It doesn’t need the word “classic” in the title to be one.

There are several high school basketball classics being held this year with each boasting some outstanding teams and matchups.

But one regular season game that could be classic is Friday’s Ohio Valley Conference game between the South Point Pointers and Chesapeake Panthers.

Chesapeake played the season’s best matchup to date last week when the Panthers got past Ironton 78-71.

Now the Panthers host the offensive-minded Pointers is what may be one of the few challenges they’ll face in the conference.

Chesapeake has the ability to score with Nathan Copley, Austin McMaster and Colin Kennedy. South Point has plenty of scoring punch from brothers Blake and Brandon Barnes plus Tevin Mitchell and Kyle Winkler.

The difference could come down to the Panthers’ big size advantage.

Wellston Hoops Classic

It seems that if there is some kind of basketball classic out there, the Ironton Fighting Tigers will be involved.

Such is the case this weekend when Ironton plays back-to-back days in the Wellston National Hoops Classic.

Ironton (5-2) plays John Glenn at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and then faces Dayton Stivers at 6:15 on Sunday.

John Glenn is 5-2 on the season and both losses were by one point including 50-49 to Zanesville Maysville on Tuesday.

The Little Muskies are led by Zanesville area Player of the Year candidate Jake Heagen, a 6-foot-4 senior guard who leads the team in scoring. Most of his offensive help comes from 6-2 junior Zack Atkins and 6-2 senior Laine Crawford, both forwards.

Stivers — a school for the arts — is also nicknamed the Tigers and their colors are orange and black. However, unlike Ironton they are 3-5 on the season.

Two of their wins were against Middletown Madison and Belmont. One loss was 73-64 at Chillicothe.

Beasts of the Southeast

The second year looks to be better than the first.

Chesapeake coach Ryan Davis has added a fifth game to the lineup this year as he hosts the Beasts of the Southeast classic Saturday, Jan. 15.

Lucasville Valley and Eastern Meigs tip-off the day’s action at noon. Ironton plays Dayton Horizon Science Academy at 2 p.m., Eastern Brown takes on South Point at 4 p.m., Fairland faces Oak Hill at 6 p.m. and the host Panthers play Athens in the nightcap at 8 p.m.

The Fairland-Oak Hill game will be the first for Oaks’ coach Norm Persin back on the floor where he coached for 21 years and now bears his name.

Persin won 11 OVC championships at Chesapeake. He picked up his 600th career win on Tuesday when Oak Hill beat South Webster, coached by Steven Ater who played and coached for Persin at Chesapeake.

——— Sinatra ———

Jim Walker is sports editor of The Ironton Tribune.