Mid-Buckeye Conference

• Rbirdsman01

  Yes they did. and one of those games was the state title game. What I meant to say is no Redbird Girls team has started this well since that team.
• Rbirdsman01

  The Redbirds will need to win 6 more games to tie the record for best start in girls history @ 16 by the 91-92 state runner-up team. Will be difficult to do with some tough league games coming up.
• Red_Skin_Pride

  

  Utica/Danville cancelled for this evening. The woman I talked to didn't know when they might reschedule the game, but for now, the Redskins and Blue Devils are off tonight.
• Rbirdsman01

  Redbirds and Vikings are off also. That game has been rescheduled for next Thursday 1/14.
• Bird Nation

  Birds still on for Saturday with Freddies.......
• Rbirdsman01

  As far as I know they are. Haven't heard otherwise.
• Red_Skin_Pride

  

  Are we still on for tomorrow against Northridge?? Anyone with any info? 4theteam?
• Rbirdsman01

  Redbirds remain undefeated as they beat Fredericktown 70-38
• 4theteam

  Utica wins over Northridge today 67-33. Slow start for Utica as the long break was very noticeable, but girls got it rolling by half time and ran away by 3rd period. Northridge needs to work on that press break, I think Utica scored 20 pts off this alone. Tought game coming against Granville next Tuesday.
• Rbirdsman01

  Redbirds beat Northridge 55-27. birds had a rough time shooting the ball most of the night. It was a good thing the defense came to play.
• 4theteam

  Utica over Danville tonight 65-54 in a very physical game. This game actually got within 4 pts before Utica finally pulled away. Danville had 4 kids foul out tonight. Utica plays on the road again Saturday at East Knox.
• Rbirdsman01

  Redbirds start out the second round of conference play well beating Centerburg 55-31. Redbirds remain unbeaten on the season and have Danville on the road Thursday and Utica @ home on Sat.
• Red_Skin_Pride

  

  Utica 61
  EK 42
  
  Londot and Corbett with 21 each for Utica. Redskins have the Johnnies at home thursday followed by a trip to Loudonville on saturday.
• 4theteam

  Redskins are back in action tonight at Utica against Johnstown. Looking for Utica to get their mojo in sync tonight.
• Rbirdsman01

  Redbirds sneak out of Danville with an 8 point win. Now they can focus all attention on Utica on Sat. Felicia Baker had a wonderful 17th birthday with 22 points 12 boards to lead the Birds.
• Red_Skin_Pride

  

  Utica over Johnstown 61-29. Corbett with 20 and Londot and Davis in double figures as well. Saturday showdown with Loudonville next up.
• 4theteam

  Showdown at the Birdcage tomorrow, 1/23. Anyone that is looking to see one of the better games this season in girls high school ball needs to be in Loudenville tomorrow as Utica looks to avenge an early season loss at home, while the Redbirds look to take the next step in securing an MBC league title and defend an unbeaten record. Good luck Redskins!
• Red_Skin_Pride

  

  Well, this is quite frankly what the season comes down to in the MBC. A Utica win would tie up the conference race, while a Loudonville win would put Utica two games out. Two teams with a combined 22 wins and 1 loss. There's gonna be some pretty damn good basketball being played tomorrow. A few things I see for the game tomorrow:
  
  1. Utica is not the same team they were on December 12th. And as I'm sure Loudonville fans will tell you, neither are the Redbirds. However, the only thing that can help Utica is time. Our 6th and 7th player(s), who always see the floor early on, are a sophmore and freshman, respectively. They are both extremely talented, but I don't think they quite understood what this game was going to be like the first time these two teams met. Now, in addition to having a game in this series under their belts, they have more than 3 total games played this year. And Myranda Wolfe is really coming on. IMO she needs to see the ball as much as they can get it to her tomorrow. If we win, it will be because Corbett, Wolfe, and Londot lead the way. They're the three who are our most consistent scoring threats, and they HAVE to lead the way.
  
  2. Utica cannot get outrebounded. I know Loudonville is "long" at almost every position, and quick, but there is no reason with Lugar, Londot, Wolfe, and our quick guards, that we should get outrebounded. This will help with our consistency; we had a substantial dry spell in scoring in the first meeting, because many trips down the floor we were one and done. You can't do that against a team that is going to get points the majority of THEIR possessions.
  
  3. We need to press. I never saw it all game in the first meeting, and I think it was because coach Snow was worried about our depth, and having gas in the tank to try and win the 4th quarter. However, we've pressed a LOT more the last several games, and it wreaks havoc when we suprise teams with it. IF...and I say if because it's hard to nitpick an undefeated team, but IF Loudonville has one visible weakness that I've seen, it's that they don't have a true, outstanding pointguard that can handle that situation every time. The Redbirds will out-efficiency you in a half-court set, and they are damn good at it. But they are not a team that likes to be pushed. They never have been since we started playing them. They like to out-execute you on their offensive end, and be agressive when on defense. So why let them get into their comfort zone on offense? Sure, they'll break the press some and get some junk baskets, but how does that compare to letting them get into the half-court and score 80% of the time they have the ball?
  
