Portsmouth Trojans 2022-23

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trojandave

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The Portsmouth Trojans will open the 2022-23 season featuring what could be the shortest starting lineup in PHS history. Right now, the projected starting 5 should be 6-1 SR Kenny Sanderlin, 16.2 PPG, 6-0 JR DeAndre Berry (high game last season 24 pts.), 6-0 JR Devin Lattimore (20 pts. vs. South Point in sectional), 5-9 JR Isaiah Lewis (starting PG on JV team), and either 6-0 SR Tyler Duncan (3 point specialist) or 5-11 JR LeVaughn Cobb (leading scorer on JV team). 5-9 SR Reade Pendleton could be an important player for the varsity, but it is unknown as to whether he will play.

Off the bench will be 6-2 JR Noah Livingston, 6-3 SO Luke Stine, and 6-3 JR Donnovan Breech.

Strengths of the Trojans will be athleticism, quickness, being able to get the ball up the court quickly, and 5-6 kids who can hit the 3. The major concern will be rebounding with such a short lineup, so it will have to be rebound by committee.

Two important milestones are attainable this season. Portsmouth needs 13 wins to reach the 1,500 mark (currently 1,487--816), and Coach Eugene Collins needs 8 wins to reach 200 for his career at PHS (currently 192-116).

In the Ohio Valley Conference, Portsmouth could seriously contend for the title or at least be in the top 3. Fairland once again won the conference last season, and has won the OVC every year since 2015, when the Trojans won the title in their 1st year.

Portsmouth will also be looking to advance out of the sectional which it hasn't done since the 2017 season. The Trojans advanced to the Athens District at the Convo and lost to South Point in the semifinals 59-42 after beating the Pointers twice in the regular season. PHS will also be trying to end 2 dubious losing streaks, 15 straight losses to Fairland and 8 to Ironton.
 
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First game of the season.........Coal Grove 72, PHS 71.........3 ball at buzzer by CG's Owen Johnson wins the game. Johnson had 39 points, while Devin Lattimore had 29 and Kenny Sanderlin 23 for Portsmouth. CG hit 12 threes. PHS 0-1 in the OVC.

PHS travels to South Point on Friday in another OVC contest.
 
South Point jumped to an 18-4 first qtr. lead and cruised to a 73-55 win over Portsmouth. The Trojans are now 0-2 on the season and 0-2 in the OVC, and also occupy last place (8th) in the conference. A bright spot so far has been JR Devin Lattimore, who is averaging 25.5 PPG.

PHS now plays New Hope today at the Buckeye Elite Showcase at Shawnee State.
 
PHS 73, New Hope 47........Trojans' defense showed up, while DeAndre Berry had 19 points. Devin Lattimore and Tyler Duncan added double figures. Portsmouth now 1-2 on the season, with 2 OVC games this week at home (Chesapeake and Fairland).
 
Portsmouth 59, Chesapeake 44 at PHS. Trojans used a 12-2 third qtr. spurt to pull away from the Panthers and raise their record to 2-2 overall and 1-2 in OVC play. DeAndre Berry had 18 points, while Devin Lattimore pitched in 16 and Tyler Duncan 13.

Portsmouth will try to end a 15 game losing streak to Fairland when they host the Dragons in An OVC contest. Fairland is coming off a 58-30 home loss to South Point.
 
Fairland beat Portsmouth last night for the 16th straight time.......72-61 at PHS. The Trojans haven't beaten the Dragons since the 2015 season. PHS is now 2-3 overall, and 1-3 in the OVC and in last place. Devin Lattimore 25 pts. for PHS, while DeAndre Berry added 20.

JV Trojans are 0-4, while the PJHS Trojans are also 0-4. All blowout losses. Future looks bleak for Portsmouth basketball.
 
Portsmouth edged Wesley Christian(KY) 58-57 on 2 FT's by the Trojans' DeAndre Berry. The Trojans were down 48-38 heading into the 4th quarter. PHS put 4 players in double figures, led by Tyler Duncan with 16, Berry with 13, Kenny Sanderlin with 11, and Donnovan Breech with 10. The Trojans are now 3-3 on the season, and have 2 home games this week.......Spring Valley (WV) on Wednesday and Wheelersburg on Friday.
 
Portsmouth took a 35-34 lead in the 3rd quarter, then were outscored 28-14 the rest of the way by Spring Valley(WV) to lose 62-49 at PHS. DeAndre Berry led PHS with around 15 points. The Trojans are now 1-3 at home at 3-4 overall. They host Wheelersburg on Friday.
 
