Sports
Undefeated Vinton County Ranks in AP Poll
By: Jordan Gallagher
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What does 12 straight wins combined with zero losses get a team? That record gave Vinton County a spot in the top 10 of the most recent Division II AP poll for Ohio High School basketball.
The Vikings have (obviously, just look at the record) been on a tear this year. The Vikings are sitting atop the TVC-Ohio with a 5-0 record in conference play. That alone however does not tell the story of just how dominant the boys have been, this stat may, however: Their average margin of victory this year is 20.3 points per game. Only two of their wins have been within 10 points, and the number 20.3 could be much higher if they did not take the starters out early in the fourth quarter nearly every game.
Vinton County is one of only four remaining undefeated teams in the AP top 10 for Division II a milestone that would not have been reachable without the consistent play of Derick Jones, Nalen Yates and of course Tristan Bartoe. It is not every day a team in Southern Ohio has two capable shooters on hand, it is very rare to find three. Take Vinton County’s last game against Maysville for example. Bartoe dropped 30 points, Yates 25 and Jones 15. The crazy thing is numbers like that are put up by those three nearly every game.
Don’t be surprised if this team climbs up even higher in the poll next week. The Vikings will have a chance to prove they deserved their ranking when they face Alexander on Friday.