Red Shift

Gill looked pretty good for having been out a few weeks. He had a very nice catch and dunk I believe in the third quarter. If anything, he was perhaps a half-step slower than usual, but really he was very effective in the absence of VanHoose. The game was extremely physical early on, but after the injuries both teams eased up a bit. What was lost in physicality was picked up in verbage; the technicals conveyed that very accurately.

Yes, as was Tyler Boyles from Raceland. The injuries occurred on different plays.

In the one quarter of play that I saw tonight (which was truly only about half of a quarter with the starters) the Lady Devils looked very impressive. I would agree with Statmaster that Russell is better underneath and the best way to beat them is to force them outside, although this is easier said than done.

There are lots of card carrying members to that club. Russell did very well to beat Raceland tonight after losing their top player for at least the game and at most the rest of the season. Raceland was very scrappy and as usual did not quit until the final buzzer. If Russell has a shot to win the 16th Region without VanHoose, however, it will be because of the play of Jacob Ferguson and the Red Devil defense. Russell still has some of the most talent in the 16th even if VanHoose is gone. I do realize that it is very hard if not near impossible to replace the center-piece of the offense in one week, however. Still, I would not count Russell out completely. They still have a huge amount of senior leadership and a coach that is smarter and better than most people give credit. All that being said, it will be very, VERY difficult if VanHoose is in fact gone. I do want to remind everybody that these are preliminary reports. Nothing is in stone at this point. It is interesting to note, I believe that VanHoose was not wearing his usual knee brace. One wonders if this had any effect, but one will likely never know the answer to the question. Nonetheless, the importance right now is on the well-being of all the players in the game and not the causes.

Russell administration decided to play it safe and take all the signs. Most were appropriate and even the ones that were leaning toward the edge weren't that bad. It was probably a precautious move, but they just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything brewing for after the game. I believe one sign was taken by Ashland after their student section started chanting "They have a sign!" After that, there wasn't much trouble.

Coach Dodd really praised Russell for running his offense quite well in the second half. He also gave big props to two of his seniors, Mullins and Doss, that do not get much playing time.

Could a mod merge the two threads, please. Thanks.

Devils win in a foul-fest Senior night. VanHoose, Blair, and Robinson all fouled out for Russell by about the 1:30 mark in the fourth quarter. Russell was able to maintain its 10 point lead for the remainder of the game. I believe one if not two Lions also fouled out of the ballgame. To Russell's credit, they were able to go about 60% from the line to maintain their lead.

Ashland - (Although it doesn't have an arching roof) The Dickie Dome, Buddy's Playhouse Boyd Co. - The Big House, the Penitentiary Raceland - The Depot, The Palace Russell - The Furnace, Heck on the Hill

Yes. I believe he had 26.

This was a ten point game at the end of the third and about a 13 point game for most of the fourth. Greenup scored 4 or 6 points against the JV at the end of the ballgame. For a rivalry game and coming off a tough loss, I'll take a win on the road.

They have not beat Ironton in basketball in 8 years and I would wager to say that this is not the only time they should / could have won.

I would agree with that. I probably wouldn't bet on Russell to win it, but I don't think I bet on anybody else at this point either. There is a lot of parity in the 16th Region.

I would also wager a bet that Russell was not 30% from the field as a result of a sluggish offense and a pretty good (not really good) Ironton defense.

What killed Russell was the rebounding on the defensive glass. I believe there were three or four missed free-throws that came off of the rim a bit strangely (Russell still should have had the rebound) and Ironton got the rebound or Russell a foul as a result. It also didn't help Russell that those three or four missed FT's were a majority of Ironton's total missed FT's.

An frustrating game for the Devils tonight. Russell led for most of the game, Ironton took its second lead with about four and a half minutes left in the game.

Elliot, Russell, and perhaps Ashland seem to be separating themselves a bit at this point. Did Greenup try to slow this game down at all? That was their MO at the beginning of the season. This seems to indicate that they either tried to run with Elliot, or they were completely forced out of doing so. Of course when your head coach gets suspended, there is liable to be change. Even with this loss, I still expect Greenup to be a tough game for Russell next Friday, as rivalry games usually are.

KHSAA Scoreboard has it at 74-46, I trust them more than myself.

Not positive on the final here, but I'm pretty sure the margin was 29. VanHoose led all scorers with 42.

With as much as it seemed everyone from the Raceland coach to the fans were pointing this out, you would have thought the refs might have watched that. At one point one person on the Raceland side screamed it, and after that every time she looked at the lane, two or three people were yelling.

Both teams seemed to do a little pancake impression in the first half. (FLAT) Russell probably should have outrebounded Raceland by more, but I give credit to the Lady Rams' tenacity. I know Raceland has some size, too, but there were quite a few rebounds that were simply won by Raceland's effort.

Two different games there.

Mama always told me I was an artist.

I'm always open to suggestions, but an FCOF that size may require multiple posts.

Strange things happen when you start thinking and procrastinating from doing college application essays at 1:30 in the morning.:eek: