Following an electric Fall Athletic season for Unioto High School, the Boys and Girls Basketball teams will look to continue the excellence during the Winter months. Each team returns several key pieces and will attempt to build off of successful seasons a year ago. 

Boys Preview (19-6, 14-0 SVC, 55 Straight SVC Wins, District Runner Up)

Returning Letterwinners - 6 (4 starters)

What to Watch For - Yes, the Shermans have 4 starters back from a 4th consecutive SVC Championship team, but also lost 4 key contributors as well. The young guns will need to be ready early and often to push this team to the heights that they strive to reach. The Junior Varsity, Freshman, and 8th Grade teams all won their league championships and have a chance to have players make major impacts during the 2017-2018 season. 

Top Returners 
--- # 0 Logan Swackhammer (6'1 Sr G) - 12.2 PPG, 38% from 3, 4 APG, 2.5 SPG
--- # 11 Brandon Kennedy (6'1 Sr G) - 10.6 PPG, 42% from 3, 4.2 RPG, 113 Career Made 3's
--- # 33 Gabe Fisher (6'1 Sr P) - 6.3 PPG, 5.6 RPG
--- # 35 Peyton Hill (6'5 Sr P) - 12.9 PPG (58% FG), 7.8 RPG

Girls Preview (17-7, 11-3 SVC [2nd])

Returning Letterwinners - 7 (4 Starters)

What to Watch For - Youth was served last season for the Lady Shermans and they made a giant leap forward thanks to it. 3 Freshmen and a Sophomore were key parts to a 17 win season in 16-17 and they will look to build upon that. They will need to replace a 4 year starter in Caroline Thiel, but they may be able to do that in part to increase depth. The games against Southeastern should be outstanding once again!

Top Returners 
--- # 21 Jocie Fisher (5'10 Jr P) - 14.5 PPG (63% FG), 9.5 RPG
--- # 2 Carly Adkins (5'5 Sr G) - 4.8 PPG, 73% FT
--- # 3 Summer Sigman (5'8 Sr W) - 7.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, Team High 21 Made 3's
--- # 11 Emily Coleman (5'5 So G) - 9.0 PPG, 3 APG, 2.3 SPG
--- # 20 Amber Cottrill (5'6 So G) - 5.5 PPG, 4.7 APG, 3.7 RPG, 2.4 SPG
​--- # 22 Cree Stulley (5'10 So W) - 6.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG

Unbelievable season for Unioto Basketball! 

The Varsity Boys clinched their 3rd Consecutive Gold Basketball, which had never been done before, and extended their record SVC Winning Streak to 55 Games at the Finish of the 2016-2017 Season. They finished the regular season at 17-5, after playing arguably their toughest non-conference schedule ever, which will only better prepare the Tanks for postseason play. They gained the 2 seed in the Southeastern Sectional. The roster includes Seniors, Clay Edler, Casey White, Ryan Taylor, Tre Ivey, and Gavin Ogan, Juniors, Logan Swackhammer, Dalton Poole, Brandon Kennedy, Nick Adkins, David Ater, Gabe Fisher, and Peyton Hill, and Sophomore, Chance Smith.

The Varsity Girls made a gigantic improvement this regular season, finishing 16-6 overall, with a 11-3 SVC record. The SVC record was good enough to finish 2nd and 2 of the 3 SVC losses came in Overtime, so they were very close to getting to the top of the league once again. The Lady Shermans won their first tournament game over a solid Waverly team and will now play for the Sectional Championship against 2 seeded Miami Trace. The roster includes Seniors, Caroline Thiel, Kaylee Hagen, Kaitlyn Ellison, Cindelynn Murta, and Morgan Popp. Juniors, Cadee Causey, Carly Adkins, and Summer Sigman. Sophomore, Jocie Fisher. Freshmen, Emily Coleman, Cree Stulley, and Amber Cottrill.

