Richland County Boys Basketball Power Poll has two remaining undefeated teams battling for No. 1
MANSFIELD — Who is going to blink first?
That is this week's question in the Richland County Boys Basketball Power Poll. With two undefeated teams remaining, the top spot at the end of the year will come down to who takes that first loss. Let's check out this week's power poll and let you be the judge.
GLORY DAYS: Jake's Take: Sellout crowd for Lex-Shelby sure made for a special atmosphere
ALL GROWN UP: Graduation Day: Lexington sophomores playing well beyond their years, spark 10-0 start
11. St. Peter's (1-6)
The Spartans haven’t played since Dec. 22 and won’t take the court again until Friday when they travel to Central Christian. The Spartans will play 15 games from Jan. 5-Feb. 17 so the contests are going to start piling up fast and furious and it will be a great opportunity for St. Peter’s to start building toward a sustainable future.
10. Madison (1-8)
The Rams dropped both of their games since the last power poll. First, it was a narrow 68-60 loss to Ontario where the Rams were right in it until the very end. Justin McCraney had a nice game with 20 points while Owen Wigton had 14 and Eli Lewis added 11. Then, the Rams lost to Ashland 44-33 in OCC play as Will Kepple had 13 points and McCraney added 11. The Rams are still without Cameron Kuhn who suffered an ankle injury and his return this season is in question. He was finding a groove offensively of late. The Rams travel to Wooster on Friday to see if they can get back in the win column.
9. Plymouth (3-6)
The Big Red dropped their two games since the last power poll falling to St. Paul 62-39 and Wynford 66-49 over the weekend. They have now lost four straight and things won’t get much easier this week with a trip to Crestview looming. Last year, the Big Red mustered just 19 points at Crestview.
8. Clear Fork (2-5)
The Colts dropped their two games since the last power poll to fall to 2-5 on the year. First, it was a narrow 53-52 loss to Fredericktown but it was a good fight. Logan Richmond had 17 points while Garret Hotz added 14. Then, the Colts ran into Shelby and fell 72-45 but Hotz had a huge game with 27 points against the best team in the MOAC. That is a major bright spot. Clear Fork hosts Loudonville on Tuesday before hosting Highland on Thursday and heading to Edison on Saturday. It is a whirlwind of a week and three wins sure would go a long way.
7. Ontario (2-6)
The Warriors ended 2023 on a high note with a 68-60 victory over Madison to get their second win of the season. Landon Foltz had a huge game with 26 points while Grady Schroeder added 17. Foltz is having a stellar season as a sophomore and is clearly the future of the program. The Warriors host Shelby on Thursday before heading to Marion Harding on Saturday for a very tough stretch in MOAC play.
6. Mansfield Christian (6-2)
The Flames had an up-and-down week to end 2023. They beat East Knox 75-39 as Amarr Davis led the way with 27 points followed by D’Andre Martin with 19 and Davion Mack with 14. Those three and forming quite the trio and it has the future of the program looking very bright. But, the Flames showed a bit of youth with a 63-53 loss to Northmor to close out 2023. Mack had 18 while Davis added 15 and Martin had 10. But those game are in the past and the only one that matters now is an absolutely massive one on Friday night as the Flames get set to host Lucas with first place in the Mid-Buckeye Conference on the line. It should be one heck of a game. Then, they travel to South Central on Saturday.
5. Lucas (7-1)
The Cubs stumbled out of 2023 after a 61-41 loss to Galion for their first loss of the season. Aidan Culler had 19 points while Logan Toms added 10, but to take a loss to a Division II team two divisions higher is hard to make a punishable loss. But it was great to be tested after cruising through the first seven games and having a big game with Mansfield Christian coming on Friday night. All eyes will be on this game with first place in the MBC on the line.
4. Shelby (6-2)
The Whippets come in at No. 4 this week after going 1-1 since the last power poll. The Whippets dominated Clear Fork 73-45 on Friday night behind a balanced effort with Casey Lantz leading the way with 14 points while Alex Bruskotter added 13, Karsen Homan had 11 and Issaiah Ramsey scored 10. But, the Whippets lost the big one on Saturday falling to Lexington 61-57 as Bruskotter led the team with 32 points and Brayden DeVito had 11 but no other Whippet scored more than four points. They shot 19-of-60 as a team and were still in it at the end. The Whippets will look to take out some frustration on Thursday at Ontario and Saturday at Ashland.
3. Mansfield Senior (7-2)
The Tygers are playing some great basketball and riding a six-game winning streak after picking up two wins last week. First, the Tygers beat West Holmes 62-27 as Karion Lindsay led the way with 14 points. Lindsay was big again in a 67-53 win over Columbus South on Saturday with 16 points while Duke Reese added 14 points and 13 rebounds and Ja’Ontay O’Bryant had his best game since returning from injury with 12 points. The Tygers are really clicking right now as they head to New Philadelphia on Friday for a big Ohio Cardinal Conference game.
2. Crestview (8-0)
The Cougars remained undefeated on the season with a dominant 78-39 win over Mapleton last week as Justice Thompson led five players in double figures with 20 while Tyson Ringler added 15, Malachi Spoerr scored 14 and Sam Wells and Jarek Ringler added 10 points apiece. The Cougars are now on a 20-game Firelands Conference winning streak after crushing the league last year. They host Plymouth on Friday, a team they held to just 19 points when the Cougars hosted the Big Red last year before they head to Highland on Saturday for another very winnable game that could set them out to a 10-0 start.
1. Lexington (10-0)
The Minutemen made a major statement in the Richland County Power Poll this week. After beating New Philadelphia, which shared the OCC title with Lex last year, 50-42, the Minutemen then beat Shelby 61-57 in the Richland County Game of the Year so far. Seven Allen had 15 points while Brayden Fogle and Elijah Hudson had 10 apiece in the win over New Philly. Fogle then followed that up with 21 points and nine rebounds in the win over Shelby while Allen and Joe Caudill had nine points apiece. It is the second straight 10-0 start for Lex after a 12-0 start last year and the third 10-0 start under Scott Hamilton joining the 2015-16 team that went 11-0. Lexington had West Holmes coming in on Friday and Galion visiting on Saturday. If the Minutemen can take care of business over the next four games, they will head into a showdown with Gahanna Lincoln and a rematch with Mansfield Senior with a nice record.
740-244-9934
X: @JakeFurr11
Last Week’s Rankings
11. St. Peter's
10. Madison
9. Ontario
8. Plymouth
7. Clear Fork
6. Mansfield Senior
5. Mansfield Christian
4. Shelby
3. Lucas
2. Crestview
1. Lexington
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Lexington No. 1, Crestview 2 in Richland County Boys Basketball Power Poll
