As we wrap up 2018, the Shermans will be in action 4 times over the next 3 days. 

​Thursday, Girls Home vs Jackson (1-7) -- All-Time Series - Jackson leads 5-4

The Girls will be in action on Thursday night as they host Jackson. It will likely be a good opportunity to see the Shermans depth in action as the Ironmen are in the midst of a tough season. Look for Jocie Fisher to be established early on and for guards Emily Coleman and Amber Cottrill to cause havoc on the opposing guards. 

*Get there early to watch as the Junior Varsity Shermans will look to win their 50th consecutive game under Jimmy White. The JV Shermans are an exciting and deep bunch who have been closely knit thus far this season.

Friday, Boys at Jackson (5-2) -- All-Time Series - Unioto leads 10-9

The Shermans will take on a very good Jackson squad in the Apple City on Friday evening. Jackson's program has had a bit of a resurrgance over the past couple of seasons and will look to get their first win over Unioto since 2012. Jackson is led by the Donaldson brothers and super sophomore Traylen Davis. PG Caleb Wallis (a Rio Grande commit) is a super competitor and floor general as well. Jackson's bench has some solid depth, so a lot of different players should contribute between both teams on Friday. The Shermans have been getting steady production out of Cade McKee and Isaac Little, but will need a 3rd consistent scorer to come through to knock off the talented Ironmen. 

Saturday, Girls at Logan Elm (5-3) -- All-Time Series - Unioto leads 24-4

The Tanks will be on the road on Saturday afternoon, as they will take on one of their longest non-conference opponents in the Logan Elm Braves. Unioto has dominated the series between the 2 teams, but they are nearly always competitive as LE is always very well coached and they tend to have some good athletes. This is a game where the Shermans depth and shooters will need to make some noise, Alexis Miller and Hallie Pinkerton have been hot lately from the outside, while Rilee Davis has really started to make some noise in a reserve role. If those 3 play well, the Shermans should be 8-1 going into 2019. 

Saturday, Boys Home vs Fairfield Union (4-2) -- All-Time Series - Tied 2-2

A new rival comes into Frenchtown on Saturday night as the Fairfield Union Falcons will look to take flight at Camp Sherman. The Falcons are a very well coached ball club who gets outstanding PG play and have excellent size inside. I'd look for this game to be one of the better games in the SE District on Saturday night and will feature some outstanding young talent. For the Shermans to win, they'll need another outstanding defensive effort from Cameron DeBord and Gabe McBee. The Tanks finish 2018 at home, but it has not been home sweet home yet this season, as they are only 1-3 in games at Unioto. 

Site Update -- All Statistics and Pages will be updated following this weekend's games. For game by game updates, head to SVCSportsZone.com and WKKJ.com for scores as well. 

3 big games for the Unioto Basketball program this week in Scioto Valley Conference play. 

Thursday, Girls (5-1) home vs. Piketon (6-2) - All-Time Series, Unioto leads 63-23. 

The last game for the girls team before Christmas will have them hosting the Redstreaks of Piketon. Piketon is led by seniors Grace Lightle and Ally Crothers and both can really fill up the stat sheet. Coach Coreno's teams are always known for their great patience and defense, which appear to be consistent once again this winter. For the Shermans to move to 6-0 in the SVC, they will need Jocie Fisher (20.2 ppg) to continue to dominate the paint against the undersized Redstreaks. The Shermans depth was on display at Westfall on Saturday evening as 9 different players scored in the 70-48 victory. That depth will need to continue as the Tanks roll into the new year. 

Friday, Boys (3-3) away at Paint Valley (3-3) - All-Time Series, Unioto leads 83-40. 