Portsmouth trailed Wheelersburg 35-20 at the half, fought back to within 53-49 with about 3 minutes left, but the Pirates held on for a 64-55 win at PHS. The Trojans are now 1-4 at home, and 3-5 overall. Devin Lattimore and Kenny Sanderlin led PHS with 16 pts. each. Portsmouth still leads the series between the 2 schools, now at 24-22.

The PHS JV team continues to struggle, now 0-6 after a 24 point loss to the Wheelersburg JV.
 
Portsmouth staved off a Rock Hill 4th quarter rally to win at RH 52-48 last night. RH pulled to within 1 after the Trojans took a 7 point lead with just about 3 minutes remaining. Devin Lattimore had another high scoring effort with 27 points. PHS is now 4-5 overall, 2-3 in OVC play.

The PHS JV lost big once again, this time 49-20 to the RH JV. The PHS JV is now 0-7 on the season.
 
Portsmouth gave up the most points ever vs. Gallia Academy in the 64 game series, as the Blue Devils beat PHS 91-82 at GAHS. Gallia Academy jumped to an 18-6 lead and were never seriously threatened. PHS is now 4-6 overall and 2-4 in OVC play, while GAHS is 3-2 in the OVC. PHS leads the all time series 46-18.

Devin Lattimore had 27 for Portsmouth, while DeAndre Berry had 18, Kenny Sanderlin had 16, and Tyler Duncan 11.

The Portsmouth JV dropped to 0-8 on the season with a 56-28 loss.

Lattimore is worthy of 1st team all-OVC, with games of 29, 27, and 27 in conference play.
 
Portsmouth lost a heartbreaker at Ironton on Tuesday as the Fighting Tigers came back from a 16 point 4th quarter deficit to win 77-71 in OT. PHS played one its best games of the year against a good IHS team, but Ironton's press caused a number of Trojan turnovers and resulted in Tiger buckets. Still, Portsmouth had a chance to win but a horrible no call on PHS's Devin Lattimore had a direct affect on the outcome. He stole a pass as as Ironton was running the clock down for a final shot, was going in for the game winning layup and essentially was tackled from behind as 3 officials chose to not make the call. Lattimore lost a shoe in the process. He was not rewarded for making a great play, but instead was punished with a no call. Sorry I can't provide a video of the play, but there is a video of it on www.southeasternohiopreps.com. Go to the thread of Portsmouth Trojans 22-23 and scroll down a few pages.

Lattimore had 24 points for PHS, while DeAndre Berry had 17. Portsmouth is now 2-5 in OVC play, and 4-7 overall. Ironton is 4-1 in OVC play, and 6-3 overall.
 
The Portsmouth JV team lost 73-33 to Ironton and are now 0-9 on the season. The Portsmouth JH team lost 64-33 to Chesapeake and are now 0-12 on the season. Combined these 2 teams are 0-21. After the current junior class graduates, varsity basketball at Portsmouth could be in for some very lean years.
 
Coal Grove jumped to a 28-15 lead, led 50-35 after 3 quarters, then held off a big Trojan rally to beat PHS 64-60 at CGHS. The Hornets swept the Trojans despite not having leading scorer Owen Johnson available last night. Portsmouth closed to within 3 points with just seconds remaining, but DeAndre Berry couldn't connect on several 3 point attempts and CG hung on for the win. Berry led Portsmouth with 19 points, while Kenny Sanderlin had 17. PHS is now in 7th place in OVC play at 2-6 and 4-8 overall.

The Portsmouth JV is now 0-10 after a 51-31 loss to CG. Combined, the Trojan varsity, JV, and JH are 4-30.

Going into the season, Portsmouth needed 13 wins to reach 1,500 all time, and 8 wins for Coach Eugene Collins to reach 200 in his 14th year at PHS. Those marks are in question at this point of the season.
 
For the 2nd time this season, Portsmouth was beaten by a 3 pointer at the buzzer, as South Point won 56-53 in OT at PHS. The Trojans fell to 2-7 in OVC play, 1-3 at home in the conference, and 4-9 overall. OVC first place SP raised their conference record to 8-1. The two teams played close for most of the game, and each had a chance to win late in regulation. PHS once again, though, lost another heartbreaker. Portsmouth has lost 9 games by an average of 8.2 points, and just this past week lost at Ironton 77-71 in OT last Tuesday, lost at Coal Grove 64-60 last Friday, and 56-53 in OT to South Point last night. Devin Lattimore led Portsmouth with 17 points, while DeAndre Berry added 16.

