Summary: A 26-13 first quarter made the Ohio Division 3 polls look eerily prescient early on. After the Hornets followed that quarter up with with a whopping 3 points in the second, the rankings showed through to be what they really are, more or less bunk. During the 26 point first quarter outburst Burfield netted 16 points including four 3-pointers. This prompted the Rovers to face guard him the rest of the way out. It proved to be successful with Burfield not getting a single point the rest of the game on limited shot attempts. In the second quarter, which East Canton only scored 3 points, Rootstown scored 9 to make it a 29-22 halftime score.
The third quarter had a few bright spots, some let downs and few moments of intrigue within. A bright spot was Elseser going on a 5-0 run by himself in about :10. An and 1 followed by a steal and score did the trick. A Let down was the one possession of zone the Hornets tried to whip out. It was rudely greeted by a wide open 3 ball that was cashed in. Both moments of intrigue surrounded Rootstown's coach. A group block out by several Rover players was whistled for a foul. Their coach then unleashed a lengthy diatribe in one of the refs ear for several seconds. Either his words didn't match his demeanor, or the ref just had long fuse. On another occasion, after the Rovers made an and 1 while on a run of their own, their coach was inspired to give a Tiger Woods-like fist pump. I don't mind the show of emotion but there were no green jackets to hand out to the winners.
In the third quarter each team scored exactly 20 points leaving the score 49-42. The fourth quarter became Bradley's quarter. Dishes, drives and defense from the senior kept the game in check. He didn't try to do too much and it may not have been that obvious to the casual viewer, but he was dominating the game in a low-key way. He finished the game with stat sheet stuffing 12 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds in securing the victory.
Burfield, after being worn like a shirt by Rover defenders for 2 ½ quarters due to his blazing start, finally got a look with a little under 3 minutes remaining. It was a slow developing play and was going to be an obvious 3-point attempt for the junior. He was almost visually salivating to get the trey off but left the shot a full foot short. Though not a shining moment, I have to think it was a great moment for maturing. I'm not sure if that is the first time he has ever been face guarded for an extended period of time but I can confidently guarantee, with his abilities, it won't be the last. Personal game development, better coaching adjustments and experiences like this will make similar circumstances [choose your own cheesy cliché line: like a walk in the park, a piece of cake, or like clockwork].
Rootstown was led in scoring by Jordan Jonier with 19. As a team they made 9 3-pointers but took some outrageously long attempts, converting a few. If I had Synergy Sports and pulled up the data for some of these shots, I think the computer might start to weep before blowing up its monitor in an attempt to free me from viewing the data. but more power to em for the courage to pull so deep. Also contributing for East Canton was Cartwright with 10 points and 5 steals. Campbell added 11, Smith 7, Slater 6 and Elseser 6 more.
The JV notched another win to push their record to 4-4. Shultz led the way with 18 points including 8-10 from the foul line. Down two with around a minute to go “Long Distance Dillon” buried a three pointer to give East Canton the lead they would never relinquish. Taylor added 9 for the Hornets and Kennedy 8.
Things I Think I Think
I think East Canton has some of the most drastic peaks and valleys of any team. I know why the Hornets have the peaks - hot perimeter shooting but more so a scoring defense. I can't really figure out what is causing the valleys. A lack of intensity due to fatigue? Stagnant offense? Poor shot selection? Or something I'm completely missing. Feel free to weigh in on this Hive faithful
I think the game with Streetsboro (Also unbeaten in the conference) on Friday is a tell-tale sign of this teams fate. The Hornets have beaten the rest of the conference (Excluding Garfield which they will meet Saturday at home) with most of those wins coming on the road. An away victory this Friday puts East Canton in the drivers seat of the PTC-County Division
I think the state ranking bestowed upon the team can is a gift and a curse. It gives the recognition the team deserves but puts a huge bulls-eye on the teams back in all future contests. Speaking of the rankings, don't forget the check out the Hive's latest poll on the right hand side of page
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30 comments:
News, Notes , and Observations from the far side of the gym:
1. The polls were , in fact, prescient. Glad to see that word of the day calendar I got the staff for x-mas is finally paying off after an abhorrent start.
