+ years of losing seasons.
There were some glimmers of hope. In the 2019-2020 season, the girl's basketball team started to look like its former self. They were led by Chrisette Anthony, sister to HPS legend CJ Anthony, and had several other talented freshmen. The team took a big step forward in 2020-2021, going from 7-16 to 11-11, also improving in the conference. Furthermore, the girl's middle school program also did exceptionally well; they finished runner-up to FC. With a new staff, the numbers increased tremendously, and the program looked to have a similar moxie to the state championship team. Last year's team would continue the trend, going the farthest since the 2011 season before losing to Africentric in Districts. Lastly, the middle school basketball team would dominate everyone in their path for their first championship in a long time. These years were crucial to today's game as they set up the return of HPS girls' basketball.
The game was going to be tough. Worthington Christian team was great, as they finished undefeated in MSL-Ohio action. Going into the game, the one concern I had was the inexperience of the girl's basketball team. The team has a lot of key contributing Freshmen on the team who have never played at this stage before. However, the whole team did excellently. Fighting the entire game with Worthington Christian, the game was tightly contested. Neither team led by more than 6 points, and there were many different lead changes throughout the game. After entering halftime with a lead, Worthington Christian would go on a run to take the lead 32-26. It felt like the game might slip away from the girl's hands, but a late rally led them to only being down by 1 heading into the 4th quarter. From there, each team would hit massive shots. Harvest Prep would take the lead midway through the 4th and barely kept a hold of the lead by a score of 43-39. Then, Worthington Christian would hit a 3, leading to a 43-42 game. However, Harvest Preps' senior leaders and star freshmen would lead them to withhold Worthington Christian, giving them their first District Title since 2011.
Congrats to both teams, and good luck to Fisher Catholic in their matchup tomorrow.
There were some glimmers of hope. In the 2019-2020 season, the girl's basketball team started to look like its former self. They were led by Chrisette Anthony, sister to HPS legend CJ Anthony, and had several other talented freshmen. The team took a big step forward in 2020-2021, going from 7-16 to 11-11, also improving in the conference. Furthermore, the girl's middle school program also did exceptionally well; they finished runner-up to FC. With a new staff, the numbers increased tremendously, and the program looked to have a similar moxie to the state championship team. Last year's team would continue the trend, going the farthest since the 2011 season before losing to Africentric in Districts. Lastly, the middle school basketball team would dominate everyone in their path for their first championship in a long time. These years were crucial to today's game as they set up the return of HPS girls' basketball.
The game was going to be tough. Worthington Christian team was great, as they finished undefeated in MSL-Ohio action. Going into the game, the one concern I had was the inexperience of the girl's basketball team. The team has a lot of key contributing Freshmen on the team who have never played at this stage before. However, the whole team did excellently. Fighting the entire game with Worthington Christian, the game was tightly contested. Neither team led by more than 6 points, and there were many different lead changes throughout the game. After entering halftime with a lead, Worthington Christian would go on a run to take the lead 32-26. It felt like the game might slip away from the girl's hands, but a late rally led them to only being down by 1 heading into the 4th quarter. From there, each team would hit massive shots. Harvest Prep would take the lead midway through the 4th and barely kept a hold of the lead by a score of 43-39. Then, Worthington Christian would hit a 3, leading to a 43-42 game. However, Harvest Preps' senior leaders and star freshmen would lead them to withhold Worthington Christian, giving them their first District Title since 2011.
Congrats to both teams, and good luck to Fisher Catholic in their matchup tomorrow.
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Tonight’s girls’ District Final game between FC and Mt. Gilead will be live-streamed by Innerphase Video here: https://youtube.com/@cln-yourhometownconnection761/streams
The Dock
Persona Non Grata
I’ll preface by saying, regardless of how the game would’ve turned out, that was a game that truly represented the best of what you can see at this stage. This state is deep. Were I a spectator with no irons in the fire, I would’ve enjoyed the quality of play wire-to-wire.
Hats off to Mt. Gilead; their coaches and their girls. That was a very confident team with balanced scoring. There were probably three or four different points in the game where FC was one stop-and-score away from the walls closing in — and each and every time MG got a bucket to drop. The Lady Indians dug deep!
I’ll edit in some more general comments on the game once I re-watch it(*). What I will say is, with a final score of 51-42, the game to a large extent was more fiercely competitive than the score suggests; at the same time, the win (and the margin) represents the performance, tenacity and resolve by the entire team. True team effort in every sense of the word — and that’s what makes this group of girls so tough on the court.
Proud of them all; they work so hard that words can’t do their ethic its necessary justice. But, a District Title can. I’m even prouder for them that they got to earn their biggest accomplishment to date in front of their parents and family, teachers, classmates and friends — their biggest supporters in their day-to-day. Their excitement and celebration as time expired will go down as one of the richest moments all who support them will witness. I’m thankful for the opportunity to have seen it in person.
Irish eyes are smiling, tonight!
Hats off to Mt. Gilead; their coaches and their girls. That was a very confident team with balanced scoring. There were probably three or four different points in the game where FC was one stop-and-score away from the walls closing in — and each and every time MG got a bucket to drop. The Lady Indians dug deep!
I’ll edit in some more general comments on the game once I re-watch it(*). What I will say is, with a final score of 51-42, the game to a large extent was more fiercely competitive than the score suggests; at the same time, the win (and the margin) represents the performance, tenacity and resolve by the entire team. True team effort in every sense of the word — and that’s what makes this group of girls so tough on the court.
Proud of them all; they work so hard that words can’t do their ethic its necessary justice. But, a District Title can. I’m even prouder for them that they got to earn their biggest accomplishment to date in front of their parents and family, teachers, classmates and friends — their biggest supporters in their day-to-day. Their excitement and celebration as time expired will go down as one of the richest moments all who support them will witness. I’m thankful for the opportunity to have seen it in person.
Irish eyes are smiling, tonight!
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baller2___
New member
(5)Harvest Prep 64 - (4) Northridge 44
Harvest Prep back in the district finals against (2) Worthington Christian on Thursday
Harvest Prep back in the district finals against (2) Worthington Christian on Thursday
The Dock
Persona Non Grata
I saw it was 32/31 at half. I bet no one was safe in the locker room after that horn sounded!