TVC-Hocking Standings: Boys Southern Tornadoes and Eastern Eagles Girls at the top
By: Hardwood Heroes
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TVC-Hocking Boys’ Standings
1.Southern Tornadoes | 8-2 (Conf. 4-0)
Written by: Andrew Woods
The Southern Tornadoes extended their win streak to eight games, though not without some tension. Southern took their first win of the week with a 62-52 win over Belpre. However, the Tornadoes had a narrow escape against the Trimble Tomcats. Trimble got out to a ten-point lead after halftime, but the Tornadoes stormed back, tying the game in the third quarter and eventually pulling away to take a 65-60 win.
This week, Southern will have a long break before playing two games in two days. The Tornadoes will return to action on Friday when they host Waterford. Southern will then visit Southeastern on Saturday.
2.Waterford Wildcats | 5-7 (Conf. 4-2)
Written by: Jamey Spears
The Waterford boys put together a perfect week, picking up two important conference wins to move up to second place in the TVC-Hocking standings. The Wildcats opened the week with a dramatic 51-48 overtime victory over Federal Hocking. With the game tied and just three seconds left on the clock, junior Reese Lang delivered the moment of the season, knocking down a half-court buzzer-beater to lift the Wildcats past the Lancers in thrilling fashion.
Waterford carried that momentum into their next game, traveling to Fort Frye and coming away with another hard-fought 51-48 win. The back-to-back close victories highlighted the Wildcats’ ability to execute late and stay composed in high-pressure situations. With only a few conference games remaining, Waterford’s strong week has them firmly in the conference title hunt.
The Wildcats will look to keep their momentum going this week as they host River Valley on Tuesday before heading to Southern on Friday for a showdown with the Rams, who remain undefeated in conference play. The matchup at Southern could play a major role in determining the TVC-Hocking championship as the regular season winds down.
3.Belpre Golden Eagles | 6-5 (Conf. 3-2)
Written by: Andrew Woods
The Belpre Golden Eagles split their matchups with Meigs County teams last week. Belpre started the week with a 62-52 loss to Southern. The Golden Eagles fared better against Eastern. Thanks to Malik Currie’s 31-point night and a late 14-point run, Belpre stormed back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to take a 57-55 win.
Belpre will play a pair of nonconference games this week. The Golden Eagles will host Marietta on Tuesday and visit Frontier on Friday.
4. Eastern Eagles | 5-11 (Conf. 2-4)
Written by: Thomas Billington
The Eastern Eagles played two in-conference games this week. The first coming against Federal Hocking in the nest. This was the first time these two squads have played this year, and the Eagles took the game with a final school of 62-44. That win put the Eagles .333 for the season.
The Eagles then traveled to Belpre to play the Golden Eagles, in a game that pits the third versus fourth team in the Hocking. This made it a must win for both teams. Eastern came up short, losing a nine point lead late in the fourth, losing the game 57-55.
Eastern plays two games this week the first being at Point Pleasant and the second against Trimble at home. With six games left in the season, Eastern will need to win out to end, the season, without losing record.
5. Federal Hocking Lancers | 4-10 (Conf. 2-5)
Written by: Charlie Lusk
Federal Hocking is having a rough start to the new calendar year, but with two conference games, the Lancers had an opportunity to turn the ship around. Despite this chance, two solid performances were not enough to take either game as the Lancers extended their losing streak to five.
On Monday, traveling to Reedsville to battle with the Eastern Eagles; holding the Eagles to just over 60 points was not enough as the Lancers fell 62-44. Looking to avenge that loss, Federal Hocking hosted the Waterford Wildcats on Wednesday. A late comeback to force overtime was not enough for the win as Reese Lang hit a halfcourt buzzer-beater in overtime to give the Wildcats the lead 51-48.
Several flashes throughout the season, but 4-10 is not where the Lancers want to be. With some tough defensive performances, the Lancers are eager to get back into the win column. They will get two chances next week. First, they travel to Athens on Tuesday for a cross TVC battle with the Bulldogs. Then on Saturday, Federal Hocking go to Circleville to play the New Hope Christian Academy Statesmen.
6. Trimble Tomcats | 5-9 (Conf. 1-4)
Written by: Andrew Rowan
It was another rough slate of games for the Trimble Tomcats, but they played hard in both of their two games.
The boys hosted the top ten in the TVC-Hocking, the Southern Tornadoes, at home on Friday. The Tomcats brought the energy early, playing aggressive and went into halftime up 36-26. Southern however, would not go down without a fight and were able to sneak out with a win, 65-60. Despite the loss, Trimble had arguably their best performance so far on the season, with Junior Brady Jajczyk and Senior Luke Orsbourne having 24 and 17 points respectively.
Trimble would have another home game the next day, hosting the Newark Catholic Green Wave, and would lose 73-51.
The boys will hit the road twice next week, taking on the Alexander Spartans on Tuesday and the Eastern Eagles on Friday.
