Derrick Webb

Derrick is SOSA's chief content coordinator and has worked for the Chillicothe Gazette, the Portsmouth Daily Times and Eleven Warriors. He's a 15-time award-winning journalist, a self-proclaimed baseball purist, a suffering Bengals fan and has never met a stranger.

TAKE FIVE: A unique look across the area’s basketball scene

Our Derrick Webb gives you a look across the local basketball scene.

Derrick Webb, Staff Writer

Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.

We’re always excited to roll out new features at SOSA, and it’s even better when that feature’s sole focus is to highlight the area’s athletes and coaches.

That’s the mission that Take Five is setting out to accomplish.

We, as a staff, are at games each night. We’re “in the trenches” as we like to say. But most nights, we’re writing about whatever particular contest we chose to cover.

Take Five is tasked with highlighting things that may not appear in the nightly box score.

So, let’s get started. Five things in a five-minute read … OK, it may be longer. You’re on the clock.

1. We’ve had four players reach career milestones in the past week.

Washington’s Tanner Lemaster, Whiteoak’s Landon Barnett, Eastern’s Rylee Leonard and Fairland’s Bree Allen all crossed off career numbers.

This past weekend, Lemaster and Barnett both scored their 1,000th career points while Allen grabbed her 500th career rebound on Monday. Meanwhile, Leonard became the Warriors’ all-time leading scorer with her 1,906th point in a win over Manchester, a victory where she scored 32.

— Lemaster has always been a force inside. The Kentucky-bound tight end is also a monster on the hardwood, and one that most opponents can’t seem to expel. He’s got his Blue Lions sitting alone at the top of the Frontier Athletic Conference.

Eastern’s Rylee Leonard broke the school’s all-time scoring record this past Monday.
CREDIT: *Derrick Webb/SOSA*

— If there’s a list of consistent players out there, Barnett has to be at, or near, the top of that list. Now sitting at 1,005 points in his career, Barnett entered Friday’s matchup with Manchester at 987. He scored 18 in a 56-46 victory to help the Wildcats improve to 5-5. Whiteoak will go as far as Barnett will take them and it could be a lengthy ride in Division IV.

— If you haven’t noticed Allen and the white-hot Dragons this season, you haven’t been paying attention. Fairland is 13-0 overall and has, in a word, pounded each of their opponents — the group’s smallest margin of victory is 11 this winter. Allen has been in the middle of that storm with the ability to score at will while cleaning the glass. Watch this team play. It’s a sight to see.

— Leonard now stands at 1,927 career points with 2,000 right around the corner. “Special” doesn’t begin to describe her as a player At this point, she’s breaking her own records.

2. Let’s get defensive.

Sticking with the theme, I’ll give you five players who have been absolute problems for opponents on the defensive end: Unioto’s Maggie Holbert, Adena’s Caleb Osborne, Notre Dame’s Annie Dettwiller, Peebles’ Mason Sims and North Adams’ Kenlie Jones.

— Let’s start with Holbert, Dettwiller and Jones who, by all accounts, are pests. All three are averaging north of 2.5 steals per game — Holbert with 2.6, Dettwiller at 3.4 and Jones for 3.6 — and all three are elite in transition. Combined, they’ve led their teams to an overall mark of 40-0. That’s no coincidence. If they’re guarding you, you’re in for a long night.

— Now, for Osborne and Sims. While the two’s defensive prowess hasn’t translated to success like the aforementioned girls, there’s no denying that they’re relentless in defending their bucket. Both are constantly clogging passing lanes, both cover their marks like white on rice and both have game-changing abilities that don’t revolve around scoring — although, they can do that, too. Osborne is averaging an SVC-high 2.8 steals per night while Sims leads the SHAC at 3.3.

3. Young guns.

Thankfully, our coverage area is loaded — and I mean that — with talented underclassmen.

To highlight each and every name that will make a difference for their schools in the next three to four years would be impossible. But here’s a few that have stood out to me, so far, over the course of the season.

— Joe Wray, Circleville

Wray hasn’t even played a full season and he already owns the school’s single-game assists record with 14. Circleville coach Cody Carpenter has said that the freshman is one of the best players that he’s coached at his age and this ain’t Carpenter’s first rodeo by a long shot.

— Milee Smith, Unioto

When you have the University of Louisville, alongside other notable Division I programs, speaking with you when you’re in eighth grade, you know your future is bright. Smith’s future is blindingly bright and if you watch her run the court, it doesn’t take long to see why. She’s the real deal, an instant difference-maker at the varsity level and smooth as silk.

Green freshman Jon Knapp has aided his Bobcats to a 7-0 start in conference play.
CREDIT: *Derrick Webb/SOSA*

— Jon Knapp, Green

Goodness, this kid can shoot. If you give him the slightest chance, he’s pulling the trigger and, most likely, touching nylon. He lit up the nets in the Bobcats’ win over Notre Dame this past Friday and will continue to do so if he continues to get the basketball. Green is 10-3 and 7-0 in the SOC I. Knapp is a big reason why.

— Kiannah Ingram, Logan Elm

There’s so much upside to Ingram’s game, and you could say the same about the Braves’ roster as a whole. But Ingram has emerged as the leader of a young group that’s quadrupled their win total from last year. The freshman can drive to the bucket, can pull up from mid-range or can find the open teammate with a crisp flick of her wrist. You’ll want to know her name for future reference.

4. Don’t be surprised. We saw it coming.

There have been some surprises so far this season. But there’s also been a fair share of success that even the most casual basketball fan could see coming a mile away.

— Could a Gold Ball be coming to Kinnikinnick?

Seven games in and Zane Trace is 7-0 against Scioto Valley Conference competition. We knew the Pioneers would be good with a cast of returning talent that included Xzander Ream, Nalin Robinson and Kyle Stonerock. But the question was how would the rest of the team fall into place? The answer, so far, has been like a perfectly placed puzzle piece. Landen Jarrell is going to be one of the top players in our area for the next two seasons, Brock Jarrell provides another shooter and capable guard, and Carter Langley and Landon Robinson are a duo that does the dirty work. If anyone is going to knock off ZT, they’ll have to play a near perfect game.

— Wheelersburg and West’s girls seem to be on a collision course with the SOC title up for grabs.

Heading into Thursday, the Pirates and Senators each have one loss — West fell to Waverly earlier this season while ‘Burg lost its first matchup to West. That means that, if you have a calendar handy, circle Jan. 19. That’s when the two meet again. Wheelersburg, led by Lexie Rucker, Makenna Walker and Madison Whittaker, will have to get by Eastern to go into that date with one loss while West, led by Emma Sayre, Maelynn Howell and Lexi Deaver, has to take care of business against Northwest and Oak Hill. I’ll take those chances.

5. Double Trouble.

My schedule has been jam-packed with basketball over the past two months. Having said that, during that time, I’ve been able to watch some of the area’s best teams and scoring duos. Here are just a few of my favorites.

— Miami Trace’s Hillery Jacobs and Jessee Stewart

— Jackson’s Mattie Walburn and TJ Carpenter

— Fairfield’s Peyton Magee and Faith Donley

— Peebles’ Payton Johnson and Abigail Smalley

— Paint Valley’s Dax Estep and Braylon Robertson

— Minford’s Myles Montgomery and Jackson Shoemaker

— Valley’s Jace Copley, Colt Buckle and George Arnett … Yeah, I know, this one’s a trio.

If you haven’t watched those teams take the court yet, do so. You’re missing out on one heck of a show.