The Portsmouth JV dropped to 0-11 with a 20 point loss to SP. Combined the JV (0-11) and Junior High (0-12) are 0-23. This year's varsity team loses 2 key players, Kenny Sanderlin and Tyler Duncan. It doesn't look like the JV will contribute anything substantial to next year's varsity. The JV is comprised of all freshmen except 2, but the skill level is seriously lacking and if they don't take off season work seriously, they will have a hard time winning or even competing at the varsity level in 2 years. They have already played round robin in the OVC, and virtually every game has been decided by 20-35 points. In 2 years, Portsmouth could be looking at 0-14 records in the OVC for maybe a couple of years. The junior high games have been just as lopsided or even worse, so for at least 3 years after next season, Portsmouth could be entering a "Death Valley" period of basketball.

But for right now, the 4-9 Trojans will travel to Chesapeake on Friday, and at Fairland next Tuesday. Hope is fading by the week for something better to happen, maybe an upset of someone. But that upset hasn't come yet.

GO TROJANS!!
 
NoNamesPlease: Coach Collins has had a good 14 year career at PHS, but the feeling among the fans is that the program is on a downturn and that this might be the time for change. Me personally, I don't think he should be non-renewed because of his overall record, but there is no energy with Portsmouth basketball. Our varsity is 4-10, our JV is 0-12, and our JH is 0-13. Much of that can't be put on Coach Collins. Currently we just have a serious lack of talent in the program all the way down to the 6th grade, which might be the Trojans next good class of basketball players. But that's 3 years from now at the minimum.

Coach Collins needs 4 more wins to reach 200 for his career. He has hinted in the past about retiring, and if gets to that 200 mark, he might figure that it's time to hand the reigns to someone else.

He's a super good guy whose has done tremendous things for his kids behind the scenes, and I would hate to see him go out like this. At the same time, though, I want to see our program headed back in the right direction. Right now, it's definitely not. The conundrum, though, is that a new coach will not win with the current talent down through the 7th grade. Maybe he could provide some much needed energy, but the losing almost certainly will continue for another 3-4 years. It's not hyperbole to say that the boys basketball program at Portsmouth HS barely has a pulse right now.
 
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Chesapeake held off a Portsmouth 4th quarter rally to beat the Trojans 56-41 at CHS. The Panthers led at the half 21-17, then extended the lead to 31-19 in the 3rd quarter. PHS then trimmed the CHS lead to 4 midway in the last 8 minutes with a really good trap/press defense, but Chesapeake recovered enough to extend the lead back to double digits for the win. Portsmouth is now 4-10 on the season, 2-8 in the OVC, and in 7th place in the 8 team conference. Chesapeake and Portsmouth split 15 point wins on their home courts, with PHS winning 59-44 earlier at PHS.
 
THE STREAK IS FINALLY OVER!!..........Portsmouth 80, Fairland 69 at Fairland

After 8 years and 16 straight losses, Portsmouth finally beat Fairland in boys basketball!! It didn't look that way at the half, with the Dragons leading 38-30. Coach Collins started a different 5 for the 2nd half..........Devin Lattimore, DeAndre Berry, Kenny Sanderlin, Tyler Duncan, and Donovan Breech. These 5 COMPLETELY changed the course of the game, as they put up half a hundred on the Dragons, outscoring them 50-31 the final 2 quarters. It was team basketball at its finest. The FT shooting was outstanding also. Lattimore led PHS with 25 points, while Duncan, Sanderlin, and Berry all had double figures.

Portsmouth is now 5-10 on the season, 3-8 in the OVC, and now tied for 6th with Coal Grove. The Trojans have lost 2 OT games, 2 games by buzzer beaters, and 1 game by 4 points. PHS could easily be 8-7 or 9-6. Fairland, the 7 time defending OVC champion, fell to 7-4 in the OVC. South Point leads the conference with a 10-1 record. PHS lost to SP on a buzzer beater in OT last Friday 56-53.

Portsmouth will look to build a winning streak going down the stretch of the regular season, with games at home vs. Rock Hill on Friday, at North Adams on Saturday, and home vs. Minford next Tuesday.

GO TROJANS!!
 
