MV 71 - Arcadia 35 Insightful Internet Commentary

Big crowd on hand after the game, as Charles Bachelot, Jeremy Anderson, Rashad Woodley, Miranda Vargas, Thaddeus Woodard and Nick Towns discuss the Hawks successful trip to Hancock County.  Make sure you all study hard down the Winter Break stretch.

Hawks defeat Arcadia 71-35

The Hawks got a much needed lift after a tough week, defeating the Arcadia Redskins 71-35.  The Hawks jumped out to an 18-6 first quarter lead and never looked back.  Dave Brown scored all 22 of his points in the first half and spent the third quarter dealing the ball to his teammates.  Twelve different Hawks scored on the evening. 

In addition to Dave, Zain Bedi had 3, Marcus Knabbs 8, Danny Hazimah 4, Lucas Izasa 3, Solomon Collins 2, Nick Towns 4, Caleb Willhight 8, Rashaan Preston 2, Kadar Jones 2, Thad Woodard 6 and Rashad Woodley 5. 

So a after a tough start, Maumee Valley ends the week on an up note.  This week will be devoted to projects and tests in this last week before Winter Break.  Next up is a tough trip to Old Fort to face a potential District playoff 1 or 2 seed. 

More to come, as your Hawkblogger will regroup from a week of heavy for-profit work and catch up on the TC and OH losses.  Stay tuned.

Toledo Christian Preview

Fast facts

Opponent: Toledo Christian

Enrollment (9-12): 261

Division/League: D-IV

Team Nickname: Eagles

Coach: Dave McWhinnie, 12th season

Last season: 17-7 overall, 10-4 TAAC

This season: 1-1 overall, 1-0 TAAC - after a three point opening season loss to Lake, the Eagles smacked Cardinal Stritch by 17 points, 62-45 in Oregon.

Outlook - From the Toledo Blade TAAC preview

Seniors Eric Cellier, 6-3, G; Josh Winzeler, 6-2, G; Dominique Pittman, 5-9, G; Ben Ivan, 6-3, F; Cordell Miller, 6-2, F; Melvin Thomas, 5-9, G.

 The Eagles return four starters, led by Cellier (17.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg), who was second in the TAAC player-of-the-year voting last season. Winzeler (12 ppg, 3.3 rpg), Pittman (7.0 ppg, 4.0 apg), and Ivan (5.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg) make a formidable foursome, although an injury may keep Ivan sidelined for the first month.

Adding to the mix will be Thomas, a transfer from St. John’s Jesuit who sat out the 2011-12 season.

Strengths for the Eagles should be quickness, depth, and shooting ability, while McWhinnie’s chief concern is an overall lack of size that may lead to rebounding trouble at times.

“We have the potential to be very good, but we need to keep working hard and play great defense in order to reach our potential,” McWhinnie said. “The league has improved significantly over the past 3-4 years and this will be a very competitive league top to bottom. We need to stay humble and hungry, and we need to be unselfish with the ball. If the players start thinking about their own points, it could be a long year. If they play hard and play for each other, we could have a pretty special year.”

Hawkblogger notes: Mamuee Valley defeated the Eagles three times last season, including a come from behind victory in the District Final at Lakota...MV and TC are familiar foes from summer league play as well...The Eagles are the pre-season favorites in the TAAC, selected to finish first by six of the Conference's eight coaches...Ottawa Hills received the other two votes..get there early, it's going to be packed...the game will be broadcast on BCSN, both JV and varsity..

MVCDS 56 - (at) Gibsonburg 44 Quick Summary

Maumee Valley jumped out to a 14 point lead in the first half then fended off several Golden Bear comeback attempts in a 56-44 win in Sandusky County Friday evening.  The Hawks were led by Dave Brown's 26 points, (subject to review) a career high.  Solomon Collins scored 10 and Caleb Willhight had 8 points on the evening in support of the win.

MV's team is continuing to jell offensively and the game was marked by rapidly improving ball movement - video links to follow.  MV also made the most of positioning, holding its own on the glass against a taller Gibsonburg front line.

Coach Arthur used a deep rotation as 13 players saw substantial action on the night.

The Hawks took the air out of the ball down the stretch, keeping the ball in the hands of its point guard and looking for scoring opportunities for Dave, who had nine fourth quarter points. 

It's on to the first round of the meat grinder stretch of the schedule next week as the  Hawks host TC on Tuesday, then hope that their travel visas are in order for admission to the Village on Friday. 

MV 56 - (at) Gibsonburg 44 Insightful Internet Commentary

Round up the usual suspects (and some Freshmen as well).  It's Thad, Jeremy, Jack Herrmann and Thomas Cunliffe with the always enlightening post game commentary.

MV 46 - Fayette 45 - Here is your coast to coast buzzer beater

This ranks up there with the best of them. 




A special acknowledgement again should go out to Coach Josh Arthur, who has the fortitude of Hercules for drawing up a game winning play in which his All-State candidate, Dave Brown, never touched the ball.

Now where do you think he would have learned something like that?  Somewhere, Coach Robinson should also be feeling very proud tonight.

