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On this date in area sports history …
Sixteen years ago on this date, Jan. 28, 1993, the News-Sun published a story about the North-South boys basketball rivarly. Complete story on the jump.
THIS SEQUEL MAY LIVE UP TO BILLING
INTENSITY IS HIGH FOR CITY REMATCH OF NORTH VS. SOUTH.
By Kim Byrum - Sports Writer
For 34 years Springfield’s annual high school showcase - North vs. South - has been a rivalry stuffed with Dick Vitale-like hype - a one-time shot at territorial supremacy, BAY-bee.
Few local traditionalists approved of a second Western Ohio League match-up in the same year. Sequels, after all, rarely live up to their advance billing.
But thanks to a new double round-robin format, tonight’s 8 o’clock standoff (WIZE-AM) between the Panthers, 11-2, and the Wildcats, 11-3, at sold-out North has all the ingredients of a box office smash.
“I get all hyped up without that stuff, though. I could be playing Mother Mercy, Sisters of the Blind and I'd get hyped,'' chuckled South Coach Larry Ham. “To me, it's all basketball - it's competing, playing the game. I mean, I get butterflies in practice.''
Understandably then, tonight’s atmosphere fits the first-year coach just fine. His unusual brand of high-decibel, sideline emotion has proven contagious, rejuvenating a South team that seemed to have grown accustomed to going through the motions.
“I’m as loud when we’re up 30 points as when we’re five or six down - people don’t understand that,” Ham added, still laughing. “I know they think, `What’s he hollering about?’ but I love the game.”
North and South not only carry the county’s two best records, but along with Xenia, 12-2, they’re knotted in a three-way tie for the WOL lead at 7-2.
The Wildcats have recovered impressively after marks of 10-13, 6-15 and 4-17 over the past three years. Similarly, after sharing last year’s league title with Wayne, the Panthers are off to one of their best starts in recent history, rebounding from a string of unimpressive records: 7-15, 5-16, 10-13 and 14-8 over the past four seasons.
“It’s kind of an unusual feeling (the second time around),” revealed North Coach Eddie Ford. “I was just talking to (senior) Jabbar (Threats) about it the other day. We decided we’d rather (have played) a game Tuesday because we wouldn’t have (had) all week to think about it. We get antsy about it. Our kids just want to go out and play.”
North downed South, 81-73, in the first round. Meanwhile, the Wildcats handed Xenia its only league defeat, 84-69, and have a home date with the Buccaneers remaining.
The Wildcats boast five players averaging 10 to 15 points per game: senior post Trent Fambro, junior wing Dee Miller, junior guard Chris Wallace, junior post Mike Lawson and freshman guard John Carson.
Although Carson’s 15-point average appears modest, he’s throwing in a whopping 23.8 since moving into a starting role seven games ago at the Portsmouth Tournament.
“Once John got the butterflies and the bad game (against North) out he’s been fine,” Ham said. “He had to experience what a pressure situation is really like, and that was the North game. Every game prior to that, I was very, very careful not to put him in critical situations. We were up about 20 - a kid’s allowed to make mistakes in that situation.
“The thing was, people were ooohing and aaahhing at his points, but didn’t see his man breaking free on the baseline for a layup,” he added. “When you’re up 25 points, those kinds of things aren’t glaring mistakes. But John’s really gotten into the team defensive concept.”
Improved individual skills and greater team unity have made the Wildcats a formidable offensive threat. They lead the league in points with an 82.9 average. North, meanwhile, is averaging just 61.8, but is second in WOL defense, allowing 56.0. South is seventh of eight teams in that category, surrendering 68.4.
“With the type of game we play - pressing and going for steals - you’re going to give up some easy buckets. The thing is, you’ve got to make more than you give up,” Ham said.
Lawson leads the ‘Cats in rebounding with nine boards per game, while Fambro and Miller are close behind. Their inside muscle will be necessary tonight in staving off North advantages in size and strength.
The Panthers get 9.6 boards per outing from the 6-foot-6 Threats and 7.5 more from 6-3 senior C.J. McDavid. Senior wing Scott Deas, 6-4, paces them offensively, averaging 19.4 points, while McDavid throws in 13.5 and Threats 10.7.
“I think the key for us is probably defense,” Ford said. “We’ve got to play good defense. They score a lot of points - lead the league in scoring - so we’ve got to have a good, consistent effort there.”
With both sporting ample youth, response to tonight’s pressure is key. Encouraged by the improved play of his young guards, Ford said he’ll offer them calming, pre-game advice.
“Grab onto the seniors’ coattails,” he said, chuckling. “Ride their (emotional) wave. Strap onto C.J., Jabbar and Scott and ride along. Everybody’s got to have a solid game. We can’t have a tremendous amount of turnovers from any one position.”
Both teams plan to attack defensively with a combination of man and zone defenses, a full- and half-court press.
But South, in particular, enters with revenge in mind.
“The disadvantage is that they beat you at your place, so they’re favored,” Ham said. “But the way our kids look at it, we either have to make them prove they’re really that good, or show the first game was a fluke.
“We played horrible at our place,” he added. “But don’t get me wrong - they had something to do with that.”
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