Heading into the 2010-11 season no one thought the Clearview Clippers would be a good team.

The Clippers had dominated the Patriot Athletic Conference the last few years and won the Westlake Division II championship, but they were led by the trio of Tony Williams, Anthony Hitchens and Kyle Baughman.

Those guys were replaced by players like Jacob Senquiz, DeShawn Carter, Anthony Fears and R.J. Pressutto.

They might not be household names, but somehow Clearview coach John Szalay has this year's team in a familiar place - first place in the PAC - Stripes Division.

The Clippers last loss came to Elyria in non-conferene play on Jan. 18. Since then, Clearview has won three in row. They are 8-5 overall, and lead the PAC by two games over Lutheran West and Oberlin with a 7-1 record.

The team has 13 seniors listed on the roster, but many of these guys are getting their first opportunity to play extensive minutes on the varsity level.

The Clippers control their own destiny to win another PAC title, but they still have games left against Lutheran West and Oberlin (regular season finale).

Here's the Morning Journal's Boys Basketball Power Poll according to Assistant Sports Editor Anthony Rios through January 28th.

The rankings are based on records, division and opponents faced.

This week Avon Lake remained at the top spot again with two victories against North Olmsted and Brecksville.

Lorain and Avon jumped to No. 3 and No. 4 respectively, while Norwalk made the biggest jump of the week, moving from No. 10 to No. 6.

Edison and Perkins both dropped four spots. The Chargers beat Perkins on the road last Friday, but fell to Norwalk the following night on the road.

The Pirates' loss to Edison gives the Chargers the inside track to the Sandusky Bay Conference.

Here's a look at this week's Power Poll:

1. Avon Lake (12-0)
The Shoremen remained undefeated with wins against North Olmsted and Brecksville. Face Berea on the road tonight.

2. Western Reserve (12-1)
The Roughriders beat Crestview and St. Paul last week. Host South Central tonight.

3. Lorain (8-3)
Defeated Maple Heights last Friday and play Toledo Scott on Feb. 1.

4. Avon (10-3)
In the driver's seat in the West Shore after beating North Ridgeville on Tuesday. Face Fairview on the road tonight.

5. Elyria (9-4)
Defeated Elyria Catholic on Tuesday and face North Ridgeville on the road Feb. 1.

6. Norwalk (8-3)
Defeated Edison last Saturday and face Bellevue on the road tonight.

7. Edison (9-2)
Beat Perkins Friday night in a big conference game but lost to Norwalk on Saturday. Host Oak Harbor tonight as they try to stay on top of the SBC.

8. Perkins (10-2)
The Pirates lost to Edison last Friday and face Huron on the road tonight.

9. Bay (9-3)
Defeated Midview on Tuesday and host Vermilion tonight.

10. Oberlin (8-4)
Lost to Wellington on Tuesday and host Keystone tonight.

We're just past the midway point of the 2010-11 boys basketball season and Avon Lake remains the only undefeated team in Lorain County.

The Shoremen are currently 11-0 and 6-0 in the Southwestern Conference after their 68-54 victory against North Olmsted on Jan. 21.

Avon Lake has been winning in dominant fashion and have a great shot of running the table in the regular season.

They've only had three single-digit wins and are averaging 61.9 points per game, while allowing just 45.2 ppg.

Starting this week, though, Avon Lake will embark on its toughest part of its schedule, where they will play four of its next five games on the road.



Two of those games are against Berea (Jan. 28 on the road) and Westlake (Feb. 01 at home).

The Shoremen only defeated the Braves 60-57 in their first meeting on Dec. 10 and beat the Demons 51-48 in their first meeting on Dec. 14.

If the Shoremen can win those games, they have a great shot to go 20-0. Not to take anything away from the SWC, but Avon Lake is playing on another level from the competition right now.

After that tough stretch, the Shoremen will have three of their last four games at home.

They will host Olmsted Falls (0-10), Lorain (8-3), Brecksville (7-3) and on the road against North Olmsted (3-7).

If Avon Lake wins out they will be the first boys basketball in the county to go undefeated since the 2008-09 Admiral King team, that started 21-0 before losing the Division I Grafton district tournament.

Friday night was a big night for a couple of teams trying to take control of their conference.

In Sandusky, the Edison Chargers took on the Perkins Pirates. Both teams came into the game with 7-1 records in the Sandusky Bay Conference.

The Chargers erased 40-32 deficit early in the fourth quarter to defeat the Pirates 47-44.



Edison's seniors made the difference down the stretch as Mike Yost and Ryan Reber came up with huge plays on both ends of the floor.

With 21 seconds left, Yost score on an offensive rebound to put the Chargers up by one.

On the Pirates next possession, Brandon Smith drove to the basket for the go-ahead score, but Reber stepped in to take a charge to preserve the win.

