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
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
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