smittygk00

Portland 4, MJ Christian 0

I am not going to jump out and say that this is the year Portland or any other Region 4 team gets it done, but I do think that both sectional games will be competitve and less of a "guarauntee" than last year. I know Portland and Notre Dame have one common opponent (which slips my mind at the moment) and both won 1-0. That doesn't say the teams are even or anything, but I think it does show that Portland at least has the ability to put up a fight and possibly throw a knockout punch. Station Camp is no slouch either and could put a similar fight. I don't know enough about Livingston, but keep an eye on the LA-SC game for input. I won't say this is the year Region 4 pulls it out, but this is probably the best chance they have had in a long time.

I think that the one thing Station Camp learned tonight is that Portland is for real. Big step for the Panthers toward securing a district title. though regular season championships don't guarauntee anything in the postseason. Congrats to Portland on the big win.

Station Camp is the one team on Portland's regular season schedule that poses the biggest threat, not because they are better, but because they have the weapons to take advantage of some of Portland's weaknesses (not revealing them as SC will have to find out for themselves). Both teams have big time offensive threats, though I think SC might be stronger in the defensive third. Someone will score on a PK, which will really annoy the other team in a 1-1 tie.

They also squeaked out a 1-0 win over a team that powerhouse Notre Dame squeaked out a 1-0 win. So if that is not strong, then I think they will take it at this point in the season.

Portland vs. WH is seldom won by the better team when it comes to tournament time. A few years ago, WH was clearly the better soccer team, but Portland always found a way to come away with the district titles (yes, WH won the region, though that does not disprove my point). Last year, Portland was clearly the better team, but WH still found a way to come away with the region title (oddly enough after Portland won the district). Portland dominated play in last year's region championship, but WH did the thing that is most important and that is put one in the net. I think that is what makes this rivalry so much fun is that the better team wins on about a 50% clip. This year, Portland is clearly the better team again, but that means nothing to the scoreboard. The game has been rescheduled for this Friday. I would also like to say that Station Camp is vastly underrated and how they have managed to fly so far under the radar this year is almost impressive. They will give Portland a game and I would not be surprised at all if they put a dent in Portland's record. I think we will have a similar result this year as we did last, 0-0 stalemate.

Portland 5, Springfield 1 Portland wins the Wendy's Cup, going 4-0 through the week. Gets White House tonight in a rivalry match. Tough way to finish a five game stretch, but should be a good one nonetheless.

I think Portland is a lot better than people give them credit for. A bunch of small town country boys don't build up a lot of expectations from the outside. Especially after the exodus of players from last year's sectional team (lost around ten players to graduation and transfers). This team is dealing with a lot of continuity problems that those type of holes can leave, but as can be told, they are holding firm. They have two foreign exchange students (Germany and Venezuela) that have had huge impacts and have helped this team establish itself as a solid soccer program in A/AA. Not great, but solid. The good news for them is that they have unlimited potential at this point, because of those continuity problems. If they resolve those, then they could be a dangerous team in the postseason. Also, on a side note, Portland did not tie Sycamore 0-0. The game was cancelled due to weather, and for tournament purposes is being counted as tie. The game was never played and will not be rescheduled.

Portland 1, Clarksville 0 Scored early and held on for another big win

Portland 1, Rossview 0 Portland wins another close one on the road

Portland 1, Clarksville NE 0 Portland won on the road in probably their worst played game of the year. No first touch and sloppy passing, though NE never really posed an offensive threat.

Portland lost 1-0 to MUS. MUS scored in the first half and played much of the second half on their heels as Portland put the pressure on in the second half. Two days later Portland had Briarcrest down 1-0 until Briarcrest put in two goals in the last four minutes of the game in what was a very even game throughout. I would say those are favorable results since they went 3 hours away from home and had a chance to win both games against good competition. They have more fun this week as they have six games in six days. Clarksville Northeast, Rossview, Sycamore, Clarksville, Springfield, and White House. Should be fun to see how they come out of this.

I was not trying to exclude LA, but district 8 is definitely the stronger district in this region. I don't know enough about LA to give a big opinion, but I would not shy away from saying Station Camp and Portland will be the big dogs in this region. If LA did indeed only lose one starter, then they will be in a position to do some postseason damage.

I have to say that Station Camp is on paper the best team in this district. Defending district champ Portland will also be very competitive, while defending region champ White House lost a lot and may face some lumps this year. I expect Friendship to have a year similar to last - good but not quite there. It will be interesting to see if any of the resident cellar dwellers step up this year and break into the top 4. MJCA maybe?

Station Camp is going to be the class of this region, as they didn't lose much off of a team that won the regular season district crown and was perhaps an injury away from making noise in the postseason. They should be solid from top to bottom with their top scorer returning as well as a lot of their defense. Portland expected a drop after losing a lot of seniors last year at a lot of key positions, as well as losing three other key players to transfers. However, two foreign exchange students have come in and made this team an immediate competitor. Portland has had a few foreign exchange students in the past, but these two are the real deal and should turn some heads. They do not have the team speed they had last year, but as White House likes to prove every year, you don't need speed or skill to beat the crap out of people. I would expect WH to struggle with their personnel losses, but they will always be competitive.