The Junior Varsity Girls finished the regular season 22-0 and 14-0 in the SVC. Coach Jimmy White and his outstanding group of athletic and talented ladies ran rough-shod on their opponents all year long with only 3 games being decided by less than 10 points and all of those being outside of league play. The future is extremely bright for the Lady Shermans!

The Junior Varsity Boys caught fire to finish their season, winning their final 7 SVC games to capture a share of the crown at 11-3 with Southeastern. Coach Kevin Roll's Tanks went through some difficulty around midseason after losing Freshman Cade McKee to injury for the season, but once they bounced back, they bounced back in a big. The peak of the season had to be when they came back from a 31-6 deficit to defeat Southeastern 56-50. They also got revenge on Westfall on Chance Smith fadeaway jumper with 3 seconds left and Zane Trace 33-30 to end the season. Another highlight for the Tanks was Vinz Palisbo knocking down a clutch 3 with 10 seconds remaining to defeat Fairfield Union 41-40. The Shermans finished the season 15-7 overall. The roster included, Freshmen Cade McKee, Nate Keiser, and Jamarcus Carroll, and Sophomores, Chance Smith, Justin Manson, Hayden Longcoy, Gabe McBee, Tristan Speakman, Vinz Palisbo, Chase Fout, Nehemiah Felts, Cole Hill, and Bryce Robinson.

The Freshman Boys team finished their season 12-6 overall and 9-1 in SVC play to capture a share of the SVC title with Zane Trace. The young Shermans had an outstanding finish to their season, winning 6 out of 7 games down the stretch. The roster included, Nate Keiser, Jamarcus Carroll, Dalton Ford, Connor Valentine, Ty Schobelock, KK Richter, Drake Helton, Jackson Williams, Lucas Crawford, Christian Drake, Levi Gerber, and Caleb Smith.  

Another great article written by the Gazette's Derrick Webb.
http://www.chillicothegazette.com/story/sports/local/beyond-the-scores/2016/01/19/switching-digits-hosley-honoring-cottrill/78967252/

​CHILLICOTHE - Cole Cottrill knew right away.

The Unioto senior do-it-all guard knew he suffered a major injury, knew his season was automatically in jeopardy and knew — most of all — his teammates needed No. 20 on the court in some shape or form.
On a two-on-one breakaway against Zane Trace last Friday at Unioto High School, Cottrill leaped to catch the back end of an alley-oop — sticking to his guns and attempting to maintain his above-the-rim style of play. But in mid-air, Cottrill was fouled on a bang-bang play.

As his slender, 6-foot-4 frame fell to the floor violently, Cottrill's instincts took over and he tried to catch himself. Instead of adding a clip to his already crowded highlight reel, Cottrill broke both of his wrists; sending a hush across the crowd and changing the makeup of the area basketball landscape instantly.

"The only thing I could really think about in that moment was my team," Cottrill said, now with a cast on each arm. "I knew I was going to be out for awhile. It kind of hurt, knowing that I left my teammates a man short. When I went up for the ball, I felt (the defender) hit me. I knew something bad was about to happen. When I hit the ground, I felt a little pop in my wrist."

Cottrill, filled to the brim with adrenaline, hopped up like nothing had happened. Unfortunately, that wasn't reality.

"I think (Cottrill) was in such shock, that he hopped up and wanted help right away," Unioto coach Matt Hoops said. "Instantly, the feeling in my stomach was an awful one. My heart just sank, just because I know how much time he's put into this, how much fun he has playing the game and how much he enjoys playing with his teammates."

After an initial hope that he would return to the floor at some point this year, Cottrill received word Monday one of his wrists requires surgery — effectively ending not only his season, but his four-year basketball career at Unioto.

"It was heartbreaking to hear the news," Cottrill said, through tears. "I really wanted to come back. They're going to put in a plate to fix where the degree of my wrist is. Your wrists are only supposed to be at a five-degree angle, mine is at 22."