The Eagles had a pretty good look, but couldn't convert:

MV 46 - Fayette 45 Insightful Internet Commentary

Tonight we have Messrs. Trueth Foreman, Jeremy Anderson, Caleb Willhight, Dave Brown, Thaddeus Woodard and Danny Hazimah bearing tidings of great joy.  Bring it gentlemen....




To the best of our knowledge, no members of the Foreman family were permanently injured in the production of this video.

MV 46 - Fayette 45 - If you missed it, shame on you

The Hawks were at Fayette tonight so it had to be close one…right?   Right.

Thad Woodard scored on a coast to coast inbounds play with 3.2 seconds left and the Hawks defeated the Fayette Eagles tonight 46 - 45.  Coach Josh Arthur won his first varsity game as a head coach with a gutsy play call.

Dave Brown, who had scored 21 points at that point, was double teamed on the play. Knowing this, Coach Arthur used Dave as a decoy, drawing his two defenders away from the main action.

Thad Woodard inbounded the ball to Danny Hazimah, who dribbled from foul line to foul line, stopped, and waited for Thad to trail him over the left side. Danny fired a pass to Thad who drove down the lane for the clinching layup with 3.2 seconds left.

Fayette's outstanding Junior shooting guard Chandler Sanford had fouled out with 16 seconds left and was not able to take the Eagles’ last chance shot. Their final attempt was off the mark and the Hawks once again escaped Fulton County with a last second win.

Your Hawkblogger was on his own tonight and did not have the valuable services of the full Hawkblogging squad, including our play-by-play man or analyst. We do know that Dave Brown led all scorers with 21 points, with Fayette's Sanford scoring 16 on the night. We also know that Thad Woodard had at least two points, but they were the biggest of the evening.

Stand by for the video, loading now, which will take its place in the pantheon of Maumee Valley thrilling finishes.

 

Whetting the appetite - Rossford scrimmage videos

Your Hawkblogger attended part of the November 10 Rossford Mega-scrimmage on November 10 at Owens CC.  We watched a s(eries of one quarter contests in which MV defeated Carey (Midland Athletic League), Waite, (City League) and Holgate (Green Meadows Conference) before losing a tough 2 point test against TRAC member Lima Senior. 

Here are links to three videos from the scrimmage (click on the number):

Link 1 (Nick Towns scores)

Link 2 (fast break scoring)

Link 3 (a long posession finished off by Caleb Willhight)

Fayette preview

Fast facts

Opponent: Gorham Fayette
Enrollment (9-12):  212
Division/League: D-4 / Buckeye Border Conference
Team Nickname: Eagles
Coach: Todd Mitchell, 13th season
2011-12 record: 13-9
Last year: MV made it two in a row against the Eagles with a 50-39 victory at the Varsity Gym. 

Preview capsule from the Defiance Crescent-News:

Todd Mitchell returns for his 11th year at Fayette with hopes of bettering a 13-9 record a year ago.
However, the graduation loss of Trevor Cox (15.6 ppg), Jessie Rodriguez (7.7 ppg), Travis Pennington (7.5 ppg) and Kevin Ferguson (4.3 ppg) means more than 35 points per game must be replaced.  We only return 13.4 ppg," said Mitchell. "We need to build depth and make up for our lack of height."

Zayne Colegrove, Cole Burkholder, Chandler Sanford, and Tyler Cox return as lettermen for the Eagles.  "We have a great bunch of kids who are working hard and want to get better," Mitchell said.
Despite the losses from last season, the Eagles look to make a run at the top of the BBC.
"We will have a very competitive team every night," Mitchell said.


Hawkblog notes: Fayette is picked to finish fifth in the BBC, but over the years the league has been tightly packed with no team running away with the season championship...like birds of a feather, the Hawks and Eagles both are replacing large chunks of their scoring firepower...its an easy drive out to Fayette.  Take the turnpike west to exit 25 (Ohio St. Rt. 66), head north on Route 66 5.6 miles then right on Gamble St. You can't miss it.

Hawks picked third in pre-season TAAC poll

The Blade TAAC preview is up, you can view it here.  Your Hawkblogger appreciated the tone of Steve Junga's article, very complimentary to the TAAC as a competitive basketball force in Northwest Ohio. 

The hat-tip to Coach Dave McWhinnie of TC for driving the TAAC to excellence is also well deserved. 

The Rankings:

1.  Toledo Christian
2.  Ottawa Hills
3.  Maumee Valley
4.  Gibsonburg
5.  Cardinal Stritch
6.  Emmanuel Christian
7.  Northwood
8.  Danbury

But as always, you gotta play the games...

Postscript to 2011-2

Notice a pattern? 

For the second year in a row, your Hawkblogger has not been able to bring himself to write about the last game of the season.  Which game, for every team in four divisions save one, is their last. 

For this I apologize.  Take it as the difference between an independent third party and an invested individual.

In any event, congratulations to the Arlington Red Devils, which made the state final four before dropping their semi-final game against the eventual D-IV State Champions from Berlin Hiland.

That’s the most closure you’re going to get on this greatest of Maumee Valley seasons. 

For now. 

So as it is said in England, The King (or in this case, the Kings of 2011-2012) is dead…

LONG LIVE THE KINGS OF 2012-2013!!!