Richland County Girls Basketball Power Poll to reach pivotal point as Tygers stay at No. 1
MANSFIELD — The Richland County Girls Basketball Power Poll picture is about to become very clear or super murky.
It is the matchup we have all been waiting for as No. 1 vs No. 2 square off with all of the bragging rights on the line. But, before we get to that game, let's run down this week's rankings and see if things will change at all.
NO. 1 VS NO. 2: Scouting Report: Mansfield Senior vs Shelby features best two teams in Richland County
10. Lucas (0-10)
The Cubs continue to search for their first win of the season after dropping three last week. It started out with a very close game against Crestline falling 37-31 in Mid-Buckeye Conference play. Then it was a 57-18 loss to Mount Gilead and a 41-17 loss to Hillsdale. The Cubs did have the lead after the first quarter against the Falcons and when they put together four good quarters, watch out. They could find their stride. Lucas hosts Monroeville on Tuesday, travels to Galion on Wednesday and hosts Central Christian on Saturday for another busy week.
9. Crestview (2-11)
The Cougars split their two games since the last power poll earning their first Firelands Conference victory along the way. They knocked off Western Reserve 39-33 behind Tori Kidney’s 11 points and Lily Cline’s 10. Georgia McFarland also added nine points. The Cougars then lost to Madison on Monday night 55-27 with Kidney scoring nine and Cline eight in that one. The Cougars travel to South Central on Thursday and Monroeville on Saturday for two tough FC road games.
8. Ontario (5-9)
The Warriors dropped two tough Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference games last week falling to River Valley 48-29 and Clear Fork 56-41. Eden Howard was the leading scorer against RV with eight points while Paradise Jeru had 14 and Howard added 11 against CF. The Warriors were without starting forward Taylor Counts who suffered a serious injury during the game against Highland. Her status is a bit unknown right now, but her absence is going to hurt. The Warriors will host Fredericktown on Tuesday and Galion on Friday as they try to figure things out.
7. Madison (5-8)
The Rams picked up two very solid wins since the last power poll. First, it was a 63-56 win over Wooster in Ohio Cardinal Conference play as Chloe Ebeling had a monster game with 29 points while Maddie Berry had 12. Ebeling continued her big performances with 16 points in a 55-27 win over Crestview on Monday. Those are two great wins to get things rolling again as the Rams look to get back to .500 before the tournament draw. They host Mansfield Senior on Thursday and travel to Mount Vernon on Saturday for two big ones in OCC play.
6. Lexington (6-8)
Lady Lex had just one game since the last power poll and played very well in a 49-45 loss to West Holmes. Lew pushed the OCC second-place Knights to the brink and really showed some grit. Ava Brown had 17 points and 13 rebounds for a big double-double while Makaree Chapman had 12 points. Tatum Stover collected 12 boards as well. The loss can be something Lady Lex builds on as they prepare for Mount Vernon on Thursday and Mansfield Senior on Saturday, both games are at home.
5. Plymouth (6-6)
The Big Red remained at .500 splitting their two games since the last power poll. First, it was a 34-23 win over Western Reserve before falling to South Central 46-35. Jaylin Branham had 10 points against SC as the Big Red continues to keep pace toward their first .500 season or better since 2010-11. They can get a jumpstart on that this week with Monroeville coming in on Thursday.
4. Mansfield Christian (7-4)
The Flames earned two very nice victories last week beating Mapleton 42-35 and Central Christian 45-42 to push their winning streak to three games. The Flames are playing some good basketball right now and they have a week off to build some momentum during practice before returning to the court on Jan. 23 against New London, a potential tournament opponent. This will be a big one to see if the Flames can really make some noise during the postseason.
3. Clear Fork (11-4)
The Colts rebounded nicely with two Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference wins last week beating Galion 77-43 before knocking off Ontario 56-41. Annika Labaki had 16 points against Galion while Brinley Barnett added 14 and Mel Blubaugh had 11. Against Ontario, Blubaugh and Kylie Belcher scored 16 points apiece while Lillian Weikle added 11 as the Colts showed a ton a balance in their two victories. They have a huge week ahead with a trip to Pleasant on Friday. A win there keeps the Colts alive in the race for the MOAC title so this one is massive.
2. Shelby (11-3)
The Whippets remained locked in a tie for first place in the MOAC with two nice league wins last week. First, it was a 54-34 win over Marion Harding as Eve Schwemley led the way with 12 points while Charlie Niese had a huge game with seven points, five rebounds, five assists and six steals. Then, the Whippets cruised to a 67-15 win over Galion as Schwemley again led the way with 11 points while Sarah Reiser had nine. In all, 12 Whippets reached the scoring column in that win. The Whippets have a huge week this week as they travel to Mansfield Senior on Tuesday before heading to Highland on Friday for two games that could really send the momentum through the roof for the rest of the season.
1. Mansfield Senior (13-1)
The Tygers remain at No. 1 again this week thanks to probably the best win of any team in Richland County so far this season. The Tygers knocked off previously undefeated Richmond Heights 41-37 in their only game since the last power poll. Kyeona Myers led the way with 10 points while Dazey Manns had nine and Kiersten Bradley had eight as balance was the key for the Tygers. Their OCC game with New Philadelphia was postponed on Saturday so they had a nice weekend to prepare for a huge week as Shelby comes to town on Tuesday before a trip to Madison on Thursday and Lexington on Saturday. Three Richland County opponents await, and the Tygers could put the race for the power poll championship out of reach with strong wins.
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Last Week’s Rankings
10. Lucas
9. Crestview
8. Madison
7. Ontario
6. Lexington
5. Plymouth
4. Mansfield Christian
3. Clear Fork
2. Shelby
1. Mansfield Senior
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Mansfield Senior No. 1 in Richland County Girls Basketball Power Poll