Portsmouth edged Rock Hill 76-75 @PHS as DeAndre Berry hit a fall back 10 foot jumper with 8 seconds to play. The Trojans then caused a Redmen turnover on the inbounds play, and survived to go to 6-10 on the season and 4-8 in the OVC. RH led 38-30 at the half, but Noah Livingston and Tyler Duncan sparked a 3rd quarter rally to get PHS back in the game. Devin Lattimore and DeAndre Berry scored double figures for PHS, while new starter Donovan Breech scored 8 with some excellent defense.

Portsmouth coach Eugene Collins is only 2 wins away from 200 for his career (198-124).

PHS travels to North Adams tonight.
 
After beating Rock Hill by 1 point on Friday, the Trojans lost 72-70 at North Adams on Saturday. The Green Devils won the game in the final 4 seconds with an assist by their PG Copas for a layup. DeAndre Berry got a final shot off before the buzzer, but it didn't hit the mark and PHS went home with a 6-11 overall record. The PHS JV played competitive, but lost and are now 0-15 on the season.

Devin Lattimore had 24 for Portsmouth, Berry had 22, and Kenny Sanderlin had 17.

Portsmouth returns to action on Friday when Gallia Academy comes to PHS. The Minford game originally scheduled for this Tuesday has been moved to Friday, Feb. 17.
 
Gbulldog: Yes, they have started the same 5 since the 2nd half of the Fairland game.

Yesterday, Portsmouth lost 65-55 at home to Gallia Academy. The Trojans are now 4-9 in OVC play, and 6-12 overall. Unless the Trojans make a good tournament run, they are assured of the 12th losing season since 2000. Since 2000, Portsmouth is 298-249 overall. PHS needed 13 wins starting the season to reach 1,500 all time (currently 1,493-828), and it looks for sure like that will have to wait until next year.

DeAndre Berry led PHS with 27 pts. Portsmouth is in 6th place in the OVC, and is 9-9 vs. GAHS all time in OVC play.

Here's the real bad news: The Portsmouth JV lost big and is now 0-16. The Portsmouth JH finished their season at 0-15. Combined, they are 0-31. Many of those 31 losses were blowouts or a running clock. With the current varsity record, it's 6-43. With the varsity losing 2 starters after this season, things aren't looking good for 2023-24, and even worse for 2024-25 through 2026-2027. There is a serious lack of talent in grades 7, 8, and 9.
 
Portsmouth rebounded nicely from a lackluster loss to Gallia Academy with an 84-63 win at Portsmouth West on Saturday. Devin Lattimore tallied 35 points, while DeAndre Berry had 28. Both are returning next season. PHS is now 7-12 on the season. The Trojans received an #18 seed in the SE sectional tournament, and will play at Peebles on 2/21. If they win that game, they will have to travel to South Point to face the OVC champions. Portsmouth was swept by the Pointers 73-55 at SP and 56-53 in OT at PHS on a 3 pointer at the buzzer.

Portsmouth will have to improve its defense if they want to have any success in the tourney. PHS hasn't won a sectional since 2017.
 
Portsmouth defeated Mars Hill Academy on Tuesday 68-54. PHS is now 8-12 on the season, and will play at home vs. Ironton on Friday in an OVC contest. DeAndre Berry scored 21, Kenny Sanderlin 16, and Devin Lattimore 11.

With the win, Coach Eugene Collins secured win #200 for his 14 year Portsmouth career. He has averaged a record of 14-9 during his tenure. He led PHS to back to back Final 4's in 2011 and 2012, with the 2012 team being the D3 state runnerup. He also has had five players score at least 1,000 points for their careers, Dion McKinley, Wayne Evans, Kyre Allison, Kendal Reynolds, and Matthew Fraulini. Allison is the school's all time leading scorer with 1,688 points. From 2011 to 2018, Collins led the Trojans to at least 16 wins in 7 of those 8 years.

Collins was named the D3 State Coach of the Year in 2012. 3 of his teams won at least 20 games, in 2011(21-5), 2012(24-3), and 2015(20-7). His win over Ottawa-Glandorf in 2012 is the last SE district win in the Final 4. His last 4 teams in the SEOAL finished 2nd, 1st, 2nd, and 1st. PHS won the OVC in their first year in 2015.

He has taken 4 of his teams to the KSA tournament in Orlando, Florida over Christmas break. Those 4 teams went 8-4, and 1 year won the outright title. Just this past Sunday he took the team to see the Cleveland Cavaliers play at the Indiana Pacers.

Collins is only 24 wins behind Portsmouth's all time leader, George Heller, who compiled a record of 224-137 in a tenure that lasted from 1952-1968. Heller guided the Trojans to the 1961 Class AA state title.