The Chargers now own the tie-breaker and control their own destiny to win the SBC for the second time in three years.

In another marquee matchup, the Avon Eagles took on the Bay Rockets in a battle of top West Shore Conference teams.

John Urwin scored a game-high 25 points, but R.J. Kauffman (20 points) and Claude Gray (21 points) were too much as the Eagles won 69-61.



The Eagles now are 9-3 overall and 6-1 in the WSC and have control of the conference.

It's been a rough week for Bay, who were 8-1 and 4-1 in the WSC before the week began, but lost to Rocky River last Tuesday and followed that with its loss to Avon.

Both teams were picked to finish in the top of the conference, but it looks like Bay might need some luck if they are going to catch the Eagles.

The teams will meet in the regular-season finale on Feb. 25th, and if Avon stumbles it could be for the conference title.

Here's the Morning Journal's Boys Basketball Power Poll according to Assistant Sports Editor Anthony Rios through January 21st.

The rankings are based on records, division and opponents faced. This week Avon Lake remained at the top spot, while Bay and Norwalk made their debuts in the Top 10.

1. Avon Lake (10-0)
Defeated Olmsted Falls last Friday and beat Avon Tuesday. The Shoremen host North Olmsted tonight.

2. Western Reserve (10-1)
The Roughriders beat Wellington last Saturday and are on the road tonight to face Crestview.

3. Edison (8-1)
The Chargers defeated Plymouth last Saturday and are on the road to face Perkins tonight.

4. Perkins (10-1)
The Pirates defeated St. Mary last Saturday and host Edison tonight in the battle of first place teams in the SBC.

5. Elyria (8-3)
Snapped its two-game losing streak with a win against Clearview on Tuesday. Hosts Brunswick tonight.

6. Lorain (7-3)
Lost to Shaker Heights last Saturday. Host Maple Heights tonight to try and stay unbeaten in LEL Erie play.

7. Avon (8-3)
Lost to Avon Lake Tuesday and hosts WSC opponent Bay tonight in a much-anticipated battle of first-place teams.

8. Bay (8-2)
Lost to Rocky River on Tuesday, will travel to take on Avon tonight.

9. Oberlin (7-2)
Beat Brookside last Friday. Travel to take on Black River tonight.

10. Norwalk (6-3)
Defeated Willard on the road in OT last Friday, host Fostoria tonight.

On the outside — Open Door (7-4), Huron (6-4), Vermilion (7-5), Clearview (5-5), North Ridgeville (5-5), Monroeville (5-5), Wellington (5-4), Sandusky (4-6), Keystone (5-6), Westlake (4-6)

Friday night Ronnie Willoughby wanted to play well on his mother's birthday against Olmsted Falls, and boy did he.

In the Shoremen's 94-54 blowout over the Bulldogs, Willoughby scored a career-high and school-record 46 points. He made 17 field goals, including five 3-pointers. He also made seven free throws.

The 46 points is also the high in Lorain County this season, two more than Open Door's Abe Valentine, who scored 44 against Brookside last week.

Avon Lake is now 9-0 and 5-0 in the Southwestern Conference.


Avon 89, Firelands 38: The Eagles made short work of the Falcons jumping out to a 48-13 lead at halftime.

Claude Gray led the Eagles with 19 points.

The Eagles are now 8-2 and have a huge game at Avon Lake on Tuesday.

Oberlin 74, Brookside 60: The Phoenix continued their season of redemption as they built a big first lead and held on for the victory.

The Phoenix have already doubled their win total from last season (3) and are 4-1 in the Patriot Athletic Conference - Stripes Division.

Clearview 47, Keystone 42: The Clippers up-and-down continue as they came away with a big home victory.


Jacob Senquiz led the Clippers with 11 points, as Clearview improved to 5-4 overall and 4-1 in the PAC.

Medina 53, Elyria 42: The Pioneers couldn't overcome a six-point first quarter, as the Battling Bees led from start to finish.

After starting the season 7-1, the Pioneers have now lost two in a row and drop to 1-3 in the Northeast Ohio Conference - Valley Division.

Elyria is in the middle of a stretch where they play six of seven games on the road and the young Pioneers are struggling so far.

They'll look to bounce back against Clearview on Tuesday.

North Ridgeville 50, Vermilion 38: Danny Montgomery scored 29 points as the Rangers improved to 5-5 and 3-3 in the West Shore Conference.

Here's the Morning Journal's Boys Basketball Power Poll according to Assistant Sports Editor Anthony Rios through January 14th.

The rankings are based on records, division and opponents faced. This week Avon Lake takes over the top spot after Elyria's lost to Garfield Heights. The Pioneers slipped to No. 5, while Avon dropped to No. 7 after its loss to Vermilion.