A major road test for the young Tanks will occur outside of Bainbridge on Friday evening. The Bearcats are experienced and very athletic, led by juniors Bryce Newland and Cruz McFadden. Seniors Caden Grubb and Hunter Hamlin also bring talent and lots of big game experience. The Shermans will have to keep the long Bearcats off the offensive glass and finally knock down some open looks. Cameron DeBord had his breakout a week ago, look for brother Carson DeBord to do likewise this weekend. If the Tanks want to keep hope alive for a 6th straight SVC title, then every league game from here on out is a must win, starting with Friday. 

Saturday, Boys home vs. Adena (5-1) - All-Time Series, Unioto leads 63-50.

After a major test on Friday at Paint Valley, things will not get any easier when the Adena Warriors roll into Frenchtown on Saturday evening. Adena is currently unbeaten in league play and rolling with a 5 game winning streak. The Warriors have a nice blend of seniors and sophomores with a ton of length, athleticism, and basketball talent. The Tanks will have their hands full, but another good performance from senior Gabe McBee would go a long way in having the Shermans go into Christmas on a winning note. 

We need lots of energy from the crowd and student body this week to help push our squads to victory. The energy has been amazing so far and we are excited to see it continue for our ever improving team!

6 games in 5 days this week between the Boys and Girls program, including an all-day event at Westfall on Saturday. 

Tuesday - Girls @Adena (0-4). Unioto leads the all time series 50-43. Adena's time is coming for their program to make their resurgence, as they are young and talented. Look for Hannah Stark and Jayden Smith to be the go-to players for the Warriors. The Shermans will need to guard on the perimeter and get some consistent scoring from the guard position to stay undefeated. 

Wednesday - Boys vs. Nelsonville-York (3-0). First ever meeting. The Buckeyes come into the contest unbeaten and loaded with experience. 8 seniors help fill out the roster for NY and they are led in scoring and rebounding by Sr Ethan Bohyer (15.5 ppg, 8 rpg) and Sr PG Justin Perry (14.5 ppg). The Shermans will need to keep the Buckeyes off the glass and continue to make shots if they want to even up their overall record at 2-2. This game will be JV and Varsity only, with the JV game starting at 6. 

Thursday - Girls @ Vinton County (4-0). Unioto leads the all-time series 9-1. One of the marquee matches in the Southeast District this week. Vinton County went 21-3 last year and returns much of their roster and have several talented underclassmen making impacts as well. However, one of those 3 losses was a decisive one at Unioto 67-44, where the Vikings struggled from the outside and the Shermans dominated the glass and interior. Look for a tough, tight match up at the Valhalla, which should be more than worth the price of admission. 

Friday - Boys vs. Piketon (2-3). Unioto leads the all-time series 64-44, including winning the last 10 meetings. A vital standings game in the SVC will tip off in Frenchtown when the Shermans host the Redstreaks. Piketon will bring a frantic pace and fast, aggressive defense that will look to force turnovers into easy points. Sr PG Alex Blanton (18.8 ppg) has been outstanding thus far this season, while the 'Streaks are trying to find a consistent 2nd scorer, they do have 6 different players averaging over 4 points per game. 

Saturday - Girls/Boys @Westfall, (G, 1-3/B, 1-2). Unioto leads both all-time series, Girls 59-26 and Boys 54-42. The Boys have won the 16 matchups with the Mustangs. This will be an all-day event starting at 1 with the Freshman Boys game, followed by JV Boys, then JV Girls, Varsity Girls, and finishing with Varsity Boys. Westfall has athletes all over each program and will not be a pushover, especially at the Dome. 

Team Updates

Friday - Varsity L 69-50 to Zane Trace, JV W 40-21, Fr W 33-23
Saturday - Varsity W 63-50 at Huntington, JV W 32-28, Fr W 49-37

Girls - Varsity 3-0, JV 3-0 (45 straight wins)

The Shermans have a major task ahead of them in the opening weekend of SVC play, as they will host the Zane Trace Pioneers (1-1) on Friday and then travel to the Township to play the Huntington Huntsmen on Saturday evening. 

