Posted 1/18/00
Jonathan Shaffer's Mid-season Report
As we close the chapter to the first half of the season and look ahead to what is bound to be a very exciting conclusion, this is the time to sit back and reflect upon what has already been a topsy-turvy year in the KSAC.
The KSAC has proved once again to be highly competitive and often unpredictable. Though it is not much of a surprise that North Clarion, Keystone and Clarion Area adorn the top of the standings, the competitiveness of the conference serves as a reminder to every team that nobody can afford to take as night off. It gives added meaning to the phrase; "any team can be beaten on any given night."
Just take a look at the facts: North Clarion squaked by Keystone who lost to Redbank Valley who got crushed by North Clarion. The Bulldogs defeated Clarion Area and Keystone but have lost to Union. Union has defeated A-C Valley but lost to Clarion-Limestone. Does anybody sense a theme yet? The bottom line is that coaches in the conference and throughout the district have said that this is a very difficult conference to play in and against.
With the high level of competitiveness comes the larger amount of entertaining games and finishes. The North Clarion-Keystone contest is by far the "Game of the Year" so far. The only game that may receive that title is when Keystone visits North Clarion on Feb. 8. Mark your calendars if you haven't already.
The Karns City-Clarion Area game was also a classic, as it went down to the wire. C-L got its first conference win in style by winning at Union in overtime.
And what about the Karns City-Redbank Valley game in which Darren Duhnke scored 33 points, but Rob Kusick scored 32 points to lead the Gremlins to a 65-62 victory?
The "upset special" was the Keystone-Redbank Valley game. Yes, the Panthers were without Raoul Whitaker, but this is the second year in a row that Keystone has been unable to register a win at RV.
It has also been a record-setting year in the KSAC. Mike Carr blew past 1,000 points and is resetting the school?s scoring record with every made shot. Duhnke broke 1,000 points with his 33-point effort against KC. Dustin Laughlin recently attained his 1,000th point as well.
So with half a season gone, there has already been a number of achievements and a defining sense of unpredictability. Here is my team-by-team report; reviewing what has happened and what may happen in the final weeks of play.
(In alphabetical order)
A-C Valley: This team was not supposed to be this successful. They already have more wins then they did all of last season. Coach Bruce Beichner's squad has pulled off a couple of close games to get them where they are.
Keith Lukasavich is the centerpiece of this team often scoring over 20 points a game because of his inside presence and size. Dan King, Corey Jackson and Pat Moore can all put points on the board and can silently beat you.
The Falcons have a decent mix of inside and outside shooting and play tough for four quarters. The big factor here is foul shooting. This team is not very good at the line and that could cost them.
Clarion Area: This team could conceivably run away with at least a portion of the KSAC title. Although I don't think that will happen.
Coach Rob Leone's Bobcats are starting to gel and their play is improving. Furthermore, they are finally playing with emotion, an ingredient to every successful team. Charles Baschnagel and Brad Larson ("The Twin Towers") create worries for every coach, although, at times, they have been contained.
The key factor in the winning formula for the Bobcats is the team?s guard play. If Jeff Bruner and Zac Mechling can start making some serious noise on the perimeter and penetrating the ball in, this team could become dangerous.
Much like RV and C-L did last year, the Bobcats are starting to get on a roll. This team isn't quite there yet, but if they can put the pieces together look out.
Clarion-Limestone: After a successful season last year, this team is definitely in a rebuilding year.
The Lions have lost a lot of close games and have a lot of speed. Nobody should expect to just walk over these guys.
Jordan Johnston is earning more playing time and will become a star in a few years. The team is able to put down the three-pointer with consistency, but a lack of size and experience really hurts this ball club. But don't fret Coach Todd Smith, your time in the sun will be the next two seasons.
Karns City: This team suffers from some of the same problems as C-L: lack of size, plenty of younger guys. But the Gremlins, especially Rob Kusick, can gun down the treys. They have good speed and a lot small, quick guards. Patrick Craig, Brain Hilderbrand and Greg King are other contributors.
Coach Jeff Loughry does the best he can with what he has, but size is needed in this conference. This team is rather young and will be more competitive in the next few years.
Keystone: To simply put it, Chris Banner is the heart and soul of this team. The Panthers will go only as far as Banner, the best post player in the KSAC, takes them.
Good news for the Keystone faithful is that Banner's scoring is going up, and Raoul Whitaker is back in full form from an ankle injury.
This is the biggest team in the conference thanks to the infusions of Charlie Cotherman and Brandon Reed.
The loss to RV really hurt this team's aspirations for a conference title.
This squad is still improving and consistent play from Ryan Rupert and Clint Mattern is needed to help make this team better. One telling statistic about the Panthers: in both of Keystone's losses, Rupert has scored 0 points.
Moniteau: I haven't seen this team yet, and I don't know much about them. Aaron Brinkley leads this squad that can look good at times.
I don't think they will reach .500 and will look to beat up on the teams closer to them in the standings.
North Clarion: The only team to have come this far unblemished. The loss of Kurt Wolbert for three weeks earlier in the season actually made this team stronger, as Ken Siegel, Dusty Niederriter and Jared Reisinger picked up their games.
To fully appreciate this team's ability, one must realize that this team kept winning despite Wolbert on the shelf and a fairly difficult non-conference schedule. And not to forget Mike Carr, currently the league's leading scorer, who is the league's best player and possibly the best player in the district. His versatility of playing all five positions well and his ability to take control of the game puts him, and this team, over the top. The higher scoring output from Niederriter and Siegel plus the steady play of Wolbert certainly helps as well.
These factors coupled with the fact that NC has a two-game lead in the conference puts the Wolves in the driver?s seat. But NC's road to glory definitely has its possible hazards: having to face CA twice and Keystone once more.
Remember Wolves fans, there is no sure thing in the KSAC.
Redbank Valley: I have just one question: which team is going to decide to show up every night?
Here is a squad that defeated CA and Keystone, but lost to A-C Valley and Union.
Darren Duhnke leads this team in scoring, though his numbers have slipped a little as of late. Andy Bish also puts up points for the Bulldogs, but the rest of their points seemingly come from a scorer-by-committee situation.
This team has size to match up well to CA and Keystone but got run off the court by NC early this season. Guard play is an important matter for this team and will need to improve if this team is to finish over .500.
The Bulldogs also have a history of being a strong team in the latter part of the season. What will happen this year? I don't know.
Union: This team is another head-scratcher. The Golden Knights won their first five games in a row then lost their next six.
Shane Varner may have the sweetest shot in the league, able to drain three-pointers from anywhere.
Dustin Laughlin leads this team and is just behind Carr as the league's leading scorer. He can shoot from anywhere.
Josh Carmichael is also a main contributor.
Union is mostly effective from the outside with a nonexistent inside game. You live by the three, you die by the three. I think Union knows that all too well.