Midseason big-hitters: Three takeaways halfway through the high school girls basketball season

CHILLICOTHE — As the new calendar year passes and early January ticks by, the high school girls basketball season has almost reached its midpoint.

Most teams in the area have already played the first 11 of their 22-game schedules and are now in the back half of their seasons.

There have been plenty of developments around the area through the first half of the year. So let's take a look at how teams throughout the Chillicothe area stack up midway through the season. Here are three midseason takeaways from the high school girls basketball season:

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SVC Girls Basketball: Unioto girls basketball grits out win over Adena, takes control of SVC standings

Unioto plays like a frontrunner

Let's not mince words. Unioto is a good team beating good teams on a consistent basis. Its recent win over then 9-1 Amanda-Clearcreek — a 63-29 thrashing in which three Shermans scored in double figures — should signal the talent ceiling for this roster.

That's not to mention its bigger road games this season. Unioto has one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the area this season. For the most part, it has found success. The Shermans' only loss was by four points to Wayne in November. They beat the brakes off of Dublin Coffman and has a chance to make some noise in back-to-back games against Westerville South and Olentangy in mid-January.

So far, no other area team has been able to topple the Shermans halfway through the season. They average just over 33 points allowed per game, and they've scored 70 or more in six games. It might be the halfway point of the season, but the Shermans are still dominating the court.

The SVC race is still tight as ever

Even still, the Scioto Valley Conference hasn't separated much near the top. Unioto is only one game ahead of second-place Adena. Huntington and Southeastern, on the other hand, are both 4-2 in conference play and sit just one game behind Adena in the standings.

There's still room for movement up and down the standings. Any upset win by Southeastern or Huntington could turn the dynamic of the SVC on its head. Adena won't have another crack at Unioto until late January, but that still gives time for either team to potentially move in the standings. It's a tight race so far, and the second half of the schedule is still left.

Is there a chance for a potential upset in the standings? Of course. Adena played Unioto close through the first half of their first matchup in December, and Southeastern and Huntington each have lineups capable of upsets. Unioto will have to defend its spot like it has all year if it wants back-to-back conference titles.

How will Waverly fare in the SOC?

The Tigers haven't waded far into their Southern Ohio Conference III schedule yet this season, only having faced one conference opponent before the new year. Still, they've built up a respectable 6-3 record so far and are about to dive head-first into their conference schedule.

The first leg of the schedule won't be easy. Waverly's first three conference opponents — Portsmouth West, Wheelersburg and South Webster — have 19 combined wins on the year. Portsmouth West and South Webster both average over 52 points per game. Waverly, on the other hand, is averaging 49 points per game and two of its losses have come by double-digit margins.

Still, the Tigers have gotten solid performances out of their usual starters this year. Caris Risner and Paige O'Bryant are continually dependable, and Eyra Co has proven to be a solid addition to the lineup this season. It's not a stretch to believe the Tigers can get out to an early lead in the SOC.

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Three midseason takeaways from Chillicothe-area girls basketball