We have hit mid-January, we have hit the mid-point of the high school basketball season, which means its time to reflect on boys basketball at the half-way point. Who’s up? Who’s down? Who’s getting ready for a strong second half of the campaign?
I’m not a rocket scientist, but it’s not hard to figure out who’s the hottest basketball team in Lorain County. The Columbia Raiders under first year head coach Larry Babics are a blistering 11-0 and have cracked the P-D top 25. What a fantastic first half of the season for the Raiders. The Elyria Pioneers are another team playing very well, having won three straight to go 10-2 on the season. Congratulations to Pioneer Kody Bender for surpassing the 1,000 career point mark. Another red-hot team is Oberlin. The Phoenix have ripped off five straight victories, and stand 7-4 at the halfway point of the season. Also riding a five game winning streak, the Vermilion Sailors are playing well, and now stand at 8-5. The Sailors recent string of victories came after they had lost four straight. The Shoremen from Avon Lake have won four of five to get to 6-4 on the year. Also winning four of their last five are the Firelands Falcons, who now stand at 6-5.
Several area teams are riding the proverbial roller coaster, win one, lose one, win two, lose two. Those looking for more consistency include Amherst, Avon, Keystone, Elyria Catholic, Wellington and Lorain.
There are several area teams that have hit a dip at mid-season. Brookside, Clearview and Midview have all lost four straight, while North Ridgeville has lost their last three games. If those clubs dont turn things around quickly, it could be a very long final six weeks of the regular season. Losing is just as contagious as winning.
A lot of basketball is still to be played, but if teams harbor aspirations for a conference championship or deep tournament run, the time to pick it up a notch is right now. If it doesn’t happen quickly, you can start thinking about bats and gloves or track gear.
Tags: Avon Lake Shoremen, Columbia Raiders, Elyria Pioneers, Firelands Falcons, high school basketball, Kody Bender, Larry Babics, Lorain County High School Basketball, Oberlin Phoenix, Vermilion Sailors