For good measure, Cottrill's Shermans went on to beat the Pioneers that night by a final of 74-46 — the team's 35th consecutive Scioto Valley Conference victory and its 48th straight regular season win. However, the cost of the win delivered a deafening blow.

The team lost its mojo, its star player and most importantly, its momentum.

Enter Erique Hosley; Cottrill's best friend since preschool and the Shermans' go-to name when a leader is needed.

"Erique and I have been best friends for as long as I can remember," Cottrill said. "He's always been by my side. Me and him, we go everywhere together."

In a basketball sense, Hosley and Cottrill have made memories together since the fourth grade — the year in which Hoops asked them both to be the Shermans' ball boys.

The very night after Cottrill's injury, Hosley made sure No. 20 was still with his brothers on the court. The Shermans, paying a visit to Huntington, beat the Huntsmen 68-47 and No. 20 led the way with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

No. 20's name — this time — was Erique Hosley.

"I felt nothing but pride wearing that number," Hosley said with a smile. "We were sitting down, watching a movie the night before and Cole had suggested it. He was just throwing the idea out there, almost kidding around. I thought to myself, 'you know, I'm really going to do it.' I knew it was a great way to represent him and honor him. I wanted him to still be there on the court with us when we accomplish all the goals we've set out to accomplish."

Hosley, after gaining Cottrill's permission, made a switch from his usual No. 5 to No. 20. It turns out, the two friends weren't the only ones thinking over the switch.

"The crazy thing was that they hadn't talked to me," Hoops said. "I didn't get much sleep Friday night, at all. I think I went to bed at 1 and woke up at 4. As I was sitting in my living room, thinking of all of the things that had happened and praying for the different outcomes we could possibly have, I just really felt for Cole. You see it in college all of the time; someone wearing someone else's number to honor them. I thought what a great idea that would be to honor Cole."

The next morning, Hoops put his 'original' plan into action.

"We had a shootaround the next morning and a team meeting," he said. "We had finished shooting and I walked over to Erique and said 'what would you think about wearing number 20 tonight'. He said 'I've already thought about that.' He made the switch, we were the only three that knew about it, and I think he honored Cole the way he'd want to be honored."

And so you have it.

However, this is just the beginning of the story. The end is still being formulated.

The Shermans, recently recognized by the Associated Press as the No. 3 team in all of Division II, now have yet another reason to play — their injured teammate.

"I think we can still make it just as far as we could if I were able to play," Cottrill said. "I mean, the next person on our bench is just as good. They'll do what they need to do to win. Our guys will continue to play our roles."

Hoops agreed.

"We constantly preach 'team' and 'next man up,'" Hoops said. "We'll continue to do that. It's worked so far. Our team has rallied around this. We feel like this will bring us even closer together as a team than we already are."

For Cottrill, individually, he plans to stay with his team, support them and continue to be grateful for those who have been closest to him — before continuing his basketball career at a collegiate level.

"The last four years at Unioto, as a Sherman, has been a great four years," Cottrill said. "I've been a part of something great. Nothing compares to it. We've still got a job to do and the ride doesn't stop here."
While the finishing touches are being painted on Unioto's 2015-16 canvas, No. 20 will not only be on the Shermans' bench in person, but on the back of Hosley's game jersey and in the minds of every Shermans' roster member.

In or out, Cottrill will still have his fingerprints on every contest.

"It's not about me, it's about my team. I just want what's best for the team. Hoops has been with me since the fourth grade. I've grown up with him. He's always been like a second dad to me," Cottrill said, with a single tear running down his cheek. "Erique and I are so close and Bubba (Isaac Wheeler) and Sawyer (Lovely), I love them; just as much as anyone. I'll be right here with them."

​dwebb@chillicothegazette.com
Twitter: @dw1509

CHILLICOTHE - On the surface, Unioto's 33-game winning streak inside Scioto Valley Conference play is highly noteworthy.