  4. Location, location, location. The MBC doesn't get a lot of respect, but it really is a tough conference to win in on the road, especially against quality teams; is that due to the officiating being so terrible (joking lol...well, sort of ) or because it really DOES make a difference where the game is played? I lean towards the second part, while still keeping in mind the first. It's always a tough game for us at Loudonville, and it will be again tomorrow. I am already bracing myself, after seeing conference play both at home and on the road, for some terrible calls tomorrow...Loudonville fans, please do the same. The game last night wasn't close, but at one point we had 9 fouls on us, and Johnstown had 1! One foul. Luckily, it didn't matter, but I can only imagine how that would look if it was a close game, to look up and see the other team shooting one and one, with 1 foul left before getting 2 shots every time, and us be 6 fouls away from the bonus lol. And it goes both ways, trust me. We've had many terrible calls go our way this year as well. So, I'm bracing myself for the worst, while hoping for the best...hopefully everyone else is too. (And Rbirdsman, you and I already had the discussion of officials, and I know how that works and everything...just letting you know that I understand you post on here a TON, and I'm not trying to say anything specifically about Loudonville at ALL, more of refs in the MBC as a whole because on any given day, you can get any random assortment of officials).
  
  As a little bit of an appetizer for the game for those of you on here tonight, or in the morning, here's today's Newark Advocate write-up on the Utica/Jtown game last night...where they talked more about tomorrow's game againt Loudonville than they did about the actual game last night lol. Sounds like Utica knows whats at stake, if nothing else.
  
  http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20100122/HSSPORTS02/1220330
  
  Enjoy!
  
  Oh, and here's hoping for an injury-free contest tomorrow for both teams. Utica has enough injuries already, and I'm sure Loudonville doesn't need any either!
  
  Good luck to the Redbirds, and GO U!
• Flash

  

  RSP, Saw Loudonville play Smithville early on and they are a solid team. Orchard is tough and she has some help this year. I agree they don't have a point guard who is dominating and pressure may disrupt their offensive flow. Because they have multiple ways to score, you can't over emphasize anyone. I'd try to limit Orchard as much as possible and stop the person who is doing the scoring other than Orchard. Good Luck to both teams.
• Rbirdsman01

  Utica played a great game and came to Loudonville and evened the MBC race. 59-53. Redbirds had a horrible shooting afternoon and the Redskins made 17 free throws in the 4th quarter. Only had one basket from the field for the Redskins in the 4th.
  
  Looks like we could have a split conference title this season. Unless someone gets beat in another conference game the rest of the year.
• Red_Skin_Pride

  

  That's about as good an MBC game, especially defensively that you will ever see for BOTH teams. Loudonville really affected some of Utica's shots, much like in the first game but what was different today than the first meeting was rebounding and limiting turnovers. I was really pleased, first of all with Mary Lugar's defense especially early on. She is not a serious scoring threat for Utica on offense, but she really did a great job today helping us shut down the lane and make points in the paint hard to come by for the Redbirds. Secondly, kudos to Kelly Overton for a fine defensive performance as well. She was matched up with Scarberry the whole time she was in there and really held her own, not letting her get many open shots. For a freshman, her defense is very very solid. I think her offense will come in time, and as they need her to score more. Right now she is filling the defensive role-player mold very well. I thought Wolfe looked very good rebounding the ball for us when she was in, just got into some foul trouble that limited her time.
  
  And what can you say about the three seniors, in Davis, Londot and Corbett...Davis had some ice in her vains nailing every key freethrow we needed down the strech, and did a very good job on defense being matched up with Orchard most of the game. Londot, who is technically a post player for us, stepped out and nailed a few 3's and really did a nice job battling for rebounds and inside points at several key points in the game. And Abbie Corbett...wow. She's done it for 3 years in a row now and came up with a huge game for us in probably the biggest game of the regular season. Don't know the stat line yet, but she had to have had at least 20 points and 7-8 assists, along with several steals and big rebounds. She leads our area in every statistical category as a 5'6 GUARD. I think Orchard will likely win the MBC POY award again, and she probably should. But if there's anyone who is a close second in our conference, it's Corbett.
  
  Games like this continue to make me hope that coach Snow remains at Utica for a very long time. She had a very nice gameplan on both sides of the ball, and it was clear she had the girls ready to play from the outset, and the intensity remained consistent throughout the game.
  
  Congrats to Loudonville on a very, VERY hardfought game. You guys are insanely talented and we feel very fortunate to win this game. It was a big win for the Redskins, and one that we desperately needed. I don't see anyone in Loudonville's district who will challenge them if they remain focused. I could easily see both teams playing for and winning a district title. But hopefully both teams will remained focused and close out the regular season strong. How big of a statement would that make for the MBC to have two teams enter postseason play with 1 loss this year?? Pretty awesome if you ask me. What a great game, and a great environment for the game today. That place was rockin!! Congrats to both teams, and good luck in the next game Redbirds.
• 4theteam

  What a game today at the Birdcage! I wish every game we played in the MBC had the intensity and crowd that we saw today in Loudenville. This game did not disappoint anyone in attendance. All I can say is wow! I wish Loudenville nothing but the best as the season finishes out and sincerely hope they go far in the tournament this year. They have a great squad. That being said, our Seniors came thru strong today and never lost sight no matter how intense the game got. I hope our underclassmen learned alot about teamwork and believing in each other today. Go U !
• Red_Skin_Pride

  

  Corbett with 25 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Londot with 22 points and 14 rebounds, per The Newark Advocate. Great game ladies!
• birds on base

  This was a great game between two very good teams. The Cage was packed. Utica definitely impressed me more than the first meeting. At Utica, the Skins shot ALOT of 3's against the L-ville zone, and the Redbirds had two girls not play. At the cage, Corbett was the best player on the floor. Her dribble penetration was a huge factor. Both teams now will look to take care of business against the rest of the MBC.
• 4theteam

  Getting of the theme of Loudenville and Utica for a change, has anyone been noticing the Centerburg is quietly eliminating teams and loading up some big numbers since the christmas break. Overall sitting at 6-3 in the league. It looks like this young squad is going to challenge teams not expecting a good fight and may surprise a few in the DIII tourney this year.