Zane Trace is coming off of a defensive masterpiece as they beat Chillicothe, 45-33. Junior Guard, Cam Evans was at an entirely other level for the Pioneers with 25 points and 6 rebounds. For the Shermans to maintain their 69 game SVC winning streak, they will have to contain him, as well as keeping Tritan Davidson and Nick Nesser off the glass. None of that will be easy, but even if they do, they still have to account for Luke Johnson on the outside. Things don't get easier on the offensive end, as Colby Swain headlines the perimeter defensive effort and Davidson is a complete game changer inside. 

It will take a big time effort on both ends for the Shermans and for the crowd to bring some extra energy to help them go over the top. Outside shooting needs to be on point after only shooting 3 for 16 from beyond the arc against Logan. The Shermans have won the last 9 meetings between the two schools, including a 57-44 decision in last season's regular season finale. Zane Trace is the last school to defeat Unioto in SVC play when they beat the Shermans 57-56 in overtime on a Saturday afternoon in 2013. Zane Trace also leads the all-time series, 59-50 over the Shermans. 

Things don't get easier on Saturday when they travel to Huntington Township to battle the Huntsmen. Huntington is led by senior Elijah McCloskey who is a do-it-all guard who will likely be a rare 4-time All SVC member for the Huntsmen. He can score inside or outside and can catch fire ala NBA Jam when he's on. The Huntsmen also carry a trio of seniors who can hurt you in a variety of ways, with DJ Kinzer, Nate Snyder, and Canaan Knoles. 

Games at Huntington tend to be very difficult for the Shermans and the Huntington students tend to be loud and very involved in the games, which could bring a very difficult atmosphere, especially for the young Shermans squad. Unioto has won the last 13 meetings between the schools, which puts their lead in the all-time series at 74 to 62. 

In last weekend's game at Logan, the Shermans struggled against the defensive speed and intensity of the experienced Chieftains in the first half and got into a big hole at the half. Once things settled at the intermission, the Shermans played much better, but the deficit was too much and they fell 66-47. Issac Little played well in his first game at Unioto, shooting 4 of 5 from the field and scoring 13 points. Cade McKee had 10 points, while Jeremy Lambert and Gunnar Greenwalt gave great energy off of the bench. Senior Gabe McBee had his toughest defensive matchup, but hit the boards well. 

Look for Chance Smith and Justin Manson to step things up this weekend, along with the DeBords and Josh Lambert, while Aiden Loeffler and Nate Keiser will need to continue to bring outstanding defensive energy as well. It will be a tough weekend, but it should be an excitng one as it is any time the ball goes up
 and the Unioto Shermans are in play. 


On the Girls side, Jocie Fisher continued her dominant start to her senior season with a career high 29 points in a 76-39 win over the Paint Valley Bearcats on Tuesday night. She was 11 for 12 from the field and is shooting a cool 85% thus far on the season. Don't miss your chance to watch the Shermans next week as they will be taking their show on the road on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. 

Tuesday, they travel to Adena to take on the Warriors (0-3). The Shermans lead the all-time series 50-43, including the last 10 meetings. Look for Juniors Amber Cottrill, Emily Coleman, and Hallie Pinkerton's defensive pressure making a major impact in this game against the young Warriors, but watch out for the Adena program in the near future after the past few seasons of being down compared to their great history.

On Thursday will be the game of the night in the Southeast District as the Shermans travel down US 50 to McArthur to battle with the Vinton County Vikings. The Shermans broke up the Vikings perfect record last season with a 67-44 drubbing last January, but it was a rare off-night for the Vikings from the outside and I can't imagine that they won't be ready for some revenge. They are perfect again to start this season, including a blowout of Chillicothe to start the year off. Unioto does lead the all-time series 9-1. 

I'll have a more detailed breakdown of next Saturday's game at Westfall sometime next week. 

If you can't make it out to the games this weekend, WKKJ will be covering Friday's game and the website will be updated that evening and the twitter account will have stats and scores from both night's games right after at @UHSShermanHoops. Let's Go Shermans!