Rammies roll

Sometimes you have to roll with the punches.
I roll in to the office at 4 p.m. Thursday. There I was expecting to spend a quiet evening typing schedules or working on baseball capsules.
Wrong. Review Times Sports Editor Scott Cottos, who was supposed to cover Upper Sandusky’s Division II regional semifinal game against Van Wert, was sick so I was pressed into duty to watch the Rammies and the Cougars.
Honestly, I don’t mind covering basketball, especially at this time of year since wrestling is over. No offense, but it sure as hell beats covering those regular season games between Arcadia and Cory-Rawson.
But this was the game this week I didn’t really want to cover. Nothing against my friends from Upper Sandusky. They have a great basketball team and I’ve interviewed and written stories abut some great young people over the years. But I hate the crush of media that comes with covering the Rams this season.
I walked up and down press row to look at the media outlets covering this game…two writers from the Detroit News??? Some other newspapers with as many as three reporters on hand. Five or six radio stations and all the other “working media” that aren’t really media but basically curiosity seekers. A couple of radio stations were there and they didn’t broadcast anything.
OK that ends my rambling Friday rant…on to basketball.
All right erase the rant above. I’m damn glad I went to this basketball game. This was one of the most entertaining games I’ve covered in a long time. Non-stop action from the opening tip.
Upper Sandusky’s Jon Diebler is the best high school basketball player I have ever seen in person. Granted I never watched Lebron play and I cover wrestling most of the winter months. He is the real deal.
But I was even more impressed with Alex Falk. Man, this kid doesn’t play like a sophomore. He has the poise of a season veteran and isn’t gun shy about taking it to the hole or pulling up for jumper in traffic…I’m working on my basketball vernacular.
They were doggone impressive and blew Van Wert right off the floor.
Here’s an example of how the game went for Van Wert. Chris Morrow, a 6-foot-6 junior, who led the team with like 15 points missed three consecutive easy shots right underneath the basket, this doesn’t include the tip in try he missed on the same series. But just after the halftime buzzer sounded, a Van Wert player swished in a desperation shot from halfcourt.
That’s how the night went for the Cougars, it just wasn’t meant to be.
Up next for the Rams is Olmsted Falls…I have a sneaking suspicion that the Rams will be packing their bags for Columbus Saturday night.

NOTEWORTHY: Guess who was up in the stands watching the Upper Sandusky game yesterday? It was Browns quarterback Charlie Frye. Boy would I like to have asked him a few questions last night.

NEWSWORTHY:
BOYS BASKETBALL
DIVISION I
Findlay meets powerful St. Edward
DIVISION III
Liberty-Benton has added incentive<
St. Henry rolls behind threes, defense
St. Henry topples Evergreen in regional semis
Evergreen’s season comes to an end
St. Henry finds a leader in the post

DIVISION II
Upper Sandusky’s Falk has a big night
Sparks ignites Olmsted Falls
Sparks, Olmsted Falls end Kenmore’s run
Foul shooting, turnovers doom Kenmore against Olmsted Falls
Cougars fall short against Upper Sandusky
Cougars fall to Upper in regional semifinals
Falk picks up slack for Upper Sandusky
DIVISION IV
Van Buren faces a different challenge tonight
GIRLS BASKETBALL
DIVISION I
Findlay’s success is a team thing
DIVISION II
Sandusky Perkins state run comes to an end
No hair regrets for Perkins’ Lowe
Perkins run ends in state semifinals
DIVISION III
Delphos St. John’s steamrolls Albany Alexander
DIVISION IV
Africentric eyes first basketball title
Top ranked Africentric awaits Ottoville
New Knoxville’s frenzied Friday