ATHENS, Ohio – It’s a familiar foe for the Chesapeake Panthers.

Friday, March 01, 2002

ATHENS, Ohio – It’s a familiar foe for the Chesapeake Panthers. It’s the Big Show for the South Point Pointers.

The Division III district tournament gets underway Friday at Ohio University with Chesapeake playing old nemesis Belpre in the second game of a doubleheader. The first game matches Wheelersburg and Paint Valley at 6:15 p.m.

Due to Ohio University’s home game Saturday, the district’s first round continues at 3 p.m. Sunday as South Point plays the Southeastern Panthers who are led by 6-11 1/2-inch junior center Chris Skaggs.

Chesapeake has met Belpre twice in the regionals and has lost both. Although Belpre is not as strong as last season’s team that reached the state tournament, Panthers coach Norm Persin said they are always a good team late in the season.

"They seem to get stronger as the tournament goes along. If you’re going to get them, you better get them early," Persin said.

Belpre (15-7) is led by 6-6 senior Nick Morey with 17.8 points and 11.9 rebounds a game. Pat Klein, a 6-4 senior, has a 15.9 scoring average and 5.1 rebounds per contest.

The rest of the starting lineup features 6-1 senior Nick Hamilton, 3.0 points and 5.0 rebounds, 5-10 senior guard Kyle Holbert (11.7, 2.5), and 5-10 junior Brian Adams (5.8, 3.0).

Chesapeake is led by 6-4 junior Aaron Gossett at 14.5 points and 8.0 rebounds a game.

Nick Karle, a 6-0 junior, has 10.0 points and 4.0 rebounds a game, is a starter along with 6-5 senior Brad Fulton with 6.0 points and 4.5 rebounds, 6-6 junior center Matt Rucker who averages 7.0 points and rebounds each game, and 6-1 senior guard Tommie Hill with a 5.0 points and 2.5 rebounds average.

In Sunday’s game, Southeastern is 20-1 and coached by Larry Jordan who recorded career win No. 500 in an 84-61 rout of Unioto in the sectional finals. Jordan is now 500-211 in 31 seasons including 467-281 in 28 years at Southeastern.

Skaggs averages 18.0 points and 13.8 rebounds, but he’s not a one-man team.

Giving some outside scoring is 6-2 junior Trustan Detty who averages 16.9 pionts a game. Chris Netral, a 6-4 senior forward, averages 6.0 points and 4.8 rebounds, 5-11 guard Brian Netter scores at an 8.4 clip, and 6-foot senior Dave McCarvey had 6.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest.

South Point (13-8) is paced by 6-foot senior guard Shane Holsinger with a 25.5 scoring average.