While it's still early in the prep basketball season, the Marietta High boys and girls teams are off to great starts.
Both are a combined 6-0.
The Lady Tigers own a 4-0 record going into tonight's scheduled 7:30 p.m. Southeastern Ohio Athletic League contest at Chillicothe, while the MHS boys are 2-0 facing host and league opponent Gallia Academy at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The Scott Cozzens-coached Marietta girls have beaten New Philadelphia, Zanesville, Gallia and Cambridge, respectively. In their last triumph at Cambridge on Dec. 8, the Lady Tigers won in dramatic come-from-behind fashion, 48-47, when sophomore Erica Dawson got a nice pass from Lusia Barton and was able to make a layup with :03 left in the game.
Dawson finished with a game-high 14 points. Amanda Brown chipped in with 12 points, and Betsy Schramm netted eight. Some other Lady Tigers to keep an eye on will be Maegan Grosel - who scored 19 points in a win over New Philadelphia and 17 points against Zanesville - Elizabeth Stoll and Ali Summers.
Chillicothe, which dropped a 62-22 decision to Ironton last Thursday, is still seeking its first win of the season.
The Shawn Blue-coached Lady Cavaliers (0-4) are paced by Alyssa Oates, Mindy Williams, and Kaylee Wright.
Meanwhile, the J.D. Secrest-coached Marietta boys will be playing their third straight road game. So far, the Tigers have beaten two East Central Ohio League schools in Cambridge, 44-41, on Dec. 3 and New Philadelphia, 79-70, in double overtime on Dec. 7, 10 days ago.
"This was a big confidence boost for the kids," said Secrest after the New Philadelphia win. "The kids toughed it out, and everybody contributed."
The Tigers, incidentally, will be competing in the ECOL next season.
Against the Quakers, the Tigers had four players in double digits - Wes Riley (22), Tim Grosel (16), Cody Kriechbaum (15) and Nathan Williams (13).
Riley is averaging 17.5 points per game to lead MHS in that offensive category. Grosel is averaging 13.5 ppg; Williams, 10 ppg; and Kriechbaum, 9 ppg.
Some other Tigers who should also see hardwood action are Jon Sewell, Braden Riley, Eli Lennington, Connor Hess, and Morgan Wynn.
Gallia, which was drilled 77-22 by Chesapeake High last Friday, is led by Nick Saunders, Jared Golden, Ethan Moore, Austin Wilson, Joe Jenkins, Tyler Campbell and Reid Eastman.
The Blue Devils (2-2) bounced back after the Chesapeake game to defeat Athens, 54-50, in overtime on Saturday.
Moore scored a game-high 24 points to pace Gallia. Eastman chipped in with 13, and Saunders netted nine. The Blue Devils were 16-of-17 (94 percent) from the foul line in the contest.
After playing at Chillicothe at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, the MHS boys are scheduled to host the Athens Bulldogs in their home opener at Sutton Gym at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 23.
Next up for the Marietta girls is Portsmouth at Sutton Gym noon Saturday.
