TAKE FIVE: A unique look across the area’s basketball scene

Derrick Webb, Staff Writer

Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.

Take Five is tasked with highlighting things that may not appear in the nightly box score.

So, let’s get right into it. Why wait?

Five things in a five-minute read … OK, it’s probably, definitely longer. You’re on the clock.

1. More milestones.

Like seemingly any other week this winter, there were multiple career milestones reached since the last, and first-ever, Take Five published.

Valley’s George Arnett, Rock Hill’s Hazley Matthews and Waverly’s Bailey Vulgamore each logged their 1,000th career points while Chillicothe’s Jacey Harding broke the program’s all-time scoring record.

— Arnett has been a huge part of the Indians’ success this season and continues to produce on a nightly basis. He plays with passion, wears his heart on his sleeve and has aided Valley to a 10-3 mark to start. He’s one of three elite guards on the team. They’re all flat-out dangerous.

— If you haven’t seen Matthews play, or at least noticed her name, I promise you’re not looking in the right places. She’s led the Redwomen to a 12-5 start while they’ve navigated through, in my opinion, one of the toughest schedules in Southern Ohio. Matthews is a huge reason why.

— Need a bucket in crunch time? Looking for a pure point guard to lead the way? Want to see something special? Look no further than Vulgamore who, and this is saying it lightly, has been electric all year long. She’s a gym rat, she’s an elite scorer and she’s a model teammate. 

— After setting the program’s single-season scoring record, 44 points, and posting her 1,000th career point earlier this season, Harding reached yet another career milestone this week. The senior’s 1,232nd career points passed Gina Turner at No. 1 on the school’s all-time list. She’s now sitting at 1,249 points, and counting, with the last third of the season left to play add-on.

2. Sharpshooters, unite.

It seems like more and more games are being won or lost at the 3-point line these days. That means that more and more players are lining up and finding the bucket from deep range.

Some names I’ve noticed doing that? Unioto’s Amaris Betts, Peebles’ Abigail Smalley, Wheelersburg’s Madison Whittaker, Valley’s Jace Copley, Paint Valley’s Braylon Robertson and Eastern Brown’s Kade Walkup.

— Betts has helped the unbeaten Shermans continue to light up the scoreboard up at will. She leads the SVC in made 3-pointers, going 38-of-86 and shooting 44 percent, and is averaging 14.9 points per night. Smalley is also a machine from deep, hitting 28-of-93 attempts to give the Indians a bonafide second scoring option. Meanwhile, Whittaker is a veteran sharpshooter. If you remember her keeping her Pirates in the game, or winning one, from beyond the arc, you’re not alone. When she’s hot, which is more often than not, she can take over a game.

— There’s a reason Valley won a district title last season and his name is Jace Copley. Sure, he wasn’t alone in that effort, but he was the battalion’s lieutenant colonel. His deadeye shooting will be so important down the stretch. We all know Robertson can shoot the 3-ball. He did it last season as a freshman at Waverly and is continuing to do so in Bainbridge. Walkup, a sophomore, has connected on 49-of-145 from deep, a percentage of 33.8. If you’re looking for a sharpshooter to keep on your radar, start your list with him.

3. Your $5 will be well spent.

To be fair, I rarely pay to get into a ballgame. But when I watch these names do their thing, I don’t care if I do. It’s $5 well spent.

— Joe Hannah, Minford

I had the chance to see Hannah for the first time this season this past week — yes, I know, I’m slacking — and he’s as advertised. He can hit the 3, drive to the bucket, hit a mid-range jumper and throw it down with authority. I’m not sure there’s many other players in our area that can do everything as well as Hannah does on that list. He’s fantastic.

— Bransyn Copas, North Adams

When Copas first stepped onto the local basketball scene as a freshman, we knew his future was bright. Now, he’s a junior — I’m old — and he’s better than ever. He’s averaging 18.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals per night. Those numbers have helped the Green Devils compile a 12-3 mark. He’s, without question, the leader of the group.

— Maddie Blakeman, Circleville

There may not be a team hotter than Circleville’s girls in the MSL-Buckeye race. Blakeman, like the rest of her teammates, has been white-hot as of late. The freshman has, at times, carried the Tigers on their current six-game winning streak — heading into Wednesday’s action. In fact, Circleville hasn’t lost since Dec. 16 and Blakeman has been at the center of that movement.

— Ella Kirby, Notre Dame

Talk about a stat stuffer. Kirby continues to do a little bit of everything. The junior has continued to play her role, posting 159 points, 24 rebounds, 28 assists and 29 steals in 15 games. She’s the model of consistency and has helped the Titans start the year 15-0 going into Wednesday.

4. Middle men … or women.

Centers seem to be a lost art. But there are still some members of that endangered species left if you look hard enough. Valley’s Levi Stewart, Notre Dame’s Dominic Sparks, Gallia Academy’s Isaac Clary, Piketon’s Natalie Cooper, West’s Maelynn Howell and Jackson’s Kenzie Davis come to mind.

— Stewart and Clary are the epitome of what a center is supposed to be. Stewart, measuring at 6-foot-8, 262 pounds, and Clary, coming in at 6-foot-7, 305 pounds, can both be dominant when they’re tasked to do so. Sparks, who comes in at 6-foot-7, 235 pounds, is as athletic as a center comes. All three can be lethal, all three are magicians under the bucket, and all three are absolute game-changers. 

— Cooper, Howell and Davis are different. You don’t need their measurements to know they command the paint. Cooper is a double-double machine, Howell provides a long frame for opposing offenses to try and avoid, and Davis’ FAC-title-winning reputation precedes her. The guys in this category can be dominant but there’s an argument to be made that the gals in this section are even more imperative to their respective teams.

5. There is no ‘I’ in ‘team.’

Assists. Assists. Assists.

Here’s a list of five names who are proficient at finding the open teammate, starting with two Fairfield Lions.

— Fairfield’s Larkin Friend (6.6 assists per game)

— Fairfield’s Peyton Magee (4.4)

— Adena’s Kiera Williams (3.3)

— Westfall’s Blaec Bugher (4.8)

— Lynchburg-Clay’s Brady Chisman (4.5)

If you get the chance to take in a game where any of these five are playing, take it. You won’t regret it.

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