1. Avon Lake (8-0)
The Shoremen defeated Midpark last Friday 51-32, and are allowing just 41 ppg. They are on the road at Olmsted Falls tonight.

2. Western Reserve (8-1)
Defeated Mapleton and Norwalk last weekend and are top atop the Firelands Conference. The Roughriders host Plymouth tonight.

3. Edison (7-1)
Defeated SBC opponents Clyde and Huron last weekend and are tied for first in the conference. The Chargers host Plymouth on Saturday.

4. Perkins (9-1)
Beat Margaretta and Oak Harbor last weekend to remain tied with Edison in the SBC. The Pirates host St. Mary on Saturday.

5. Elyria (7-2)
Began a tough stretch of six of its next seven games on the road with a loss to Garfield Heights. Travel to Medina tonight.

6. Lorain (7-2)
Defeated Shaw last Friday and Sandusky on Tuesday. Host a tough Shaker Heights team on Saturday.

7. Avon (7-2)
Lost to Vermilion last Friday and beat Midview on Tuesday. On the road at Firelands tonight.

8. Oberlin (6-2)
Lost to Lutheran West on Friday and defeated Clearview on Tuesday. Host Brookside tonight.

9. Vermilion (6-4)
Defeated Avon last Friday and lost to Rocky River on Tuesday. Host West Shore Conference opponent North Ridgeville tonight.

10. Open Door (6-3)
Lost to Brookside in double OT. At Lake Center Christian tonight.

Here's the Morning Journal's Boys Basketball Power Poll according to Assistant Sports Editor Anthony Rios through January 7th.

The rankings are based on records, division and opponents faced.

1. Elyria (7-1)
The Pioneers won the LC Holiday Classic, then beat Lakewood on Tuesday. Elyria is on the road against Garfield Heights.

2. Avon Lake (7-0)
The Shoremen won the Brunswick Holiday Classic, then defeated Midview on Tuesday. Avon Lake host Midpark tonight.

3. Western Reserve (6-1)
The Roughriders look to bounce back after suffering their first loss of the season to New London. Western Reserve host Firelands Conference opponent Mapelton tonight.

4. Avon (6-1)
The Eagles won their Holiday tournament for the first time in school history. Avon is on the road tonight to face Vermilion.

5. Edison (5-1)
The Chargers are tied atop the Sandusky Bay Conference and host Clyde tonight.

6. Perkins (7-1)
The Pirates have won three in a row after losing to the Chargers and are tied atop the SBC. Perkins host Margaretta tonight.

7. Lorain (5-2)
Titans went 1-1 in the LC Holiday Classic and host Lake Erie League opponent Shaw tonight.

8. Open Door (6-2)
The Patriots handed Oberlin its first loss of the season on Tuesday. They are on the road to face Brookside tonight.

9. Oberlin (5-1)
The Phoenix look to rebound from their loss to Open Door as they travel to face Lutheran West tonight.

10. Vermilion (5-3)
The Sailors beat Clearview on Tuesday and host Avon tonight.

For two days last week at Vermilion High School, fans who attended the 13th Annual Lorain Holiday Classic tournament got their money's worth.

The tournament, which was played on December 27-28, featured Vermilion, Lorain, Elyria and Sandusky.

Prior to the tournament Vermilion, Lorain and Elyria all came in with 4-1 records.

Day 1 of the tournament had two great games, with some great performances.

In the first game Lorain and Elyria battled each other into overtime, with the Pioneers coming out with 66-56 victory.

Sophomore guard Kody Bender led all scores with 24 points.




Both teams showed why they are considered a couple of the best teams in Lorain County.

I wouldn't be surprised if these teams meet down the road in the Division I district tournament, possibly for the district championship.

In the second game, an undersized Vermilion team pushed Sandusky to the limit, but fell 64-61.

Delon Roldon-Johnson gave the Blue Streaks a spark off the bench and finished with 18 points, 16 coming in the second half.

On Day 2, Sandusky and Elyria faced-off in the championship game.

The Pioneers were without senior Chase Farris, who missed the game to play in an All-Star football game.

Under-manned Elyria still found a way to defeat the Blue Streaks, 62-59, to win the tournament for a second year in a row.

Junior forward Brendan Dickerson led the Pioneers with 20 and 10 rebounds.

Elyria is now 6-1, and its only loss came against Strongsville by one point. The Pioneers are a very good rebounding team and have size and scoring.

Bender and Dickerson were both named to the All-Tournament team along with Lorain's Theron Nelson, Vermilion's Mitch Novak and Sandusky's Xavier Turner and Roldon-Johnson.

They should contend for the Northeast Ohio Conference title and have a top seed going into the district if healthy.