Athens Wednesday Standouts

The Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio hosted the only triple-header of regional semifinal action in the state. In this article I'll break down the standout performers from Maysville Vs John Glenn, Circleville Vs Unioto and Ironton Vs Eastern Brown.    A dominant performance by Nichols who looked completely unguardable from start to finish, Nichols shined brightest in the Convo once again. Getting wherever he wanted to off the dribble, nobody on John Glenn could prevent Nichols from either getting to the paint or getting to his patented step-back jumper. When Nichols isolates, he does such a great job of going into the defender and creating contact, before making the space needed to rise up and hit. The great players usually dictate the tempo and play off contact from the defense. When Nichols was subbed out, he was outscoring John Glenn himself 34 to 33.     Another workmen like performance from Roehrig who got the game started with a tip in layup to get the Panthers on the board. Knocking down a pair of corner 3-pointers and another where he was trailing the play, Roehrig helps space the floor for Maysville, giving their guards wide open lanes to drive through. Even blocking a 3-pointer, Roehrig and Maysville's collective team defense was exceptional all game long.     A sensational performance in the Convo by the southeast district's player of the year in Division IV; Nungester finished with 31 points and Circleville needed every one of them to survive a gritty Unioto team. Nungester hit some sensational shots from 3-point range, showing his accuracy and quick release from downtown. The turning point of the game came when Nungester had a 6 point possession that broke a tie thanks to an and-1 layup, two free throws off a technical foul and another bucket after the technical. That possession gave Circleville the advantage they needed in the closing stretch of the game.     An incredible effort by Fitch to almost single-handily bring his team back into the game offensively, Unioto wasn't going down without a fight and it was because of Fitch. Fitch was putting on a Shaun Livingston-esque performance from the mid-range area, getting to his spots and rising up to hit. Undersized but playing with a ton of heart, Fitch had a baseline jumper to tie the game that sent the Sherman fans into a frenzy. Another deep playoff run for Matt Combs who continues to show he's one of the top coaches in the southeast district year after year.     After falling behind double-digits early, it looked like the Tigers might be in for an earlier exit than expected in Wednesday's nightcap. A switch was eventually flipped as Ironton used their athletic advantage and simply wore down a smaller Eastern Brown squad to advance to the regional final where they will face West Muskingum who won on a buzzer-beater. Layne was the best player on the court as the multi-sport stud for Ironton simply took over. A powerful and explosive athlete, Layne got to the middle of the paint over and over again and found ways to finish with his preferred right hand. Excelling in the 5-10 foot range, Layne showed soft touch off spin moves and jump stops to get his balance to score at the rim. If Ironton is going to advance to Dayton, they'll need Layne to be excellent again on Saturday.

The Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio hosted the only triple-header of regional semifinal action in the state. In this article I'll break down the standout performers from Maysville Vs John Glenn, Circleville Vs Unioto and Ironton Vs Eastern Brown.