MANSFIELD — At the midway point of the 2024-25 Richland County boys basketball season, the top spot in the power poll is as unstable as it has ever been.
Yet again, we have a new team atop the standings this week and several others who rightfully deserve to be considered. Let’s find out who it is and also check in with every other team.
The Cubs dropped their 12th straight by going 0-2 last week. First, it was a 79-47 loss to Central Christian before a 56-24 loss to Mohawk against two very good squads. They will try to end the losing streak on Friday night at home against St. Peter’s, the only team the Cubs have a win over this season.
The Spartans did not take the court since the last power poll after having their last three games postponed due to Ohio State Football, weather and/or sickness within the program. They hope to be healthy enough to play on Friday at Lucas before trying to fit in some make-up games over the next month of the season.
The Warriors also didn’t take the court since the last power poll after Tuesday’s postponed game was postponed again against Highland. They have had plenty of time to prepare for a very good River Valley team coming in on Thursday before traveling to Clear Fork on Saturday.
The Rams dropped their two games since the last power poll falling to Wooster 59-47 and Norwalk 58-45. Owen Wigton had 18 and Justin McCraney had 11 against Wooster while McCraney dropped 20 and Brady O’Brien had 11 against Norwalk. The Rams travel to Mansfield Senior on Friday to try to get in the win column against a very good team.
The Flames dropped their two games since the last power poll and have now lost five straight to fall two games below .500. First, it was an 83-56 loss to Crestview but Davion Mack did have a huge game with 27 points. Then, it was a narrow 58-55 loss to Northwestern as Mack had 18, Evan Hager had 15 and Taylor Hahn scored 14. The Flames have to figure out how to end the skid and fast before they approach 10 losses and risk a losing season. They host Crestline on Friday and travel to Danville on Saturday for two big opportunities to right the ship.
The Big Red are figuring things out. They won in a bit of a struggle over winless Bucyrus 41-38 behind Jarrett Burrer’s 18 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and two steals before taking one of the top teams in the Firelands Conference to the brink in a 47-46 loss to St. Paul. Burrer had 11 points in that one to lead the team in scoring. The Big Red seem to be playing to the level of the competition and if they can figure out how to play like they did against St. Paul all the time, they will have a nice second half of the season. They travel to Western Reserve on Thursday to see if they can do just that.
The Colts went 1-1 since the last power poll falling to River Valley 80-37 in a tough MOAC loss before knocking off Willard 54-44 on Tuesday night. Garett Hotz led the Colts with 20 points while Carter Coole added 15 and Trey Sellers had 10 in the win over Willard. Cooke and Sellers have stepped it up of late and Hotz has been one of the most consistent players all season long. They can be pretty special when they are all on in the same game. They hope to be on Thursday at Galion and Saturday at home against Ontario.
The Whippets won their only game since the last power poll beating Pleasant 60-50 as Brayden DeVito had 20 points and Michael Shepherd added 10 in his first real varsity role. Shelby will be without Landon Foltz the rest of the way due to transfer rules so it will have to figure out some scoring in the second half of the season and Shepherd might be that guy. The Whippets travel to Harding on Thursday and host Galion on Saturday to see where they stand.
The Tygers did go 0-2 since the last power poll, but it isn’t your normal 0-2. They lost to Lima Senior 61-57, one of the top-ranked Division II teams in the state and fell to Columbus Bishop Hartley, one of the top-ranked teams in Division III, 62-52, on Tuesday. The Tygers aren’t shying away from top-notch competition and it should prepare them for a run at an Ohio Cardinal Conference championship and maybe even a district title. They host Madison on Friday and play Big Walnut at Ohio Dominican University on Saturday in another big test. The Tygers are fearless.
The Cougars make the move back into No. 2 this week after going 2-0 since the last power poll and becoming one of two 10-win Richland County teams in the first half of the year. The Cougars drilled Western Reserve 75-50 as Justice Thompson led the way with 21 points while Karter Goon added 15, Daniel Wells had 12, Drew Spoerr scored 11 and Tyson Ringer collected 10 for one heck of a balanced night. That continued in an 83-56 win over Mansfield Christian when Thompson had 30, Wells added 16, Ringler scored 11 and Spoerr had 10. The Cougars are in the driver’s seat of the Firelands Conference standings and can take a giant step on Thursday at home against St. Paul before hosting New London on Saturday.
The Minutemen are back at No. 1 this week after picking up a solid 62-56 win over Perkins last week. Joe Caudill had a huge game with 16 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals while Seven Allen added 14 and Jakob Legron and Gavin Husty had 13 apiece. Lex is tied with Mansfield Senior atop the OCC standings so they have to knock off New Philly at home on Friday. They get a rematch with Wooster, the only team to hand them an OCC loss, on Jan. 24 and play Mansfield Senior on Jan. 28 so they have some very meaningful games coming up. And first team All-Ohioan Brayden Fogle should be on the docket to return sooner rather than later.
11. Lucas
10. St. Peter’s
9. Ontario
8. Madison
7. Plymouth
6. Mansfield Christian
5. Clear Fork
4. Shelby
3. Crestview
2. Lexington
1. Mansfield Senior