But when you dig a little deeper, the streak becomes even more impressive.

Unioto's last conference loss was a 57-56 overtime loss to Zane Trace on December 7, 2013. For good measure, the Tanks are 46-3 overall since that loss, falling to just Washington Court House, Minford and Walnut Ridge.

The loss to Washington Court House is significant because it was the Tanks' last regular season loss. Minford and Walnut Ridge came in tournament play. Since the loss to the Blue Lions, Unioto has won 44 consecutive regular season games.

Taking a deeper dive into the win streak, the numbers are just as astounding.
For instance, before its 75-66 win over Westfall — the victory that broke the previous SVC streak of 32 consecutive wins held by Southeastern's 2001-2003 teams — Unioto had an 20.4-point average margin of victory in its previous 32 conference wins. Within their first five SVC games of this season, the Tanks (9-0, 6-0 SVC) had an average margin of victory of 35.8 points.

Then, there's the small deal of milestones hit during the streak.

Unioto's Nick Corcoran won two straight SVC Player of the Year awards — sharing the award with Zane Trace's Pierce Mowery in 2014-15 — and also surpassed the 1,000 career points mark as well. Shermans' head coach Matt Hoops joined Corcoran on the milestone list by winning his 100th career game as a head coach in a 79-53 win over Westfall on Jan. 3, 2015.
With a 67-55 win over Warren on March 13, 2015, Unioto was crowned district champion for the second time in school history, for the first time since 1992 and for the first time ever within Division II.
Other accomplishments during the streak include five players moving on to participate athletically at the next level. Kyle Strange and Nick Overly are at Otterbein playing basketball while Alek Adkins is at Ohio University-Chillicothe. Two other former players earned scholarships for soccer and track.
Overall, over the span of the past 44 contests, Unioto is averaging 71.8 points per outing — by far the most in the area. The current sophomore class still hasn't lost a regular season game (34-1, 20-0) and the current junior class is 53-5 overall with a 32-1 conference record.

The scary part is, there's no signs of the Tanks stopping.
After this year's four seniors — Cole Cottrill, Erique Hosley, Sawyer Lovely and Isaac Wheeler — graduate, the next wave of seniors are more than capable of carrying the torch. If Hoops has his way, the area could see the first ever 40 or even 50-game win streak inside conference action.
Looking at the future, if Unioto continues to roll this season and goes into the postseason undefeated, the streak would have reached 41 inside the SVC and 57 in the regular season — breaking a record as well.

While Hoops and his clan of trailblazers are constantly focused on one game at a time, it's hard not to look at the writing on the wall. The expectations are there, the talent is there and the coaching staff is there. Now the deed just needs to be done.
The sky is the limit for the Shermans and while nobody knows when the streak will reach its halt, one thing is for sure: whatever the outcome, Unioto's basketball program will be fun to watch for a long while. Enjoy watching history.
dwebb@chillicothegazette.com

As we are heading into Christmas, the two programs have had very different starts. The boys are currently 9-0 and have set a new record for most consecutive SVC wins, while the girls are currently 1-8.

But, not everything is doom and gloom for the girls' program. They went toe to toe with one of the better teams in the Southeast District, before dropping a tight decision (44-38) to Vinton County (8-2). A very competitive game should help give Coach Miller's girls a shot in the arm going into the new year. 

The boys have been led by some familiar faces, but also some very nice contributions by some new blood. They also are getting some statewide notice, JJHuddle.com has them ranked as the #4 team in all of -Division 2. A major test comes up next Tuesday on the road at Fairfield Union (7-1), the Falcons can really shoot the ball and are very tough to beat at home. 

