VINCENT - Blane Maddox is looking forward to a delicious lasagna dinner being prepared by wife Sally tonight. It'll be about the only time this week the Warren boys basketball coach will be at "home" at that hour.
As for the remaining days of the week, Maddox will either be scouting future opponents or coaching his undefeated Warrior squad (7-0 overall and 3-0 in the Southeastern Ohio Athletic League) in scheduled games on the road.
"It's going to be a very busy week, and we're going to know a lot more about ourselves," Maddox said.
On Tuesday night, Warren visited Jackson and defeated the Ironmen, 64-43, to remain undefeated.
Grant Venham had a monster game notching a double-double with 32 points and 10 rebounds. (See Prep Players of The Week)
Now, Warren will be traveling to Chillicothe for an SEOAL showdown with the Gary Kellough-coached Cavs (6-0, 3-0 as of Tuesday) at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Fact Box
Warren boys basketball
scores/schedule
Dec. 4 Warren 67, Meigs 52
Dec. 7Warren 49, Fort Frye 40
Dec. 10Warren 56, Athens 30
Dec. 14Warren 71, Belpre 49
Dec. 17 Warren 68, Portsmouth 64
Dec. 28 Warren 72, Logan 56
Jan. 4 Warren 64, Jackson 43
DateOpponentTime
Jan. 7at Chillicothe7:30 p.m.
Jan. 9 vs. Harvest Prep at Wellston Classic4:30 p.m.
Jan. 14GALLIA7:30 p.m.
Jan. 18at Marietta7:30 p.m.
Jan. 21PORTSMOUTH7:30 p.m.
Jan. 22FORT FRYE7:30 p.m.
Jan. 28at Belpre7:30 p.m.
Feb. 1JACKSON7:30 p.m.
Feb. 4at Logan7:30 p.m.
Feb. 8MARIETTA7:30 p.m.
Feb. 11CHILLICOTHE7:30 p.m.
Feb. 15NEW LEXINGTON7:30 p.m.
Feb. 18at Gallia7:30 p.m.
Then, at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, the Warriors will be back on the road again to face Ohio Division IV power Columbus Harvest Prep in a Wellston Classic tournament game at Wellston High.
Sunday?
That's right. There will be no rest on the Sabbath for the Warriors as they are slated to play a rare Sunday contest.
"Playing Chillicothe and Harvest Prep back-to-back will definitely be a challenge," Maddox said. "But we're looking forward to it. It's exciting."
The royal blue and white will not be back in front of its home crowd at Vincent until 7:30 p.m. Jan. 14 when it squares off against the Gallia Academy Blue Devils in an SEOAL game.
But first things first, Maddox and the Warriors are focused only on their next game - and this one could be a dandy pitting two of the top teams in the league against each other. Something's got to give.
The Cavaliers are led by the tall, talented duo of 6-foot-7 senior Jalen Ragland and 6-9 junior Malik London. Both are considered to be college Division I prospects.
Chilli's other frontcourt people include Isaac Beverly (6-1 senior), Miloje Djacic (6-6), Marcus Dunn (6-1 junior), Madison Simmons (6-1 junior) and Josh Garrett (6-0 junior).
The Cavs' backcourt will probably feature Zach Johnson (6-2 sophomore) and Tyler Manion.
"We're certainly going to have to pick it up when we play Chilli," Maddox said.
While Warren may have some matchup challenges with Chillicothe in the paint, Venham (6-3 senior) takes a backseat to no one in boxing out and getting the rebound. He'll also have help in Dylan Leffingwell (6-2 sophomore), Justin Hilverding (5-11 senior) and Jace Knost (6-2 junior), who is expected to play Friday night after missing a couple of games with a foot injury.
In the Warrior backcourt, Austin Cunningham (6-1 senior) is considered to be one of the best all-around players in the SEOAL, and Jeremy Hastie (5-10 junior) is a deadeye from behind the arc. Tyler Ward (6-0 junior), Austin Henthorn (5-11 junior), Josh Windland (6-3 junior), Bradley Proctor (6-3 junior), and Evan French (6-3 freshman) are also expected to see action.
"We've got a lot of guys who can start on this team," Maddox said. "We have good balance, and it's a nice mixture. And, they're all willing to sacrifice for the team."