2. The hornets really steam-rolled a good team that first quarter. Everyone played well and all phases of the game were dominant. Best hornet quarter I've seen since the last regional team.
3. advise on the rankings: They are fun, enjoy them. They are basically ridiculous, ignore them. These guys are mature enough to do both.
4. First time this year that the other coach out-worked the refs. "Grandpa Stripes" couldn't keep up with the action and resorted to my youth league philosophy of "when in doubt, give it to the team that is behind."
5. Hornets were a dominating presence around the rim and Slater may be out of my doghouse......,although I oddly miss the tattoo.
From the desk of the Hornet Hoop Historian:
The 8-0 start has this team in some good company. They have passed the 89-90 team (7-0) which then started 16-1, and now have the third best start in Hornet history. They trail only the 63-64 team (9-0) and 45-46 team (10-0) for best start in school history. The 45-46 team finished 17-3 and, as a warning, the 63-64 team stumbled to a 13-6 finish with what had to be the worst tourney draw of all time...a first round loss to Canton McKinley.
An 8 game win streak at any time is also impressive. Besides the two mentioned above, I have compiled the single season streaks that have been longer, with the year, the length of the streak, and the overall record.
44-45 9 games 19-4
89-90 9 games 18-4
60-61 10 games 17-3
83-84 10 games 21-4
70-71 11 games 22-3
46-47 12 games 21-3
66-67 12 games 19-4
and the best season streak of all time....
69-70 15 games 20-2
*Any other questions on Hornet History? post them and I'll do my best.
I postulate that the contingent of Hornets persevered once again to triumph over their adversaries! I appreciate the fact that Burfield continues to make a prodigious number of 3 pointers. I postulate that he will have to endure this kind of defense the remainder of the year. He is resilient and will matriculate a way to learn how to shake these defenders.
I will end by saying great job guys! You guys keep playing as a team and you will continue to win.
See Sam.. I didn't get a calendar but I still can keep up with Hackenberg!
I am disinclined to opine on the situation any further....
Sam and Ken: The only reason I know a few words is because my high school coach would lock me in a storage closet with only dictionary when I would make too many turnovers.
[Editors note - This did not really happen. And for the record, the only type of cruel and unusual punishment that I condone is being drawn and quartered]
Sam ... I like the streaks that you came up with. Interesting stats that you dont normally get to see without a little research. Was wondering who holds the school record for scoring? ..
and also .. do any of our Seniors have a chance to move into the top 5 of the record books in any statistical category?
1. Harris,Jerry 86-90 1486
2. Howard,Mark 91-95 1125
3. Werley,Bob 43-47 1002
4. Yoho,Mac 50-54 948
5. Hall,Jarvis 95-98 935
I assume Burfield will become the career leader in 3s (Jarvis Hall 103) at some point. Career statistics for current Hornets are incomplete as the director of basketball operations is still waiting on some information from Spurge.....maybe he'll find it for me next time he cleans out the truck...
Matt,
Since I remember you having exactly 0 turnovers against the hornets I had always assumed you never committed one until you got to college (where being out from under the tyrannical rule of your high school coach, you blossomed into a turnover machine)
I believe I saw a file labeled "up to date records" on the floor of his truck... It was being protected by 2 McDonald's bags and a pizza box from the inclement weather
Sam: What about points in a single game?
Such easy questions for the Basketball Czar (side note....I am trying to see how many fictitious titles I can give myself on this blog) (second side note...my not-very-nice brother counts "educator" and "coach" among my fictitious titles):
As a team, the Hornets scored 106 in the now classic 7 OT game at Conotton Valley during the 90-91 season in which single game records were also set for made field goals (44) and rebounds (80). The only thing NOT classic was the 109 points surrendered during the defeat (also a record)
Jarvis Hall dropped 44 on Tusky Valley during the 97-98 season. His outburst included another hornet single game record....8 threes.