For Article
CHILLICOTHE - Unioto's boys basketball team hasn't lost a Scioto Valley Conference game since a 57-56 overtime loss to Zane Trace on Dec. 7, 2013.
Since then, the Shermans have ripped off 27 straight wins — six away from a conference record — inside the SVC and 35 straight in the regular season. Heading into 2015-16, Unioto will once again enter as the favorite to win a conference crown, meaning a large bright bulls-eye has been drawn on their backs.
"Every season you go into, you're either the hunter or the hunted," Unioto coach Matt Hoops said. "But either way, you're still motivated. It's just a different motivation. We feel like we want to continue to be the best we can be and we've worked really hard to try and get some of the achievements we've had. But this a new year. So we want to continue our theme of every time we go out, we want to be 1-0."
Last season, Unioto's magical 26-1 run ended in a Division II regional semifinal at the hands of Walnut Ridge 46-45. Gone from that team are graduates Nick Corcoran, Nick Overly, Kyle Strange and Alek Adkins.
Replacing those four players will be seniors Cole Cottrill, Erique Hosley, Sawyer Lovely and Isaac Wheeler.
"We can't let that (regional semifinal) loss linger," Hoops said. "We're using that as a practice tool. We lost four great seniors but we're bringing back four great seniors. A lot of the responsibility will fall on their shoulders. We have 11 guys on our roster who were on the roster last year. They've been through some success and we're hoping that it will continue to breed success."
Cottrill averaged 10.4 points per game last season while dishing out 3.3 assists. Hosley scored 9.4 per game and brought down an average of 7.7 boards per contest. Those two will anchor Hoops' starting lineup along with Wheeler, a center, and sophomore guards Logan Swackhammer and Brandon Kennedy.
Also contributing minutes will be defensive specialist Clay Edler, standout sophomore Gabe Fisher and 6-foot-5 sophomore Peyton Hill — a transfer from Zane Trace.
"Logan and Brandon have done nothing but play basketball since last March 19 when our season ended," Hoops said. "They've concentrated a lot on their physical makeup while trying to get stronger. They've had a really good off-season and we're looking forward to seeing them grow on the court."
On paper, Unioto may look like it's far and away the best team in its conference. However, according to Hoops, that can't be the case.
"You really can throw the records out the window when you talk about SVC basketball," Hoops said. "On any given night, you could have a team who's the eighth best team on paper beat or play with the first place team. The amount of talent that separates first and eighth place is not that much. Everyone knows everyone and everyone has been playing against one another for a long time. You have to come to play each night or you're going to lose."
The Shermans start their season Nov. 28 at home against Logan.
Girls Basketball
While Unioto's boys have reloaded, the girls could be looking at a rebuilding project.
One year ago, the Shermans were 22-5 overall before falling in a Division II regional semifinal to West Holmes, 45-33. However, four of the Tanks' five starters from that night have graduated including 2014-15 Co-SVC Player of the Year Alexis Overly.
In total, Unioto will be searching to replace a combined 38.3 of the 52.8 points they averaged a season ago.
"We're working extremely hard," Unioto coach Jeff Miller said. "We've got so many kids in different roles this year. So they're still trying to get use to that and that's a challenge. Last year, their role was to take a couple of shots game and play good defense. This year, that has expanded and it's something they're not used to and it's going to take awhile for that to happen."
This year's team makeup includes seniors Kassidey Winegardner, Taylor Britton, Bri Thomas, Kaylee Valentine and Makayla Beavers. Winegardner, Thomas and Valentine all saw valuable minutes last season and 6-foot-2 sophomore center Caroline Thiel acted as Miller's fifth starter.
In order to succeed, Thomas, Valentine and Thiel will have to take over scoring responsibilities.
"That's something in the preseason that we're still trying to figure out; who will step up and do that," Miller said. "I don't think it's going to be one kid that steps up and scores 17 or 18 a game. It's going to have to be a collective thing where five or six kids score four or five more points a game than they did last year."
Sophomores Carly Adkins and Summer Sigman will also see playing minutes and will contribute heavily on the defensive side of the ball.
"We do have Caroline (Thiel) in the paint to protect the rim which allows us to do some things in the perimeter," Miller said. "But the kids are buying into the defense and this year, that's going to have to be our identity. We're going to have to limit teams to one shot and keep them off the glass. If we can do that, we'll stay in the game."
Unioto could experience growing pains. But in the end, there's still a tradition to be upheld. Miller is 70-26 as a head coach.
"On paper, there are better teams than us right now," Miller said. "For us, we need to take care of our home court and win those games. If we go on the road and we're favored, we better win that game. We can't go and get knocked off by a team that we shouldn't get knocked off by. Anybody can beat anybody on any given night."
Miller's Shermans will open up the season at 7 p.m. Friday at McClain.

