DaytonDailyNews.com

The next time you go to a basketball game at Thurgood Marshall High School, try Valerie Melson's nachos. They're the best.

"Mrs. Mel's" concession stand is the place to be at time-outs. The food's fantastic, and you don't have to break up any cheerleader fights.

Everything was going smoothly between Marshall-Meadowdale on Friday night, Jan. 23. Big crowd. Intense game. Lots of fun ...

"Then all of a sudden, all Hades breaks loose," Marshall Athletic Director Carolyn Woodley said.

Breaking a rule instituted by both schools, a Marshall cheerleader tumbled downcourt near the Lions' cheerleaders during a time-out in the third quarter.

In a scene out of "Bad Girls Club" on the Oxygen channel, the cheerleaders scuffled, got separated, then benched the remainder of the game — with Superintendent Kurt Stanic as a witness.

I feel sorry for Woodley and Meadowdale Athletic Director Linda Neal, who have worked hard to promote sportsmanship among City League schools.

"Linda and I have specific rules in place for when our teams play each other in regards to cheerleaders," Woodley said. "You don't go down on the other team's end of the floor to give a 'hello cheer.' And if you do any type of routine, you stay on your end of the floor. You cheer to your fans and your fans only."

Woodley assured me of two things: 1) Her cheerleaders will be disciplined and 2) Perception is not reality.

"You can't take these things lightly, because it spills over into other programs," she said, adding, "I don't want our program misrepresented because of the actions of just a few people."

Choose a side

In this corner, we have Chaminade Julienne (10-4), the area's top-rated D-I girls basketball team. In the visiting corner is Beavercreek (10-2), good as ever with a bead on defeating the Eagles for the third straight season.

Another chapter in this great, nonleague rivalry is today, Jan. 26, at CJ (7:30 p.m.). Both teams have their standouts: CJ's Samarie Walker (UConn) and Shene Fleming, and Creek's Mikaela Ruef (Stanford) and Emily Zimmerman.

CJ's rugged regular season continues with a rematch against defending state D-II champ Alter at 6 p.m. Saturday at UD Arena. The Eagles handed the Knights their only loss early in the season, 48-47.

Did you know ...

Thomas and Vickie Mygrants have two stars in their Alter family.

Ali, a junior on the basketball team, scored a career-high 17 points in a 55-39 victory over Bedford Chanel in the All-Ohio Shootout.

Carly will enter her junior season this fall as a defender on the University of Alabama women's soccer team. Carly led the Crimson Tide with five goals as a true freshman in 2007, and played in all 20 matches for the 9-9-2 Tide in 2008.

Where are they now?

Theresa Check, a Central State grad from Cedarville High School, hopes her return to Dayton is a triumphant one.

Named the athletic director and head women's basketball coach at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College on July 9, Check brings the Surge to Sinclair Community College as part of Tartan Pride's "White Out Wednesday," Jan. 28. The women tip-off at 5:30 p.m. and the men at 7:30 p.m.

Check coached Central State's women to a 387-109 record (.780) from 1985 to 2001 before taking over as the school's athletic director. She'll be serenaded at Sinclair by CSU's "Invincible Marching Marauders" pep band.

Quote machine

"She came in as a freshmen and the seniors accepted her, and she fit right in. Now she's basically the leader playing with younger kids." — West Liberty-Salem coach Dennis Mcintosh on senior guard Haleigh Hickenbottom, who hopes to finish her career with four Ohio Heritage Conference titles.

Bottom line

To the cheerleaders at Marshall and Meadowdale: I applaud and appreciate your skill and enthusiasm. But people don't pay $6 to watch you cheer. They buy tickets to witness an athletic contest. Sorry to disappoint you, but you're not the show.

Staff writers Marc Pendleton and Michael Cooper contributed to this report. Contact this reporter at

225-2253 or cludwig@DaytonDaily

News.com.