So Hall's 44 are a single game individual record to?
yes, Jarvis holds the single game record.
Sam .. the "Spurg-mobile" is not what most would like to consider clean. One would have to think that he both lives and works out of his white beauty.
Great work on the stats, you are what i would like to call an East Canton basketball dictionary.
I saw that the #3 all-time scorer in EC history goes by the last name Werley? Any relation to the street named Werley that JV Coach Barnett lives off of?
Sam: U just picked up another title - Walking East Canton Dictionary
You are now moving outside my area of expertise. Perhaps the Hornet Street Name Historian could help.
Being a lover of all things basketball, I am going with the story of "yes, the street is named after him." if not, it should be
P.S.--I believe the term he was looking for was "encyclopedia". Darn public school educations......
We now know u have boundaries to your knowledge...
And I say the street gets re-named after Barnett before it's all said and done
points well taken ..
I also agree with Hack that the street should be re-named after Barnett. The man, the Myth, the Legend. His "Buckeye Room" should also make SportsCenter in the next year or so ..
Sam, I was also unaware that there was any knowledge regarding Osnaburg that you didn't know off hand. Ill have some more coming your way soon .. possibly turning into our own game of "stump the Sam"
I see an Osnaburg reality show brewing...
That would be intense, without a doubt ..
Also Matt im still looking for a shoutout/reference to the nickname u stole from me on the last game both .. I should have atleast gotten a little credt for "LDD" Long-Distance-Dillon Young. His stroke from the wing was silky smooth to win the game .. he may indeed be able to challege the undaunted Steve Kerr in the 3-point shootout.
Ill keep my head on a swivvel lookin for the reality show
I am too snobbishly intellectual for reality TV, but I am glad to provide a little basketball information and historical perspective.
That is Sam saying that our show idea is turrible (Charles Barkley accent)
I don't do imitations. But I bet if I had a lot of white powder and a shoebag backpack....................
Things I Think Hackenberg Should Think........
Why do I need to wait until the day after a game to find out what happened at the games. I'm not sure but I can do that with a little thing called the newspaper. In the world of technology, I would think that there could be some sort of posting earlier.
I think you do a great job on the Hive but this is 2009 and we all know that everyone wants there info now.
PS Go Hornets!
Ken,
2009?
You really didn't get that calendar for christmas.
I am still mentally in 2009, and if you ask my boss,so is my paperwork. It doesn't become 2010 for me until March.
Ken:
1) I think it's clear you were asleep before the ball dropped this year hehe
2) After games, I feel it necessary to take my ENTIRE staff out to celebrate... We did it after the first win so we can't break tradition
3) I know the blog moves at newspaper speed, but I wasn't aware my amateur writing was in such high demand.
Here are some ideas I'm toying with to improve upon:
The Hive Twitter page gives halftime updates that would make Charlie Villanueva and Brandon Jennings jealous
The Hive cam attached to blue tooth in my ear lets you see everything I see
The Hive official calender lets readers know exactly when posts will be made. It will also include a word of the day. We can even back date it for people who still believe it is 2009
Since the Hive, I look no where else for EC basketball info. Some of us have to be home when the street lights come, so your blog is where I check for updates before I take my teeth out and go to bed.
The Hive popularity is certainly soaring. As the stats on the home page suggest, literally tens of people are hanging on your every word. The other sport coaches in the department have suggested ideas similar to yours for their sports:
Baseball assistants will TWEET the score each inning during the hours of down time that are available during every baseball game.
"The Divot" will be posting touchdowns on his facebook page as soon as the technology coordinator gets high speed internet to the press box as promised in 2003.
XC runners will be outfitted with web cams in their new uniforms and we will broadcast on the new jumbo-tron in the stadium in an effort to make the sport more spectator friendly......and allow the athletic department to charge admission.
Tens of people! HA!!
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