Congratulations Coach Collins!!
 
Portsmouth dropped an 79-64 contest to the Ironton Fighting Tigers at PHS yesterday. The Trojans were only down 38-33 at the half. but the PHS defense did a disappearing act in the 2nd half, with IHS scoring 41 points, ballooning the lead to 24, and doing about anything they wanted. Kenny Sanderlin scored 28 points and his heroic effort kept it from being a complete blowout. PHS is now 8-13 overall and finished 4-10 in the OVC, good for 6th place. PHS has finished 5th or lower in the OVC for 5 straight years. The last 2 years has seen Portsmouth go 4-10 at home in conference play. Portsmouth has absolutely no home court advantage. Ironton has won 10 a row vs. PHS, but the Trojans still lead the series 92-76.

Portsmouth hosts state ranked Minford next Friday, and if the Trojans play like they did last night, the Falcons will beat PHS by 30 or more.....and the sectional tournament opener at Peebles will result in the season ending for Portsmouth in Adams County.
 
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What is really ominous for Portsmouth basketball's future is the collective records of the varsity, JV, and JH. The varsity is 8-13, the JV is 1-17, and the JH finished 0-15. Combined, that is 9-45. Portsmouth loses 2 starters this season, Kenny Sanderlin and Tyler Duncan. They account for about 20-25 points on a nightly basis, and right now there is no one with that scoring punch to replace them.

Bottom line is the 7th, 8th, and 9th grades have little basketball talent. As bad as the 8-13 varsity is, the worst is yet to come.
 
Portsmouth and Minford had a good game going Friday, with the D3 state ranked Falcons leading only 33-32 vs. the underdog Trojans. Then helter skelter broke out early in the 3rd quarter, with a gun reportedly being brandished by someone which prompted fans to scurry to the exits. The game was halted and later called a no contest. Portsmouth's Kenny Sanderlin scored his 1,000 point which I officially will recognize even though the game was a no contest. It wasn't his fault the game was stopped. He will go into the record books of www.trojanhoops.org as a member of the 1,000 point club, making him the 12th player to do so.

PHS finished the season at 8-13, the JV lost by 20 and finished 1-18. Portsmouth plays at Peebles on Tuesday in the 1st round of sectional tourney play.
 
Portsmouth trailed Peebles 24-18 at the half, but outscored in the Indians 39-20 in the final 2 periods to win 57-44 in the opening round of sectional tournament play at Peebles HS. DeAndre Berry scored 19 pts., Devin Lattimore had 14, and Kenny Sanderlin chipped in 12. Isaiah Lewis spearheaded PHS's comeback with some outstanding on-ball defense in the 2nd half.

Portsmouth advances to play at South Point on Saturday at 7 PM for the sectional championship. The Pointers beat the Trojans twice in the regular season, 78-55 at SP and 56-53 in OT at PHS on a 3 pointer at the buzzer. SP eliminated the Trojans last season in the sectional final at SP 66-56. PHS hasn't won a sectional title since 2017, and that year advanced to the district semifinal where South Point beat PHS 59-42 at the Convo. Portsmouth had beaten SP twice in the regular season. The Trojans will be playing for their 65th sectional title.

Kenny Sanderlin now has 1,015 points for his career, and Eugene Collins picked up his 24th tournament win (24-13) in his 14th season. He now has 201 wins for his overall career at PHS (201-129).

Portsmouth did dress 3 JV players for the game, 6-4 FR Olynshay McKinley, 6-1 SO Jayden Brewer, and 5-7 FR Landon Malone.
 
Portsmouth's season came to an end with a 58-56 OT loss at OVC champion South Point in the D3 sectional championship. PHS lost to SP 3 times this season, twice in OT. The Trojans end the season with a 9-14 record, which is the 5th losing season in the last 6 years. Portsmouth has gone now 7 years without a sectional title, the last being in 2017.

Coach Eugene Collins announced his retirement after 14 years. He compiled a 201-130 record overall, with 2 Final 4's, a state runnerup in 2012, a regional final in 2015, an SEOAL and OVC title, was the D3 State COY in 2012, had six 1,000 point scorers, and went 8-4 in the KSA tourney in Florida in 4 trips. Portsmouth's new coach will have a challenge on his hands with a JV team that went 1-18 and a JH team that went 0-15. Fortunately for next season Devin Lattimore and DeAndre Berry are scheduled to return.

Portsmouth's all time record stands at 1,496--830.
 
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