Random comment, but we do know that Kobe has been a multiple year NBA All-Defensive team member right? But, yes, Mandy is amuch better defensive player than I heard she was in the past, and it has helped improve her overall game for the nexy level.

Portland 47 Friendship 44 Portland led a majority of the way. Friendship had a big run in the 4th and actually took the lead by 2 very late, but Portland tightened up and was able to finish it out.

This is definitely a program on the rise and one that will make a big impact in postseasons of the very near future. When you have star studded sophomores, it makes for a very bright future. I do agree with TimBDP, though, that this year will not be their year in the district. They are definitely capable, but I think they will struggle in the postseason atmosphere. A bunch of early district wins have put them in a very good position to grab one of the top two seeds going into the district tournament, and I believe that they will be in the final, however, I think White House will have too much experience and will find an effective way to exploit the interior in a big game. If they get hot, though, I would not ever count them out. With a solid district finish, they do have the chance to get through the first round of region, as Smith Co. is one-dimensional and Macon Co. has strengths similar to the Lady Bison. All they have to do is get hot and they can beat anybody. On the flipside all they have to do is get cold and they could lose to anybody. Therein lies their weakness that I think will turn into experience and give them a lot of W's through the senior years of their current sophomore stars

Just wondering which teams were going to be in the Nera White Chirstmas Tournament in Macon Co. I know the schedule hasn't been made yet, but it is getting closer and I am getting curious. Teams I know (think) will be there are Portland, Macon Co., Smith Co., and Westmoreland. Who else?

OK, so Portland cannot catch a break at the moment. After losing starter Denae Dorris to an ACL injury, Portland played Macon Co. without another starter due to failure to meet a team academic rule. Then, at the end of the first quarter of that game, the Lady Panthers lost another starter to an apparent anxiety attack. It made for a tough game with the Tigerettes, as two girls, who were not expected to see the floor much this year, had to step in and play major minutes. While it is very frustrating, it was very encouraging that, despite the injuries and ineligibilities, Portland played very tough with Macon Co., and had Macon not hit 11 of 13 (I believe) from 3 point land, Portland would have won that basketball game. Macon was unreal, and nothing the Lady Panthers could have done could have won that game. Portland will learn a lot of tough lessons early, and hopefully will be able to see some girls step up much quicker than anticipated. Portland still has high hopes for the season, and plans to compete for the district crown.

Portland suffered a major loss Tuesday night, and it did not come on the scoreboard. At the end of the third quarter in an eventual 51-40 win over East Robertson, 5'9" starting junior wing Denae Dorris tore her ACL, ending her season. She was averaging just over 9 points a game, and had yet to shoot the way she is capable of. She did a lot of the little things that made her such an important part of this Panther team, and she will be difficult to replace. Portland still has enough weapons to make noise this year, but depth will now be a major concern. Hopefully, the Panthers will have the mental toughness to overcome an ACL injury to a starter for the 6th straight year. Good luck Lady Panthers!

Unfortunately, I understand 100% the whole thing with the parents thinking their daughters should play simply because they are seniors. It is tough on a first year coach, especially one that has inheritted a program that has hit rock bottom, such as Greenbrier's. Hopefully, this coach will sit down for the long haul and start by building this team's future success, as I do not believe their is a short-term solution that will produce either wins or happy parents. The city of Greenbrier has proven that they can produce quality athletes (look at volleyball and softball), but needs a coach to give the basketball program some direction. Until they find that, I am afraid they will hold up the rest of the district for a long time.

After about 2 weeks of basketball, I was just wondering how everyone felt about this district and their thoughts coming in. I still stand by my predictions at the beginning of this post, but there are a few surprises and other tidbits to be noted. White House has struggled early on, and a great deal of that can be contributed to Edgar's injury which has kept her sidelined so far. When she returns, their lineup will receive a great boost, though the struggles in Blue Devil country seem like they are deeper than just an injury to a key player. Any thoughts or info? Portland is my surprise team early this season, though Station Camp has also been a pleasant surprise. Portland has not shot the ball well at all this season and yet have found ways to put 50+ points on the board. If they get their shots going, they could take this district by storm. Station Camp also seems to have a legitimate shot this year. If they get hot, they are unbelievable. New coach has inserted some very good set pieces that get them quick and easy looks at the basket. Not sure if I want to update my predictions just yet, but I feel over the next two weeks, we will have some major shifting.

In the Portland game, Westmoreland simply did not look ready to play. They mad a lot of uncharacteristic turnovers and got outhustled all over the floor. Portland, aside from the first quarter, had a terrible shooting game. If they hit 40% of their shots over the last three quarters, Portland wins this game by 15-20. You don't often see Westmoreland get outworked, but last night they did in dramatic fashion. On that note, I expect Westmoreland to make a lot of improvement over the next few weeks, and they will be ready come midseason. Jones, #24, is a flat-out player. She had 24 points in the game, and if someone else had stepped up and hit some shots, the outcome could have been different. Portland is the real deal this year. Offensively, they are struggling, shooting less than 35% so far this year. The scary part is this team is loaded with shooters, so if and when they find their touch, they could turn a lot of heads. Can't wait for the rematch!

Sycamore beat a very good White House team tonight. White House returned all their starters from a district runner up team a year ago. They do have a lot, and I mean A LOT, of internal problems right now, but they do have the talent. Any details on the game?