Want to say congratulations to last year's seniors for continuing their athletic careers in college. 

Alek Adkins - Ohio University- Chillicothe
Nick Overly - Otterbein College
Kyle Strange - Otterbein College

Alexis Overly - Ohio Dominican University
Taylor Overly - Rio Grande (Volleyball)
Kaylah Peele - Ohio Christian University (Soccer and Basketball)

Welcome home, Coach Nick Easterday! Coach Easterday was a 2007 graduate of Unioto High School, where he was a 3 year starter. Coach Easterday has also been an assistant at Adena and most recently, Paint Valley, where he helped lead them to their first District Championship Game appearance in nearly 25 years. ​

Congratulations to Coach Corey White on the birth of his daughter, Hazel. Coach White will be taking time away from the program to concentrate on the newest addition to his family. Thank you to Corey for 5 great years with the program, in which we went 89-29, with 3 SVC Championships, 2 Sectional Championships, and the second District Title in program history!

Congratulations to Coach Cody Carpenter on landing the job as the Head Varsity Basketball Coach at Amanda Clearcreek High School. Coach Carpenter was only with us for one season, but what a season it was and now it will be exciting to watch him rebuild the Aces program!

Both the boys and girls basketball teams are looking to carry over the successes of last season. Unioto became the first SVC school to win a Gold Basketball in both genders during the same school year! 

Boys- 26-1, SVC, Sectional, and District Champions. Lost 46-45 to Columbus Walnut Ridge in the Regional Semi-Finals. Walnut Ridge would eventually fall in the State Final Four. 

Key Losses (Everyone)
Nick Corcoran - 15.2 PPG, 2 time SVC POY, 2nd Team All Ohio, 1069 Career Points
Nick Overly (Otterbein College) - 14.3 PPG, Honorable Mention All Ohio, 2 time All SVC, 731 Career Points
Kyle Strange (Otterbein College) - 620 Career Points, 3 year starter, 3 time All SVC
Alek Adkins - 395 Career Points, 2 time All SVC, 17-9 in District Title Win
Combined: 61-14 (last 3 years), 2815 career points, 10 time All SVC

Key Returners:
#5 Erique Hosley - 4 year starter; 3 time All SVC, 579 Career Points
#20 Cole Cottrill - 364 Career Points, shot 46% from 3 last season, 10.4 PPG
#3 Logan Swackhammer, #4 Sawyer Lovely, #11 Brandon Kennedy, #33 Isaac Wheeler - all key contributors off of the bench a season ago

Girls- 22-5, SVC, Sectional, and District Champions. Lost 45-33 to West Holmes in the Regional Semi-Finals. 

Key Losses (Everyone)
Lexie Overly - 2 time SVC POY, 4 time All SVC, 2nd Team All Ohio, 1316 Career Points
Taylor Overly - 2 time All SVC, 724 Career Points
Hannah Nelson and Kaylah Peele - All SVC and Honorable Mention All District

Key Returners:
#35 Caroline Thiel - Honorable Mention All SVC
#5 Kassidey Winegardner, #11 Kaylee Valentine, #23 Bri Thomas - All key contributors off of the bench a season ago

For more information on the upcoming season, hover above the link.