TVC-Hocking Girls’ Standings
1. Eastern Eagles | 11-5 (Conf. 6-2)
Written by: Evan Johnson
The Eastern girls have reclaimed the top spot of the TVC-Hocking. They started the week with nonconference opponent Wirt County, defeating the Tigers 49-36. On Thursday, Eastern traveled to Federal Hocking for their biggest game of the season. After a back-and-forth battle, Eastern took the lead in the final minute, winning 49-47.
Freshman Kyrstin Fackler led the team with 20 points, while Brae Simpson also contributed 18 points. The Eagles’ season sweep of the Lancers put them atop the conference. The win also marked the first time Eastern has won at Federal Hocking since 2022.
Eastern will have a quieter week with no conference games on the schedule. Their lone game is against South Gallia on Jan. 18 and will be the final match of the Eagles eight game road trip.
T2. Waterford Wildcats | 8-8 (Conf. 5-2)
Written by: Jamey Spears
The Waterford Wildcats went 1-1 last week, splitting a pair of conference matchups. Waterford opened the week with a tough loss to Monroe Central, falling 51-11. The loss came against a familiar opponent, as the Wildcats also dropped a 48-31 decision to the Seminoles earlier in the season. Despite the setback, Waterford responded well in their next outing, bouncing back with a win over Southern. Freshman S. Hayes led the way in the victory, scoring 13 points as the Wildcats put together a strong all-around performance.
With the split, Waterford remains firmly in the TVC-Hocking race, sitting just one game back of first place in the conference standings. The Wildcats will look to gain ground this week as they hit the road to face Frontier on Monday before returning home to host Trimble on Thursday. With the conference title still within reach, Waterford will be aiming to string together a pair of wins and continue its push toward the top of the standings.
T2. Federal Hocking Lancers | 7-5 (Conf. 5-2)
Written by: Charlie Lusk
Federal Hocking has an exhausting week with two games coming down to the wire. On Monday, the Lancers hosted the Athens Bulldogs in a matchup of the two teams at number one of the TVC at the time.
Despite a 23-16 deficit going into halftime, Federal Hocking fought back to win 46-41 in overtime thanks in no small part to Takira Walker’s 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Then in a battle for number one in the Hocking, the Lancers hosted the Eastern Eagles on Thursday. A 20-point performance from Brenlee Cottrill was not enough as they dropped their second game against the Eagles 49-47.
After those two classics, Federal Hocking has another busy week ahead of them. On Monday, the Lancers travel to Pick Central High School to play the Division 2 Bishop Watterson Eagles. On Wednesday, the Lancers travel to Racine for a conference game against the Southern Tornadoes. The Federal Hocking wraps up the week with a mid-day battle at the Alexander Spartans on Sunday.
4. Trimble Tomcats |11-4 (Conf. 4-3)
Written by: Andrew Rowan
It was another rough slate of games for the Trimble Tomcats, but they played hard in both of their two games.
The boys hosted the top ten in the TVC-Hocking, the Southern Tornadoes, at home on Friday. The Tomcats brought the energy early, playing aggressive and went into halftime up 36-26. Southern however, would not go down without a fight and were able to sneak out with a win, 65-60. Despite the loss, Trimble had arguably their best performance so far on the season, with Junior Brady Jajczyk and Senior Luke Orsbourne having 24 and 17 points respectively.
Trimble would have another home game the next day, hosting the Newark Catholic Green Wave, and would lose 73-51.
The boys will hit the road twice next week, taking on the Alexander Spartans on Tuesday and the Eastern Eagles on Friday.
5. Belpre Golden Eagles | 3-13 (Conf. 2-6)
Written by: Andrew Woods
Belpre’s struggles continued last week. The Golden Eagles dropped both of their games, losing to Williamstown (W. Va.) 47-37 and Trimble 65-51.
Belpre will have a busy week this week. The Golden Eagles will host Warren on Monday and Frontier on Thursday before traveling to St. Mary’s High School in West Virginia to play a to be announced opponent in the St. Mary’s Invitational.
6. Southern Tornadoes | 4-10 (Conf. 0-7)
Written by: Andrew Woods
The Southern Tornadoes had their best week of the season last week, winning two of their three games. The Tornadoes began their busy week with a 46-31 win over Nelsonville-York in which senior Kiersten Rose scored her 1,000th point. Although Southern fell to Waterford the next day, the loss still represented progress for the Tornadoes, as the 35-31 loss was the closest the Tornadoes have come to knocking off Waterford since the 2019-20 season. Southern finished off their busy week with a 59-28 win over Ravenswood (W. Va.)
Although, as Meat Loaf said, “two out of three ain’t bad,” the Tornadoes will look to win all three of their games this week. Southern will host Ohio Valley Christian on Tuesday and Federal Hocking on Thursday before visiting River Valley on Saturday.